Galapagos -  Born Of Fire

The Galápagos Islands are a living laboratory - a geological conveyer belt that has given birth to, and seen the death of, many species of plants and animals. They are also the inspiration behind Darwin's theory of evolution and, as such, have had a powerful impact on the way we see our world.

This high-definition, three-part series has the Galápagos Islands at its heart. It follows them from their volcanic birth to their death beneath the waves, reveals the bigger picture of the many forces at work which are continually reshaping this fragile archipelago, and explores how our perspective of these islands, and those that roam them, has changed over the last 500 years from early pirates and buccaneers to Darwin's arrival.

All were mesmerised by the odd assortment of wildlife, as anyone visiting now would be. From blue-footed booby birds to penguins to frigate birds and giant tortoises, a truly odd variety of life has managed to get a foothold on this unruly world. Their story is inextricably tied up with these unique islands that are always on the march.

The series begins with the birth of the islands and an exploration of what makes them unique. They were born out of volcanoes and are plumbed directly into the heart of the planet. One thousand kilometres off South America they are at the centre of many different ocean currents which bring an extraordinary mix of life to their shores and they are constantly changing.

This is one of the most volcanically active regions on earth with well over 60 eruptions in the last 200 years. The team captured a rare eruption of Sierra Negra when a huge column of smoke was cast in the sky and over a million cubic metres of lava were shed per hour on the first day.

As for the wildlife, the mixture of cold and warm waters support a wide range of marine creatures, including vast shoals of hammer-head sharks and the distinctive Galápagos garden eel. For land animals, getting to Galápagos is a lot tougher. Those that have made it had to cross the open ocean on rafts of vegetation, swept out from the mainland on flash floods.

Available on iView