Episode Information

A thousand years ago the ocean was full of giants. Whales were at the heart of a global web, connected to everything; the architects of the sea and even the land. In a basement in Odessa, top secret Soviet whaling reports are uncovered and original whalers, spies and scientists reveal that during the cold war, illegal whaling was out of control, run by the KGB (foreign intelligence and domestic security agency of the Soviet Union). In a thrilling and interwoven story, ships logs appear from garages, attic and cellars. For the first time, we know how many whales were killed, and so, how many there once were. The implications to how we think of the modern ocean, and help it back to health, are profound. Produced, directed and photographed by Nick Dean and Cheryl Dean