TV Review: Expert findings in a lost land at risk

Published on Wednesday 30 July 2008 19:55

Lost Land Of The Jaguar, BBC1

Dangerous Jobs For Girls, Channel 4

THE camera panned a river then plunged down a spectacular waterfall: as programme openings go, it was a good one. "If you think the whole world has been explored – think again," declared the narrator, promising that Lost Land Of The Jaguar would reveal wonders unseen even by David Attenborough.

This highly enjoyable nature documentary series certainly delivered, bringing not only glimpses of tiny frogs, giant otters and spindly spiders but also gorgeous scenery from the largest unspoilt rainforest left on earth. The premise involves four naturalists boldly going where few have gone before, on a mission to discover as much amazing stuff as possible to help those trying to save it from becoming the largest former rainforest logging site on earth.

As large mammals expert Gordon Buchanan put it: "Guyana's at a dangerous crossroads." The country's president is awaiting their report and a response to a proposal to trade the survival of the rainforest in return for carbon credits from us already spoilt, richer countries. Frankly it's a no-brainer: anyone wanting to choke us all to death by turning the trees here into paper money should be chucked down the Kaieteur Falls, five times the height of Niagara.

Funnily enough, that's exactly what Steve Backshall chose to do voluntarily, abseiling down to the soggy valley 720ft below to see what lived there. He survived (only to break his back climbing in the Forest of Dean a few weeks ago – isn't that always the way?).

While the 'explorers' trained their cameras on the wildlife, other cameras were on them, which did at times make it seem as if we were missing the amazing sights to focus on their reactions. But the enthusiasm for their subjects was truly infectious. Finding his giant otters at last, Buchanan endearingly exclaimed "Oh jeepers! Man alive!" then nearly died of happiness when his night-camera captured an elusive jaguar.

And entomologist Dr George McGavin, crawling inside a hollow fallen tree trunk in search of strange bugs, beamed: "All I can say is, I don't think I've had as much fun in a log for a long time."

It was refreshing to watch a programme in which highly knowledgeable professionals just set about competently doing their jobs, instead of sending in celebrities or wannabes to 'experience' the jungle in gimmicky fashion.

But that is no reflection on the three women who were sent to a different part of South America, the Pantanal flood plain of Brazil, to learn to be cowboys. I feared Dangerous Jobs For Girls might be one of those programmes set up to mock Paris Hilton types who squeal at broken nails, but thankfully the "girls" were all highly capable women and experienced horse riders.

Not that that stopped the cowboys thinking they were really make-up obsessed, gossip-mag-reading bimbos underneath. "Why don't you put them in the kitchen with our women?" asked ranch owner Andre. "I think that would be more appropriate."

But while management consultant Nicola (the kind of tiresome person who goes around saying "failure is not an option") refused to help castrate a horse, and barrister Laura ("I don't have any weaknesses") kept letting the cows escape, they both did pretty well in the end. And young showjumper Gemma in particular won over the cowboys with her determination to master the job of driving hundreds of cattle across hundreds of miles of flooded land.

Ultimately, any untrained man would have fared much the same – if perhaps with less drive to prove the macho doubters wrong.