TV adventurer Monty Halls has been off on a treasure hunting great escape – to track down the lost gold of Kaiser Bill.

The former Royal Marine, who has made Dartmouth his business base, travelled halfway around the world to search for a hoard of gold abandoned by the Kaiser's First World War army in Africa almost 100 years ago. It is now worth an estimated £60m.

The TV adventure, which is being screened by Channel 5 on Monday at 9pm, is just the first of four intrepid searches for the answers to some great underwater mysteries.

Future shows have Monty searching for the 'real' lost city of Atlantis in Japan; trying to solve the mystery of the Ghost Ship of Thunder Bay beneath Lake Huron in the northern USA; and diving in one of the most deadly dive sites in the world – the Blue Hole at Dahab on Egypt's Sinai Peninsular.

The marine biologist, who made his TV name with his Great Escapes series, has been running outdoor adventure packages including wreck diving and wildlife trips on the Dart and surrounding coastline from his Market Street business for the last 18 months.

All four of Monty's latest expeditions involve tough diving in some truly testing environments.

The Royal Marine, who swapped his life as a serviceman for that of a marine biologist, has become one of TV's most amiable experts in the field.

'Diving has been this rich theme that's run through my life.

For the full story see this week's Dartmouth Chronicle