Long Way Round
Setting off on motorbikes from London in April 2004, actor Ewan McGregor and his friend and fellow actor Charley Boorman travel through some of the most beautiful, and at times dangerous, terrain the world has to offer. Crossing over into mainland Europe, they ride through France, Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia, Alaska, Canada before arriving 115 days later at their final destination, New York City, USA.
Join the pair on their journey from start to finish as they prepare for and undertake this daring but fulfilling trek around the world.
Sundays from 1 August at 18:25
Extreme Lives - Cannibals And Crampons
Ex-army officers Bruce Parry and Mark Anstice set off on a gruelling expedition to climb a remote mountain 15,400 feet above the dense tropical rainforest of New Guinea. To get there, the pair must travel through some of the world‟s most inhospitable, uncharted terrain – a lost world still inhabited by cannibals.
Arriving in Irian Jaya, Bruce and Mark try to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible, as much of the land they need to cover is off limits to outsiders. Braving fast flowing rivers, crocodiles, leeches, swamps, and the harsh jungle terrain, Bruce and Mark find themselves having to continually take painkillers when their feet start to fall apart from the constant exposure to water.
Sundays from 29 August at 19:05Great SAS Missions
Great SAS Missions provides a unique insight into the most daring and dangerous exploits of the world's leading Special Forces unit.
Highlights of the series include the perfectly executed night raid on the Argentine Air Force during the Falklands War, and the storming of the Iranian Embassy in London, which made the SAS international heroes in the fight against terrorism. The missions themselves are brought to life through survivor and witness accounts, detailed and accurate reconstructions and cutting-edge 3D graphics, which show the methodology behind the attack plans.
Series 1 – Sundays from 1 August at 20:45Paul Merton In India
Paul Merton brings his own unique perspective to a land of startling contradictions in a series that provides a fresh and engaging glimpse of a vast and diverse country.
During Paul‟s Indian adventure we see him hang out with a gang of eunuchs, dine with convicted criminals in a high security prison, learn to 'rock' onstage Indian style, and get swamped by thousands of naked holy men at a remote hilltop festival. Facing angry elephants, delinquent monkeys, spitting cobras and holy rats along the way, Paul finds the 'alternative' India.
In these five shows, Britain's most unlikely explorer journeys right into the heart of a country where anything can happen, and usually does…
Sundays from 1 August at 22:00Last Man Standing
Having taken six young western men to the brink of their endurance, Last Man Standing returns for a second series with a new cast of athletic men to face a set of extraordinary challenges.
The men are sent to some of the most remote parts of the world to live with indigenous peoples, to train with them, and to take part in their ancient sporting festivals. Once again, these are real tribes with real dangers. The men must play by local rules, emerging from each contest cut, battered, bruised, and possibly broken. Along with these sports the competitors take part in all the rites and rituals that lie at the heart of each event.
Events in series two include Suri Stick Fighting in Ethiopia, Samo Wrestling in Burkina Faso and the Waura Canoe Race in Brazil.
Series 2 – Sundays from 1 August at 19:55Special Forces Heroes
A thrilling, high-octane series re-living tales of rescue by the UK's military elite. Highly trained and secretive, the Special Air Service regiment of the British Army – commonly known as the SAS – has acted as a model for special forces units around the world.
Each episode begins right at the centre of the action, with the sound of explosions, gunfire and the cries of those caught in the midst of danger. The overall view is one of confusion – it is not clear who is who. Once the action is over, there is a careful deconstruction of the events. CGI works together with illuminating archive interviews and dramatic reconstruction to present the viewer with a clear picture of the challenges faced by the SAS team in a variety of situations.
Series 1 – Sundays from 1 August at 19:10Extreme Dreams
Extreme Dreams gives five deserving members of the public the chance to realise their dreams by conquering some of the world‟s most extreme environments and embarking on a voyage of personal discovery where they are tested mentally, physically and emotionally on a journey of a lifetime.
The candidates have to rise to the challenge of trekking across ice-covered peaks, descending thousands of feet into scorching hot valleys and enduring everything that the wilderness can throw at them. Pushed to their mental and physical limits, this journey will change their lives forever - if they make it to the end.
Series 1 – Sundays from 1 August at 16:10 and 18:25