Not everyone who works in Antarctica is a research scientist, as this fascinating look at the lives of a plumber and a GP who went out for 18-month stints showed
Plumbers and Penguins (Radio 4) was that lovely prospect, a well told programme about something most of us know little about: people other than scientists employed to work at Antarctic research stations.
Chris Eldon Lee's report followed the stories of Mark Green, a plumber, and Claire Lehman, a recently qualified GP, as they headed for Antarctica for 18-month posts. Green faced the biggest immediate challenges, with pipes freezing as you try to fix them, and every job involving the hacking of ice that had the upper hand.
A recurrent theme was workers trying to amuse themselves in the long months without sun. Lehman climbed a mountain early one morning in the hope of glimpsing a ray or two. Green spent hours observing 2,000 penguins gathered together, their urgent noise like Daleks crossed with Clangers. Another worker made the most of resources on hand, building a Chesterfield sofa out of ice. "It's 28ft long, 8ft high and 7ft deep," she said proudly.
Life is hard: "To have a cup of tea, we have to dig snow." Temperatures regularly dip to -50C, but there's also the abrasive, icy wind ("It usually has bits in it that take your skin off"). Yet the camaraderie and appreciation of their unique experience left everyone sounding warm inside and thrilled to be there.
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