Alone In The Wild - Season 01 (2009)

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As an experienced extreme cameraman who has scaled Everest and filmed in some of the world's most inhospitable places, Ed is a tough guy who relishes a challenge.

But he's not a survival expert.

A survival expert would tell you how to survive in the wild; Ed will tell you what it actually feels like. Exhilaration, fear, liberation and loneliness are just some of the conflicting emotions Ed experiences as he takes himself to the limits of his physical and psychological capabilities.

Episode 1

In this opening episode, Ed is flown into the Canadian wilderness. As the plane disappears, he's instantly overwhelmed by the realisation that he is completely alone. He finds it hard to make decisions, but manages to set up camp. He's frightened and nervous of every sound and movement around him. As the days go by, it dawns on Ed that the escapist dream is a lot harder than he ever imagined.

Episode 2

The anxiety and stress of Ed's first month in the Yukon are beginning to take their toll.

The vast loneliness of the landscape and lack of human contact have left him feeling emotionally numb.

He's struggling to find food and Ed decides the only way to get back on track is to move on. After a long and gruelling hike hauling all his essential supplies on his back, Ed arrives at distant Tincup Lake, only to discover that it has even less food to offer than the camp he has left.

With his weight plummeting and his energy slowly slipping away, Ed begins to question how long he can survive in the wilderness.

Episode 3

Ed is finding dealing with the extreme solitude almost too much to bear.

Photographs of loved ones he bought with him prove too torturous to look at and he begins to have imaginary phone calls with his girlfriend.

Finding food has become painfully frustrating and Ed's last chance is the millions of salmon that swim up river to spawn, but this year there's no sign of them. As starvation takes hold, his heart rate plummets and emergency food rations are dropped in.

Although Ed's health rallies, he realises he can't support himself alone in the wild and calls in a rescue plane.

After 50 days of complete solitude, he is with people for the first time. When Ed sees himself in a mirror and what his adventure has done to him physically, he breaks down. His dream is over and he will never forget what he has done and learnt, but now he is going home.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/alone-in-the-wild