TV

Blue Planet II cameraman reveals poisoning horror

Injury required urgent attention

The natural world is beautiful and amazing, but sometimes it’s better to just look and not touch.

Just ask Roger Munns – the Blue Planet II cameraman appeared on today’s BBC Breakfast to recount his horrific ordeal after being stung by a stonefish.

The Emmy award-winning videographer was shooting footage for the BBC documentary series near a coral reef when he encountered the venomous creature.

And he told the early-morning programme that he was forced to dip his hand in SCALDING-HOT WATER to negate the effects of the fish’s poison.

Said the 42-year-old: “[It was] completely my own fault. We were filming on the sandy flats and I put my hand down just where a stonefish had decided to bury himself and make his home.

“They have a pretty nasty spine on their back, and it punctured my finger. That was the end of the dive pretty quickly.

“[I] came up and then it was a case of dipping it in a lot of scalding-hot water to denature the protein-based poison.”

The stonefish – or synanceia – is one of the world’s most venomous sea creatures, and its sting can even be fatal to humans if not treated quickly enough.

Read more: Blue Planet viewers’ minds blown by transgender FISH

So needless to say, the BBC crew were more than a little worried when Munns suffered his injury.

Blue Planet II – a seven-part sequel to the popular 2001 series – has entranced viewers since it began at the end of October.

The first episode attracted a staggering 14 million viewers, making it the most-watched TV programme of 2017 so far.

The 28 October instalment of Strictly scored the second-highest viewing figures (12.28 million), while the One Love concert in aid of the Manchester bombing victims currently holds the third spot (11.63 million).

But while Blue Planet II has been fascinating nature fans, it also seems to be putting people off the idea of swimming in the ocean.

Read more: Countryfile leaves viewers heartbroken after showing the bodies of killed baby seals 

One viewer remarked: “Blue Planet II makes me never want to go in the sea again.”

And another added: “Idk, I’m watching The Deep episode of Blue Planet II and it is genuinely nauseatingly scary.”

Think we’ll stick to our local swimming baths…


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor

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