50 minSeason 1 • Episode 3
LatestNatural-history series exploring the Galapagos Islands, where the forces of nature can be brutal. It's a land of fire, astride the equator, and at the mercy of the elements. This concluding episode reveals how, through time and isolation, animals and plants have evolved the most surprising ways to cope with the profound geological and climatic forces. In the new millennium, with a growing interest in this delicate microcosm of our planet, come ever-increasing challenges.
The history of these beautiful Islands from their creation as uprising lava to their being studied by Darwin to their modern day inhabitants.
Score
Tilda's narration: part bedtime story, part existential threat.
Cinematography
Underwater lava flows that look like liquid galaxies.
Production
BBC money making volcanoes look like art installation.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Tilda Swinton recorded her narration twice—once soft, once whispered—because she 'wanted the islands to feel like a secret.'
This series aired the same year as An Inconvenient Truth but chose wonder over warning—a choice that feels increasingly radical now.
GB
