River Monsters

Jeremy Wade is an extreme fisherman who over this series attempts to find some of the waters most dangerous fish. These include Piranhas which as we all know can strip a human to the bones, Alligator gar which really needs to be seen to be believed as even at just 3ft can draw blood, but he's after the 8-13ft ones? Wels which can weigh over 150lbs and can swallow other fish whole. Arapaima which can hit you head on with the force of a car crash, Amazonian catfish which are a wide range of fish varieties who will try and swallow a human whole and a smaller leech-like version which can even travel up the penis to gain a blood meal. OW!!!!! And finally Bull sharks which are starting to swim in the fresh water rivers of Australia where they shouldn't be and have been sighted in other countries too.

The show is a mix of Mythbusters and Crocodile Hunter. Jeremy Wade starts each episode with a story about his suspect attacking humans etc and then spends the episode trying to find out if it actually does this and if so why? Wade swims with Piranhas who simply ignore him, he catches sharks, comes face to face with a huge variety of fish that are as big as he is and really need to be seen to be believed.

I enjoyed this series, Jeremy Wade is not quite as crazy as Steve Irwin, but he's nearly there and his natural enthusiasm runs throughout the series and never lets up. You would be foolish to dismiss this as just another 'daredevil' show, with someone trying to do something stupid as he is careful to explain what he is doing and why and throughout the series the stories that he reveals are quite shocking and in some cases touching, but always interesting. I think what makes this series os interesting is that apart from Piranhas all the fish he is after are things I hadn't even heard of and the Alligator gar which looks like something that evolution has forgotten all about.

River Monsters might not be a show that you watch repeatedly, but it's certainly a show you should experience. Those who enjoy fishing and think that the carp they pulled out the river was impressive may want to see what Wade picks up and set their sights higher.