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It is a departure for the Irishman from his usual reporting
jobs, which have included undercover work as a bouncer and
soccer thug - and led to him receiving death threats.
And while the human threat was minimal during Wild Weather,
MacIntyre was subjected to some pretty brutal climates where
he was frozen, baked, blasted by air and soaked to saturation
point.
The four episodes and the extras go for just under four hours
but I can tell you that you will be astounded at how quickly
each segment passes.
The photography is brilliant, the special effects wondrous
and the information absolutely rivetting.
If you are a science teacher, or want to give your children
something to really get their minds humming, then this is
a must-have series.
Wind
From the narrow windless equatorial band known as the doldrums,
MacIntyre discovers where wind is born, gets blown around
by 160kph+ blasts in a wind tunnel, examines the terrifying
Cyclone Andrew that devastated Florida in 1992, explains the
jetstreams (up to 500kph) and how the Japanese sent balloon
bombs over the USA through them.
Wet
Norway's town of Bergen is Europe's rain capital and it pours
two out of three days. MacIntyre explains why Bergen gets
such a drenching and the fact there are more than 12,000 billion
tonnes of water hanging around in clouds. Apart from the drenched
souls of Bergen he goes across the world to India where we
see the theraputic and life-giving benefits of monsoons.
Cold
This episode is a bit scary for anyone who has lived in London
- because that is the cold-death capital of the world. Over
3000 people die each year from cold in London and MacIntyre
explains why. You get to troop across Greenland, watch him
buried in a snow cave and then semi-frozen in a freezer for
half an hour to monitor the effects on his body.
Heat
In this episode MacIntyre faces the energy-sapping killer
heat of the equatorial regions, joins madmen in the blistering
Marathon of the Sands, investigates mirages, sunburn and what
the future holds.
Conclusion: 90% Extras: 50%.
Continued:
DVD details at a glance >
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