“In all my year…

“In all my years of exploration, these are the creatures I find most curious. For the first time ever, filmed over the course of three afternoons in deepest Russia, using the world’s most state of the art cameras, this is curling.”

“Here we have a pack of sliding curlers. Watch as the alpha female displays her dominance over the herd by tapping the head of the frisking broom to check for rogue insects. This is a precise exercise.

“And off she goes, gently but flamboyantly launching the over-sized walnut down the frozen river. The alpha female’s job is now complete. It’s down to the herd to frantically follow the walnut down the river, gently frisking the foreground.”

“Past the red line the walnut goes, this is nature at its most vulnerable.”

“You’ll notice the other wall nuts in the middle of the flat round nest. These are from other sliding curlers who thrust their nuts down earlier. These is to mark their territory.”

“The aim of the ritual is to land your walnut in the centre the nest.”

“The frisking is frantic and often futile, making no difference to the success of the net thrrrust. But it’s playful, and all part of what makes this game the sliding curlers play so magical.

“Look how happy it makes them.”

The Sport of Curling as playfully commentated by Sir David Attenborough! What a genius.