Don’t miss BBC1’s brand new wildlife series that features a new generation of spy creatures, giving never-seen before footage of life under the ocean waves. Here’s when it’s on, how to watch and the species it features
When is Spy in the Ocean on television?
Spy in the Ocean starts on 4 June at 7pm on BBC 1 and runs once a week for four episodes. It will also be available on BBCi Player
What is Spy in the Ocean about?
An amazing new generation of spy creatures set out to explore the ocean, encountering the ingenious and emotional animals that have made this habitat their home. From fish that use teamwork to solve problems, to a rare social gatherings of whales in deep conversation, this series features startling new insights with feats of intelligence surprisingly similar to our own.
In the first episode spy whale has a close encounter with sperm whales , while spy octopus builds a relationship with a coconut octopus, a creature who not only a central brain but also a brain in each of its arms. It uses its combined brainpower to steal the coconut shell carried by our spy and then uses it as the door to its secret hideaway.
In Thailand, spy macaque swims with freediving monkeys and captures behaviour that has never been seen before: macaques catching fish with their bare hands. In Japan, spy puffer fish encounters an artistic genius, a male Japanese puffer fish that crafts exquisite sand sculptures to woo a mate. Spy puffer becomes the artist’s assistant as it finds shells to help it complete its masterpiece.
In the Caribbean, spy hermit crab loses its camera shell to a real hermit crab during a house swap. The thief becomes an unwitting camera operator and gains a crab’s-eye view as the crabs line up to exchange shells in order of size. Also in the Caribbean, spy pig joins a colony of wild pigs as they cleverly take to the ocean to find food.
In the second episode spy dolphin joins real dolphins as they surf waves, witnessing their euphoria up close, while spy whale forges a friendship with a baby humpback. In New Zealand, spy seal joins a lost seal pup on an epic adventure as they head inland to a magical refuge deep in the mountains.
In the coral reefs of the Caribbean, spy manatee gains a privileged view into their endearing relationships – even receiving a manatee kiss! In Japan, emotions run high among courting mudskippers and spy mudskipper even attempts to attract a mate.
At the moment there is no information about the third and fourth episodes but watch this space!
Who is narrating Spy in the Ocean?
The series will be narrated by actor David Tennant
Main image : Spy whale @ BBC/John Downer Productions/René Heuzey