Wonders of the Monsoon

Original version

Until 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales (analogue) was known simply as BBC Two Wales. BBC Two Wales (digital) was BBC 2W. From 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales schedules on both analogue and digital became identical

BBC Two Wales

BBC Four

BBC Scotland

BBC Two Scotland

BBC Two Northern Ireland

BBC Two England

England

Simulcast of network BBC Two in high definition.

BBC Two HD

BBC Four HD

A BBC TV channel for Scotland which will broadcast every evening and will show drama, factual, comedy and news programmes made in Scotland

BBC Scotland HD

Simulcast of BBC Two Northern Ireland in high definition

BBC Two Northern Ireland HD

Simulcast of BBC Two Wales in high definition

BBC Two Wales HD

Colin Salmon

Jonathan Clay

Paul Bradshaw

Chris Cole

James Honeyborne

Wonders of the Monsoon: Episode 2: Deluge

Documentaries

Deluge

Episode 2

Episode 2: Deluge

BBC Two - Wonders of the Monsoon, Deluge

A look at the impact of the Asian monsoon in Thailand, India, Cambodia and Sri Lanka.

Series exploring the greatest weather system on earth. From India to Thailand and Cambodia, the Asian monsoon makes its grand entrance, the bringer of life and the destroyer.

With a whisper on the wind, pre-monsoon showers come to Thailand. Assamese macaque monkeys play in the waters and gorge themselves on a monsoon delicacy of water snails.

To the west, in India, huge banks of cloud roll in, heralding four months of incessant rain. The rains trigger a dramatic response. Male Indian common toads are transformed yellow-gold for just one day. It is their big chance to mate. Within days, insects are everywhere. New filming techniques show, for the first time, how mosquitoes survive the impacts of giant raindrops. Fresh grass draws nomads and their vast herds of livestock back to their homelands. But they are stalked by hungry wolves and hyenas, which move in at night for the kill.

In the far north east of India, exceptional rain from the Bay of Bengal combines with meltwater from the Himalayas to create catastrophic floods in the river Brahmaputra. It floods Kaziranga National Park, forcing a herd of elephants to make the perilous journey across a busy road and come into conflict with humans before they can reach the safety of the hills.

In Cambodia, the Mekong swells so much that water is forced backwards up its tributary, the Sap, to fill the vast Tonle Sap Lake - one of the most productive freshwater fisheries on earth. It is time for the comical 'snakebird school', where darter chicks learn how to catch fish. Under the water, the sinister frog-faced soft-shelled turtles lurch out of the river bed to snatch passing fish.

Finally, monsoon rainwater flows back through the great rivers of Asia to the Indian Ocean. It brings with it a vast lode of nutrients. Year round, blue whales congregate off the coast of Sri Lanka in search of the bounty that the monsoon brings.

BBC Two

Knowledge, drama, comedy and the arts for a broad adult audience.

BBC Two is a lively channel of depth and substance, carrying a range of knowledge-building programming complemented by great drama, comedy and arts.

Factual: Science & Nature: Nature & Environment

Step into a world where life is shaped by the greatest weather system on Earth.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Wonders of the Monsoon

Episode 2: Deluge

Contributors

Genres

Formats

Series

BBC Two Wales

About BBC Two