When Jeremy Wade first signed on to film River Monsters, he never imagined it would become Animal Planet’s biggest hit. “If someone told me eight years ago I’d still be doing this, I wouldn’t have believed them,” Wade admits. What began as a one-off special turned into an addictive series that has kept viewers coming back season after season.
At first glance, River Monsters sounds simple: a man goes fishing in remote locations. But Wade made it thrilling. “It’s not just about fishing,” he explains. “It’s an underwater detective story. We’re solving mysteries and uncovering the creatures behind them.”
For six seasons, Wade has traveled to far-flung rivers, investigating terrifying local legends: kids dragged underwater by unseen beasts, swimmers attacked by mysterious predators. Each episode unfolds like a crime drama, ending with Wade revealing the monstrous fish behind the horror stories. From the Amazon to the Congo, he’s caught everything from 150-pound arapaima to vampire fish with dagger-like teeth, and even the fearsome goliath tigerfish with its three-inch fangs. “People expect to see monsters like that in the ocean,” says executive producer Lisa Lucas, “but not in freshwater rivers.”
Lucas believes Wade is the secret to the show’s success. “You can’t replace him. He’s completely authentic. Even without cameras, he’d be out there fishing by himself.” That authenticity shines through every episode, as Wade endures blistering heat, torrential rain, and clouds of mosquitoes – all for a single, elusive catch. “If we don’t have a fish at the end, we don’t have a show,” Lucas admits.
However, as River Monsters gears up for its seventh season, there’s one big question: what happens when Wade runs out of monsters to catch? “Freshwater makes up only about 0.01% of the world’s water,” Wade explains. “The list of big, fierce fish is small. We’re finding just enough to keep going, but I don’t know for how much longer.”
Environmental changes aren’t helping either. Fish sizes are declining worldwide due to pollution and overfishing. “I’ve seen it myself,” Wade says. “Big fish aren’t as common as they used to be. Catch-and-release fishing is the only way to give them a chance to survive.”
To keep things fresh, the show has evolved. Wade has started exploring non-fish river creatures like anacondas and is even diving underwater with scuba gear to meet fish in their own habitat. In one upcoming episode, the show uses CGI to reveal prehistoric river monsters. But Lucas is careful not to let it become a cartoon. “As soon as Jeremy starts catching CGI fish, we’ve lost what makes the show real,” she says.
Despite these challenges, neither Lucas nor Wade seem too worried about the future. “If we stay true to what made River Monsters special in the first place, we’ll be fine,” Lucas believes. Wade agrees: “Even if it ends tomorrow, we’ve done more than I ever dreamed. We’ve exceeded every expectation.”
For now, River Monsters remains a gripping ride into the world’s murkiest waters, driven by a host who’s part adventurer, part detective, and all heart.
