Retuning the default 'wildlife destination' continent from Africa to Asia

Mt Kinabalu, Borneo, with cameraman Richard Kirby filming a timelapse sequence

Picture a troupe of little red flying foxes (bats) in Australia, waiting for the monsoon rains to come at the end of the dry season. Lack of water means their only option of survival lies in roosting around a crocodile-infested river. To drink, the bats have to scoop down close to the water's surface and quickly skim up water onto their bellies to lick off later once they're back in safety.

As unreal as it sounds, it's the harsh reality many species face before the heavy rains hit. That's the opening scene of the first episode of BBC Earth show Lands of the Monsoon, a five-parter that's been on air since Sunday, 18 October.

Paul Bradshaw

Bradshaw calls it "the perfect monsoon story to open the series with - real jeopardy, amazing predator, incredible light display of a pre-monsoon storm."

Clearly the show focuses on much more than the exotic and alluring aspects of Asia many have already covered by also explaining the relationship between humans and nature as the latter has shaped the former, especially through the monsoon winds that sweep across the region, turning drought into deluge.

Bradshaw talks us through what most attracted him to the show, his favourite scene from the series, and how the show successfully put Asia and its vulnerable wildlife on the 'wildlife destination' map and more in our exclusive audio interview embedded below. Listen in on his views on what it takes to make it as a filmmaker and advice for aspiring. It all boils down to having a passion for the subject matter, as well as a love of storytelling and keeping an audience transfixed, as "all the technical stuff follows".

Don't miss the final two episodes of the series highlighting the conflict of the natural world and humans on the continent on Sundays at 16:00, on BBC Earth channel 184 on DStv...

Volcano at dawn, Java

Lightning storm over the Kimberly region of Western Australia

Floating Village, Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia

A buddhist monk at the temple ruins of Yapahuwa, Sri Lanka

Budgies in Australia