First Shoot in Brazilian Amazon (Dec 2007 - Jan 2008)

BBC Crew: Tim Green (director/series producer), Sue Doody (assistant producer), Will Edwards (camera), Tim Green (a different one! – sound), Marina Barahona de Brito (researcher) and Ivano Cordeiro (fixer).

Locations: Manaus, Ariau Amazon Towers, Aruazinho, Tefe, Mamiraua (Crystal River, Florida).

What happened: Filming kicked off in the heart of the Amazon on New Year's Eve (bang in the middle of the rainy season – which made for some interesting filming). The first few weeks went extremely well, in spite of the 110% wetness. Mark and Stephen searched for caiman at night, snorkelled with wild pink river dolphins by day, dived with captive Amazonian manatees (and looked for wild ones), slept in hammocks, shared dank, smelly cabins, and caught piranhas for supper – among much else. 

The shoot came to a rather dramatic end early one wet morning less than three weeks into the trip. Stephen slipped and broke his arm while getting on a boat in the dark. To cut a long story short, Stephen was evacuated to Miami, Mark eventually finished filming the sequence they had just begun, and shooting was abandoned 10 days early.

The good news is that Stephen is now fully recovered. And, as he said (between howls of utter pain) as he was being float-planed from the middle of nowhere: 'At least now I don't have to share another cabin with Mark!' For photos, click here