| Discovery
Channel, November 2004-January 2005
10 half hour episodes
for Discovery; hosted and linked by Mr Lydon.
Enthusiasm mixed with
realism, it is his nature…
John's on a mission to
get the most misunderstood and feared insects some respect. Watch
as he investigates anything and everything that flies, crawls, or
runs…
Enjoy, you know he does…
Episode
1:
Spiders
John starts his televisual discoveries in search of the scariest
and hairiest spiders. After a trip to the Arizona desert he gives
some Tarantula's a safe new home, and using his 'Spider Eyes' gets
up front and personal with the Brown Recluse; America's most venomous
spider. Nothing to be scared of…
Episode
2: Mosquitoes
They weren't exactly his favourite insect, but being the
old pro he is, John is off to investigate Mosquitoes. Believe it
or not, the most dangerous animal on the planet. Watch and listen
as he gets locked in tanks filled with 'many thousand' of the creatures
and gets "blotched, bitten and buggered" all in the name
of Discovery… Will it all end in chemical warfare?
Episode
3: Scorpions
They don't come much more deadly than the Scorpion, but
do they deserve their rotten reputation? John goes back to school;
only to find it's a Scorpion housing estate by night. With the aid
of a trusty Scouser he goes about rehousing them back to the desert.
It isn't the stars you need to watch in the desert, it's your feet.
Not a subject to make light of, unless you've got the glo-sticks…
Episode
4: Bees
Probably one of the most important and misunderstood creatures
on the planet – along with Mr Rotten – there's
more to Bees than honey, but that doesn't mean there is anything
to be scared of. Is there?
It's not quite the 'bird's and the bees' but this week's quest see's
John artificially inseminate a Queen Bee (without the exploding
genitals), and then go in search of Killer Bees, all in the name
of serving the community…
Episode
5:
Leeches
"Obnoxious, repulsive and fascinating…"
no, not John: Leeches! Mr Rotten travels to Louisiana in search
of the worlds biggest bloodsuckers: apart from the lawyers. He improves
his frog handling skills, gets a war wound, and watches as a hospital
patient gets his nose sucked. 300 hundred teeth, 3 jaws, but perfectly
harmless.
Episode
6:
Termites
The army of one versus the army of millions… The termite performs
a vital job in nature, but is also the most destructive insect on
the planet. In pursuit of what makes them tick, or should that be
headbang, John gets to grips with some dead wood, not to mention
some cow poo. Despite the carnage they can cause to man-made structures
we learn termites are a fascinating mix of good and chaos; just
like someone else we know…
Episode
7:
Cockroaches
John goes undercover in search of cock-o-roaches and finds
they are every-a-where; sewers, deserts, houses, and (sort
of) maybe the moon…
Cockroaches are 300 million years old, the ultimate survivor. Despite
the fact they can become a nuisance to humans, they are a megabug
to be respected and not feared. Their constant evolution has taught
them to be adaptable to a wide variety of situations, and surely
that's something we can only learn from…
Episode
8: Flies
The Housefly – or should that be Poo-fly –
do they deserve their place on the planet? Of course they do, just
not in your sandwich. The Fly pollinates more than the Bee, but
since Bee's give us honey and Flies tend to vomit on our food, and
wipe their shit on us, we don't have the same affection for them;
funny that… With the aid of Dr Watson John also learns that
Flies are helping the FBI solve crime, then visits a hospital where
Maggots are stopping the rot for the infected. Perfect Tea-Time
viewing.
Episode
9:
Ants
Ants is what you want… Ants is what you get…
Soldiers, gatherers and living larders, there's more to Ants that
you would probably think. Ant perfume or ant honey anyone? Mr Rotten
gets himself in a hole to find about their complex and diverse society.
Watch as he marvels at his favourite insect the Leaf Cutter Ant
on their busy highways and byways, then finds out the last thing
you would want are Red Fire Ants in your pants.
Episode
10:
Wasps
They're here, they're there, they're every bleeding where…
John sets off on a costume drama in search of the Yellow Jacket.
On his travels the King of the Punks meets the Queen of the Wasps,
then sees Jesus walking on water. Surely worthy of TV News? If you
think a Sex Pistol armed with wasp bullets would be scary then wait
till you see the Tarantula Hawk Wasp make a grown man cry: not John
of course, he's got far more sense…
Discovery
Press Release / Megafacts
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