1x1 - The Arctic

February 24, 1997

Survival expert Ray Mears travels to Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. Here, he meets the indigenous Inuit people and finds out how they cope with living in one of the most inhospitable places on earth, and also learns how to build a sturdy igloo

1x2 - Arnhemland

March 3, 1997

Ray travels to the remote Arnhem Land in Northern Australia, where skills used by Aborigines have remained unchanged for 40,000 years. Contending with searing heat and wily crocodiles, he searches for food in the mangrove forests, sampling local delicacies such as terredo worms

1x3 - Siberia

March 10, 1997

The explorer provides a fascinating insight into the lives of nomadic reindeer herders living deep in the taiga forest of Siberia. He reveals how the Evenk people survive on a diet of reindeer meat, fish and a few edible plants - a lifestyle which has remained the same for 800 years.

1x4 - Western Samoa

March 17, 1997

The compulsive adventurer learns the art of surviving on Western Samoa's Savai'i, a storm-ravaged island surrounded by treacherous seas. He discovers the secrets of building a cyclone-proof house, collecting much-needed fluid from coconuts and fishing with highly effective underwater catapults

1x5 - Namibia

March 24, 1997

The expert survivalist experiences life in the drought-stricken Kalahari bush, where the hunter-gatherer community of Jo'hansi Bushmen survive in sweltering temperatures. He learns the ancient skill of poisoned arrow-making and tracks an antelope by following its prints in the sand

1x6 - The Spice Islands - Indonesia

March 31, 1997

Travelling to the island of Seram in Indonesia, Ray meets the rainforest-dwelling Nuaulu people, from whom he learns how to use bamboo for catching fish and cooking food. Accomplished hunters, the tribe set ingenious traps to catch large mammals, such as deer, wild pigs - and unwary TV presenters

Ray Mears

Presenter