Steve Backshall's Monsters Of The Deep | Preview (Channel 5)

Lurking in the dark abyss, at depths of over 1000 metres or more, are giants that are rarely seen, until now. In this episode, we explore the world of deep-sea giants. From the biggest creatures living in the oceans, to giants that live longer than any other animal.

Key experts and marine biologists help reveal these marine monsters showing behaviours that have never been caught on camera. We discover why the seas continually produce weird and wonderful giants and how they grow to be so immense.

With the help of John Ablett from the Natural History Museum we meet ‘Archie’ a very rare Giant Squid specimen in its hidden from view collection of strange seas beasts. Adventurer and wildlife expert, Steve Backshall Steve discovers the truth behind the beast that produced the marine myth of ‘the giant Kraken’.

Dwelling over 1000 metres down near the midnight zone, Giant Squids have been reported to grow longer than 18 metres, they have three hearts and the largest eye in the animal kingdom. They have rarely ever been seen, but Steve meets Dr Nathan Robinson who filmed an incredibly rare squid encounter of the giant kind.

When it comes to deep sea giants, there were non-more terrifying than the Megalodon, three times larger than the biggest ever recorded Great White Shark. We meet expert Jack Cooper who recently made a shocking discovery about this super predator to reveal it was more fearsome than we ever imagined. While Emma Bernard of the Natural History Museum shows us evidence of its devastating bite.

Monsters of the Deep then investigates the bizarre, perfectly circular, deep and bloody wounds that have been appearing on ocean giants (and even some humans), and uncovers the culprit – the curious Cookie-cutter Shark. It ascends from the abyss to attack unsuspecting giants like Killer Whales and even Great White Sharks.

At the National Oceanography Centre Steve has a face-to-face encounter with deep ocean giants which are, proportionally, the biggest giants of all. Dr Tammy Horton explains how these abyssal giants can grow up to 700 times bigger than their shallow-water equivalents.

And a visit to the Jurassic Coast results in the revelation of a new discovery, Ichthyotitan. plotting out this gigantic sea monster’s size and behaviour, making the shocking discovery that this could be the largest animal ever to have lived on earth, surpassing even the Blue Whale. And we reveal how only by living in the sea can animals grow to such immense sizes.

Steve Backshall's Monsters Of The Deep airs Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th December on Channel 5.