I Bought a Rainforest - I Bought My Own Rainforest, Series 1 (2014)

Wildlife photographer Charlie Hamilton James has just bought 100 acres of the Peruvian Amazon… without even looking at it first. But buying a piece of land over the phone isn't such a great idea. Far from a green heaven, he's bought a coca plantation, an illegal logging camp and a few fields of knackered crops. The reality of what he has taken on soon hits home. Charlie discovers the problems facing the Amazon are now on his doorstep – the drug trade, illegal gold mining, logging and poverty. He wants to learn more by living and working with the locals and finally realises the way to preserve the rainforest is not to buy it up, but to work with the people, rather than against them. This jungle adventure takes in everything from poisonous snakes and hallucinogenic shamanic brews to flesh-eating diseases. Along the way, Charlie's wife Philippa Forrester comes out to check on his progress. In the end protecting his rainforest comes down to a very simple choice. But has Charlie learnt enough about the Amazon to make the right decision? Please note, this version differs slightly from the UKTX version.