BBC Four is super-sizing the insect world in an ambitious new season - Alien Nation. The season features six programmes that will cast a light on this miniature realm in a unique and unprecedented way.
Planet Ant will unearth the natural home of the Leafcutter ant in the biggest manufactured colony in Europe.
Insect Worlds Steve Backshall explores the world of insects and their close relatives. reveal the anatomies of insects via dissection coupled with cutting edge imaging technology.
Insect Dissection Uncovering ingenious body systems and finely tuned senses.
Can Eating Insects Save The World? will explore whether insect cuisine could be the key to our future.
Monarch Butterfly: Four Wings And A Prayerfocuses on the miraculous migration of the mysterious and beautiful Monarch butterfly.
Metamorphosis investigates nature’s ultimate evolutionary magic trick, the amazing transformation of one living creature into a totally different animal.
Edwardian Insects on film recalls how Edwardian natural historian Percy Smith, came up with an innovative way of filming insects doing remarkable things.
As an added treat watch the cute series of french animation shorts - Minuscule - The private life of insects.
“Come and get better acquainted, or alienated, with some ancestors of ours… insects. BBC Four is bravely going where most people actively avoid by getting up close and personal with insects of all shapes and sizes. Wreaking havoc with our courage and using cutting-edge filming technology, BBC Four is breaking out of the usual two-dimensional take on bugs and really finding how insects work, how they live and how this alien nation might ultimately be the true lords of the universe.”
- Richard Klein, Controller, BBC Four
Pick of the season...
Planet Ant - Tues 12th March
Presented by Dr George McGavin and Dr Adam Hart, Planet Ant uncovers the wonders of the ants. Beneath the Glasgow Science Tower a unique exhibit has been constructed, playing home to an ant colony built to mimic the natural home of the Leafcutter ant. Utilising the exhibit and incorporating latest filming techniques, Planet Ant will unlock the secrets of the ant world, revealing in vivid detail just how individual ants, from queens to workers, live within one of the most mysterious and complex societies on Earth. Find out more on the BBC programme page.
"With our battery of technology – endoscopes, microscopes, microphones, timelapse cameras and radio-tracking gear, we set about capturing every aspect of life inside the colony, to bring the hidden realm of the ants to the television screen. I don’t want to give too much away, but suffice to say, much as I berate my children for inappropriate use of the word ‘awesome’, I can’t think of a better one!" - Series Producer Jacqueline Smith on Planet Ant
"The ants certainly left their mark – on some members of the production team more than others. Assistant Producer Nathan Budd embarked on the expedition to film the colony being dug out of the ground in Trinidad – just a week before getting married. The wedding photographer was later to remark that it was a rare groom who turned up with his face covered in ant bites." - Series Producer Jacqueline Smith on Planet Ant
Metamorphosis - Weds 13th March
Metamorphosis seems like the ultimate evolutionary magic trick: the amazing transformation of one living creature into a totally different animal. One life, two bodies. Author David Malone investigates the natural world of metamorphosis and uncovers the answers to questions such as; what is the hidden science at the heart of such ingenious transformation? What light can it shed on how we are all made? And how has the idea of shape-shifting populated our culture, our dreams and our nightmares?
