Airdate: Bill Bailey’s Jungle Hero

Next week SBS begins the first of a two part doco, Bill Bailey’s Jungle Hero, retracing the steps of Victorian naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace in Borneo.

Join comedian Bill Bailey on an exotic and thrilling adventure to retrace the steps of the greatest unsung hero of natural history. Bringing together nature, history and science, Bill tells the extraordinary story of Victorian naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace.

Charles Darwin is recognised for coming up with the theory of evolution. But that is only half the story. The other half involves this brilliantly eccentric British explorer who survived man-eating tigers, headhunting tribes, pirate attacks and sinking ships. He changed the way we see life on Earth but has since been written out of history.

Bill Bailey has become infatuated with the work of Wallace and shares his passion for wildlife and Indonesia. Following in Wallace’s footsteps, from the heart of Borneo to exotic Spice Islands, Bill discovers fabulous wildlife from stunning birds of paradise, to frogs that fly and kangaroos that climb trees, as he undertakes his personal mission to get Wallace recognised alongside Darwin.

Part One: Wallace In Borneo
Bill’s very personal journey reveals Wallace’s quest to solve the mystery of the Origin of Species. In the heart of Borneo – Bill encounters wild Orangutans, battles to catch jungle butterflies and finds a frog that can fly. Just as Wallace did 150 years ago, Bill eats local delicacies including stinking durian fruits and roasted dragonflies.

Wednesday, 27 November at 7.30pm on SBS ONE