Sir David's Natural Hisstory

Feb 3 2008 By Billy Sloan

Tv Preview Sir David Attenborough Stared Death In The Face While Filming The Final Chapter Of His Epic Study Of Life On Earth.

The award-winning filmmaker was hit in the face by venom from a spitting cobra during new wildlife series Life In Cold Blood.

The veteran naturalist - still going strong at 81 - travelled the world filming snakes, lizards, frogs and turtles.

In America, Sir David worked alongside an expert snake handler to discover how lethal cobras can become when threatened.

His BBC crew wanted rare footage of the snake spitting in his face to demonstrate the sophisticated nature of its defence.

Sir David and the crew had to wear safety visors and an evacuation plan was put in place at a local hospital in case anyone was bitten. He said: "The expert stressed that speed was of the essence as the journey to hospital would take at least 45 minutes over rough tracks, so no time could be wasted.

"The normally chatty crew were sitting in absolute silence when he said: 'Any questions?'

"I had one exactly whose idea was this?" Luckily, filming went exactly to plan and it even left the crew feeling in the pink - for all the wrong reasons.

Sir David said: "In order to see the venom being spat, my visor had been dusted with very fine indicator powder that reacted by turning bright pink.

"The wind wafted the powder on to the sweaty crew who were covered in bright pink blotches."

The five-part series is the final instalment of Sir David's Life On Earth odyssey which began in 1979.

In tomorrow's opener he travels to the Galapagos Islands to see iguanas basking in the sun.

The reptiles use solar energy to power their dives.

Sir David said: "Reptiles and amphibians are sometimes thought of as slow, dim-witted and primitive.

"In fact, they can be lethally fast, spectacularly beautiful, surprisingly affectionate as well as extremely sophisticated. These animals cope with life's challenges and do it with elegance and grace."

In Argentina, the team shot the underwater birth of 15 yellow anacondas and watched as they surfaced to take their first breath.

Back in the Galapagos, Sir David also visited a colony of angulate tortoises, best known for bloody "jousting" using lances on the front of their enormous shells.

The moment was captured using a "tortoise cam".

"Some people dismiss reptiles and amphibians as rather boring things that sit there and do nothing much," said Sir David.

"But if you know how and when to look they're full of the most extraordinary behaviour."

PICK OF THE WEEK LIFE IN COLD BLOOD: BBC1, MONDAY,9pm