Series synopsis
Deadly 60 is a British documentary television series that premiered on BBC One on May 28, 2009. It stars Steve Backshall.
Wildlife presenter Steve Backshall tracks down 60 of the world's deadliest animals.
Premise
Wildlife presenter Steve Backshall tracks down 60 of the world's deadliest animals.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Steve Backshall as Self
Episodes
This series spans 8 seasons with 121 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 11 | February 10, 2011 | |
| Season 1 | 26 | May 28, 2009 | January 7, 2010 |
| Season 2 | 26 | July 8, 2010 | December 30, 2010 |
| Season 3 | 26 | March 26, 2012 | August 31, 2012 |
| Season 4 | 11 | February 17, 2020 | April 27, 2020 |
| Season 5 | 11 | September 13, 2024 | September 27, 2024 |
| Season 6 | 10 | September 8, 2025 | September 19, 2025 |
| Season 7 | 0 | March 27, 2026 | April 22, 2026 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Deadly 60 On A Mission: Costa Rica In the Costa Rican rainforest, Steve is almost strangled by a boa constrictor, is struck dumb by the strike speed of a viper, and plays hide and seek with a deadly bushmaster. Then he gets hands-on with the world's most poisonous frog, nearly gets a nip from a blood-sucking vampire and encounters a huge American crocodile. |
|
| 2 |
Deadly 60 On A Mission: Argentina and Peru In the heart of South America, Steve hunts for the mighty anaconda, swims with piranha and has a surprising face-to-face encounter with a creature that bit him. Steve then visits Peru to meet the giant river otter and another very formidable snake. |
|
| 3 |
Deadly 60 On A Mission: Mexico and Panama In Central America, Steve takes to the water in chain mail in search of a deep sea monster. Back on land he searches for the world's biggest wasp before setting off for a day of snake hunting. Then he heads to Panama to track down one of the largest birds of prey in the world: the harpy eagle. Finally, Steve handles some giant bullet ants, who possess the world's most painful insect bite. |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
South Africa In Hoedspruit, South Africa, Steve Backshall encounters an angry hippo and a venomous scorpion. |
May 28, 2009 |
| 2 |
South Africa Steve Backshall finds out if crocodiles deserve their reputation, and tracks down one of Africa's most elusive predators, the awesome hunting dog. |
June 4, 2009 |
| 3 |
South Africa In South Africa, Steve Backshall braves rough seas to get close to a great white shark, and goes out scavenging with the world's most fearless animal. |
June 11, 2009 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Baja California, Mexico On a trip to Mexico, Steve Backshall takes to the water in search of a monster of the deep seas and searches for snakes in the desert. |
July 8, 2010 |
| 2 |
British Columbia Steve tracks the weirdest-looking fish on the planet, comes face-to-face with a giant Pacific octopus and goes kayaking with killer whales. |
July 15, 2010 |
| 3 |
Vancouver Steve Backshall takes to icy waters in search of the world's biggest sea lion, and there's a surprise in store when he meets the infamous black bear. |
July 22, 2010 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Indonesia Steve Backshall travels to Indonesia in search of three very different reptiles to add to his list of deadly predators. |
March 26, 2012 |
| 2 |
Ethiopia In the medieval Ethiopian city of Harar, Steve Backshall has a unique and potentially lethal encounter with a pack of spotted hyenas. |
March 27, 2012 |
| 3 |
United Kingdom Steve is on his home turf, scouring land, sea and air for some of the deadliest critters that the UK has to offer. |
March 28, 2012 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Rhino Rescue Special Steve joins teams trying to prevent the rhino from being hunted to extinction. |
February 17, 2020 |
| 2 |
Bali Steve sets sail to Bali for a diving adventure to find a giant ocean sunfish. He rescues fish trapped in an abandoned net and meets the teenagers fighting to ban plastic bags on the island. |
February 24, 2020 |
| 3 |
Gabon Jungle Steve travels to Gabon for the first time. Exploring Loango National Park, Steve goes in search of crocodiles, surprisingly deadly chimpanzees and feisty forest elephants. |
March 2, 2020 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Braving the Bait Balls Steve is in search of one of the most spectacular events on Earth - bait balls. These wildlife events are so epic that they can be seen from space - but they won’t be easy to find. |
September 13, 2024 |
| 2 |
Big Cat Special Steve goes in search of the deadliest cats in Africa in the carnivore capital of Zambia. He gets up close to the rulers of the savannah - the lions and leopards. |
September 16, 2024 |
| 3 |
Very Hungry Hippos Steve heads to Zambia for the first time, where he hears hippo communication on a whole new level, spots a high-diving croc and meets some incredible sniffer dogs. |
September 17, 2024 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Cheetah Special Steve Backshall tracks cheetahs across Zambia by motorbike, witnessing epic hunting and the challenges faced by this endangered predator. |
September 8, 2025 |
| 2 |
Saving Sharks Steve dives with 100 grey nurse sharks - aka ragged-tooth sharks - a wobbegong, and a gigantic whale shark, and he joins a mission in Indonesia to save sharks from over-fishing with eco-tourism. |
September 9, 2025 |
| 3 |
Ocean Oddballs Steve is underwater in Indonesia with funny-looking frogfish, a stargazer, flamboyant cuttlefish, a mimic octopus, and a Bobbit worm. |
September 10, 2025 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bears and Vipers in Slovenia Steve Backshall goes in search of one of Europe's most venomous snakes: the nose-horned viper. He also hopes to track down a bear and goes deep into a cave system to find a dragon. |
March 27, 2026 |
| 2 |
Blue Whales and Saltwater Crocodiles Steve Backshall heads to Timor Leste in search of the biggest animal to have ever lived - the blue whale. He also hopes to find the saltwater crocodile, one of the giants of land. |
March 27, 2026 |
| 3 |
Secretive Puma Special Steve Backshall goes searching for Patagonia's perfect predator: the puma. After waiting his whole life to see one, Steve sees a tiny cub and witnesses a female puma hunting an armadillo. |
March 27, 2026 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | BBC One |
|---|---|
| First aired | May 28, 2009 |
| Last aired | September 19, 2025 |
| Runtime | 30 minutes |
| Status | Returning Series |
| Schedule | Monday at 18:00:00 |