About this season
Natural history programming is given a shot in the arm as extreme volcano hunter Chris Horsley climbs deep inside some of the world's most active volcanoes to gather new scientific data from the very heart of their active lave filled cores. From Africa's Great Rift Valley to Central America's Volcanic Arc, Chris will take us closer than ever to the bowls of the world's most volatile volcanoes located in some of the most inhospitable landscapes on earth. 800 million people live in the shadow of the planet's 1,571 active volcanoes, so Chris isn't putting himself in harm's way for the pure thrill of it – by using innovative techniques, he wants to help predict future eruptions. He'll be installing an "early warning system" for eruptions including gas monitoring systems and surveillance web cameras at their rims to alert scientists and local communities about the ever-changing behaviour of volcanoes.
Episodes (8)
1. The Ridge of Fire Part 1
Aired 5 June 2022 • 43 min
An inconspicuous hill on the Spanish Island of La Palma bursts open, releasing an avalanche of lava. One man watches on helplessly as his home, along with all of his possessions, burns to the ground.
2. The Smoker
Aired 12 June 2022 • 60 min
Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of Congo erupts and smothers the nearby city of Goma with lava, taking 33 lives and destroying 4,000 homes.
3. Mamma Etna
Aired 26 June 2022 • 60 min
Mount Etna, Europe's largest and most active volcano, is in the throes of her most violent eruption in recent years and hitting towns and cities below it.
4. The Mountain in the Beautiful Valley
Aired 3 July 2022 • 43 min
A hill above the village of Grindavik in Iceland bursts open and the Fagradasfjall volcano is born - Chris Horsley helps predict its path.
5. The Commander
Aired 3 July 2022 • 43 min
Chris Horsley returns to the Congo to investigate a huge 10-mile-long fracture that runs directly from the slopes of Nyiragongo volcano down to lake Kivu and visits a nearby farming village where a deadly phenomenon called Mazuku or "Evil Wind" is killing livestock?
6. The Ice Cauldron
Aired 10 July 2022 • 43 min
Chris journeys to Iceland to install vital early-warning systems on one of the country's most dangerous volcanoes - the glacier covered monster, Katla. Katla's twin volcano, Eyjafjallajökull, infamously erupted in 2010, shutting down European airspace. But experts believe Katla is ten-times more explosive.
7. The World's First Volcano
Aired 17 July 2022 • 60 min
In the South of Italy, Chris Horsley joins a mass-scientific effort to inspect Stromboli and install monitoring-systems as close to explosive craters as possible. Chris also travels to Vulcano where the entire island is emitting toxic gas, could this be a sign of an imminent eruption.
8. The Ridge of Fire Part 2
Aired 24 July 2022 • 60 min
The volcanic eruption on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma has destroyed over three-thousand homes. Chris Horsley joins the fire brigade on a dangerous mission to scramble through destroyed towns and villages battling toxic gas and extreme temperatures to collect a fresh lava sample from the red-hot flow.