John Lydon’s Megabugs
John Lydon’s Megabugs
Discovery Channel, November 2004-January 2005
10 half hour episodes for Discovery; hosted and linked by Mr Lydon.
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…
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…
Previously available on DVD
