Accessibility Links
Skip to Main Content
Skip to Main Navigation
Skip to Footer
Magazine subscription offer
Holidays
Money
Newsletters
RT shop
RT Puzzles
Sign In
Register
Sign In
Register
Settings
Sign out
My account
On TV
On TV
Now
On TV
Tonight
Search
On TV
On TV
Now
On TV
Tonight
TV Guide
News
News
View all News
Drama
Entertainment
Sci-Fi
Fantasy
Sport
Documentary
Film
On Demand
On Demand
View all On Demand
Netflix
Amazon Prime Video
Soaps
Soaps
View all Soaps
Coronation Street
EastEnders
Emmerdale
Hollyoaks
Streaming
Streaming
View all Streaming
Disney+
Apple TV+
Britbox
Netflix
Amazon
NOW TV
Sky Box Sets
Film
Film
View all Film
Film news
Film picks
Sport
Radio
Mag Offer
Magazine subscription offer
Holidays
Money
Newsletters
RT shop
RT Puzzles
Wonders of the Monsoon
E4 of 5
About
Episode Guide
Video clips are automatically supplied by broadcasters and distributors. RadioTimes.com is not responsible for the clip's contents.
Series 1 - Episode 4
Strange Castaways
ADVERTISEMENT
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Pinterest
Share on Reddit
Email to a friend
Review
by
Jane Rackham
Having lulled us into a false sense of security with charming shots of black crested macaques in Sulewesi displaying touchingly human behaviour, this film suddenly turns into a Hieronymous Bosch painting.
The cameras dive down to the forest floor in Borneo to reveal a world of writhing, scuttling insect life where competition for nutrients reaches epic levels. Leeches suck down massive earthworms as easily as if they were spaghetti, armour-plated caterpillars with Mad Max-style spikes demolish entire plants and armies of termites devastate vegetation that looks weirdly like internal organs with military precision.
Yet there is a strange exotic beauty about these places that are so reliant on monsoon rains.
Summary
Documentary examining the plants and animals that thrive in monsoon areas, narrated by Colin Salmon. Crested black macaques take advantage of an abundance of fruit, and maleo birds use the sun to incubate their eggs on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. On Java, locals climb volcanoes to offer live sacrifices in thanks for the peaks' help in precipitating rain and fertilising plants with ash. The frequent and heavy rains in Borneo have destroyed the soils, created fierce competition for scarce nutrients, and driven evolution to produce some curious creatures. The Rajah Brooke's pitcher encourages tree shrews to relieve themselves to obtain the substances it needs, while the Bornean red leech is capable of swallowing the giant blue earthworm in one gulp.
Cast & Crew
Narrator
Colin Salmon
Executive Producer
James Honeyborne
Executive Producer
Chris Cole
Producer
Kathryn Jeffs
Series Producer
Paul Bradshaw
Nature
Full Episode Guide
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest News
Who is Grandfather Clock on The Masked Singer?
16 Jan
What channel is Leicester v Southampton on? Kick off time, live stream and latest team news
16 Jan
Who is Harlequin on The Masked Singer?
16 Jan
Who is Viking on The Masked Singer?
16 Jan