Descending the steps of the plane, I set foot on the Galapagos for the first time - it was to be a moment that defined the path of my life for many years to come.
The Galapagos Islands cast a truly global spell; as one of the first ever World Heritage Sites it is impossible to ignore their ecological importance. Monty Halls certainly couldn't ignore them. The Galapagos captured his imagination from his very first visit and their existence would go on to shape his family's future, as well as the future for generations to come.
An explorer, TV presenter, author, marine biologist, ex-Royal Marine and now President of the Galapagos Conservation Trust, Monty has made it his mission to help conservation efforts in the Galapagos islands with the help of his dedicated research team - his wife and two young daughters, Molly, aged 5 and Isla, aged 7. In 2017, the Halls family spent three months living on Santa Cruz to film a three-part series on C4. They were in turn spellbound by the beauty of the islands and heartbroken by the devastation we are inflicting upon them as hundreds of thousands of us descend on the archipelago every year. In 2019, they headed back to film the next four part-series, but this time they would stay on a far more remote and challenging island, taking a deeper dive into the culture of the Galapagos and the desperately needed conservation work that is taking place there.
Combining the humour and charm of My Family and Other Animals and the excitement and adventure of Simon Reeve's Step By Step, My Family and the Galapagos follows Monty and his family as they experience the most important archipelago on the planet.
'If we can't save the Galapagos, what hope is there for the rest of the world?' Monty Halls
