Simon explores the Pacific Ocean’s spectacular Coral Triangle, Africa’s vast Congo Rainforest, the sweeping Kalahari desert, and the awe-inspiring landscape of Patagonia
On his toughest journeys yet, adventurer Simon Reeve travels through some of the most remote landscapes on Earth, in search of the people and the wildlife of some of earth’s greatest wildernesses, in a new landmark 4 x 60 minute series for the BBC Two and iPlayer.
On our increasingly crowded planet, there are still a few remote areas where nature has the upper hand: the last great wildernesses. In this series, Simon Reeve attempts to journey across four of them, venturing further into the unknown than he ever has before, in a bid to unlock their secrets, and experience the natural world at its most beautiful and fragile. This time Simon is travelling across four corners of the globe – the biggest journey he has ever taken.
Simon explores the Pacific Ocean’s spectacular Coral Triangle, Africa’s vast Congo Rainforest, the sweeping Kalahari desert, and the awe-inspiring landscape of Patagonia. Along the way, Simon embeds himself with the people who make their homes in the wild, to understand how they live alongside nature, and what we can all do to preserve the planet’s greatest wonders for future generations.
REVIEWS
The Guardian
“Pick of the Week…Incredible…could not be more important... Exotic wildlife, awe-inspiring landscapes, the terrifying rise of deforestation … a powerful tale of the importance of conservation. A majestic journey into a natural wonderland.”
The Telegraph
“Great TV…Reeve has been doing this for 20 years, and he’s really good at it. Reeve has really, genuinely put himself through the wringer here…as television it was bloody great. It’s old-fashioned adventure television and it’s a privilege to go along for the ride.”
Total TV
“Best Factual”
Best Magazine
“His most incredible journey yet”
Daily Mail
“Pick of the Day…the best adventure series…Breathtaking…Incredible…Simon listened without comment or judgment. That’s what gives his documentaries their uniquely intelligent appeal. He doesn’t leap to conclusions or tell us what to think — he simply allows us to share his extreme experiences as an explorer and make up our own minds.”
Radio Times
“Reeve shows immense respect for and openness towards local people, cultures and the environment but he never shies away from reporting on distressing things such as poverty, illegal logging and poaching. As TV adventurers go, he’s one of the best. Reeve is dauntless in his exploration of the world’s most remote communities.”
The Standard
“Simon Reeve's celebration of the wonder of nature is unbeatable. This show makes a compelling case for adding a bit more wildness to our everyday lives...fascinating…despite never shying away from the darker issues…sound tracked by Reeve's affable voice, it's unbeatable stuff.”
The i
“shines a light on some of the most remote, least-disturbed corners of the planet. As we’ve come to expect of Simon Reeve, this is not a ‘glossy travelogue’”
The Times
“Critic’s Choice: gives you a vivid sense
of the place”
BBC INTERVIEW
This series is all about wildernesses but can you explain what a wilderness is?
I think everyone's got their own image and definition, or idea of what it is. I would define a wilderness as a place where the impact of humanity is low, and where nature still makes the rules. The entire planet has felt the effects of humans and industrialisation, but the human impact is low in the areas we visit. Nowhere is completely untouched by humanity. There are plastic particles at the bottom of the ocean and the top of Everest, but we were looking for areas where nature was still largely in charge.
Why did you choose to explore the great wildernesses for this series?
I’ve been on dozens of incredible journeys for all my previous series and I’ve seen the huge impact humans have had. But despite it all, there's still a gorgeous Earth out there, a beautiful planet for us to live on and I think I needed a reminder of that, and a lot of people need that reminder as well. For the first time in human history more than half of all people live in urban areas – and in countries like the UK that goes up to more than 80%. We need to remember there’s not just a little patch of Wilderness out there in our big world, there are still huge wild areas of the planet full of mystery and beauty. We all need a bit of a reminder that it’s still out there, that it’s glorious and vital, and that it’s worth caring about and protecting.
Why four episodes in four different wilderness locations?
Wild areas come in all shapes and sizes – hot, cold, mountainous, forest, ocean. The sheer variety of wild landscapes on our planet is mind-blowing and we wanted to get that across to viewers. Each episode is the result of a separate expedition and journey, and the result is four stand alone programmes, each with a different feel.
I travelled to four very different critical ecosystems. Each one overwhelmed my senses with its beauty, the wondrous diversity of life there, the incredible landscapes, and the challenges that are posed by being in wild nature. Even the colours in each wilderness were very different. There's the green of the rainforest in the Congo, the yellow of the Kalahari desert; the white of the Patagonian mountains; and the blue of the Coral Triangle sea. In each contrasting wilderness I encountered completely unique wildlife and met people who have adapted to thrive in the extreme condition.
Was finding the right destinations challenging?
Picking the specific locations was a challenge because we wanted to come up with areas that were different. And then finding the right place that I could go to at the right time of year was tricky as well. Logistically, seasonally, geographically, I was looking for areas that would give people a little bit of a surprise as well.