Icelandic volcano documentary for Channel 5

April, 2010 and a relatively small Icelandic volcano turns much of the Northern hemisphere into an ash-strewn no-fly zone. From Miami to Moscow flights are grounded, hundreds of thousands of people are stranded.

But the volcanic eruption of Eyjafjallajökull could be just the start. Iceland is packed with volcanoes, many of them active – and scientists believe 3 of them could pose an even bigger threat….. Katla is ten times bigger than Eyjafjallajökull and recently it’s been swelling and grumbling. High tech probes reveal that hundreds of meters below the ice, magma is on the move. Two more neighbouring giants, Hekla and Laki are known to erupt without warning – and have caused devastation across Iceland and Europe in the past.

The hour long Timebomb Iceland is described by the network as a gripping one off special film that tells the story of these three volcanoes. It follows scientists and historians as they investigate the volcanoes today – and what happened when they erupted in the past, to build a picture of what could happen if any one of them erupted in the immediate future. What they discover from deep underground and deep in the past is that Iceland is a ticking bomb – and the next eruption could have a truly global impact.

Simon Raikes, Commissioning Editor, Factual at Channel 5 comments: “As we approach the third anniversary of the Icelandic eruption and the chaotic dust cloud, it’s clear that at some point a much bigger Icelandic volcano will erupt. Now is the right time to find out what could happen when it does.

Alex Sutherland, Executive Producer at Darlow Smithson Productions comments: “The film shows how aware scientists are of the importance of learning from the evidence of past eruptions in Iceland. It’s a terrifying image of what could happen if any three of these giants were to blow.”

Timebomb Iceland is currently set to air on Channel 5 in April 2013