Episodes
1. Part 1: The Lost City of Z
April 22, 2012
James Cracknell investigates the mysterious disappearance of one of the World’s most famous Amazonian jungle explorers, Colonel Percy Fawcett. In 1925, Fawcett vanished in the remote Xingu region of the largest tropical rainforest on Earth. Now, James Cracknell goes in search of answers, as he discovers just how tough an environment the jungle really is. Hacking through dense jungle, befriending remote tribes, and wading across deadly swamps, Cracknell takes on the environment he fears more than any other, in a quest that becomes more dangerous than he ever imagined.
2. Part 2: Livingstone in Africa
James Cracknell travels to Southern Africa, to tackle some of the defining moments of one of the World’s most celebrated explorers, Dr David Livingstone. Coming face to face with some of the continent’s most dangerous wild animals, Cracknell encounters terrain that’s barely changed since Livingstone opened up and chartered a million square miles of African interior. Determined to follow Livingstone’s route down the Zambezi, James paddles a dug out canoe down the rapids of this mighty river, but finds the route to Victoria Falls, Livingstone’s most famous discovery, is well guarded by one of the continent’s biggest killers.
3. Part 3: Gold Rush
James Cracknell takes on one of the hottest and most extreme terrains in the world, as he investigates what the early pioneers of America’s Gold Rush went through in pursuit of riches. Thousands of ordinary Americans died as they trekked across North America with little supplies or survival skills. James will follow in the footsteps of 28 year old William Manly, one of the bravest men of the 1849 exodus. He’ll pit himself against mountains, deserts, and wild rivers, to discover what Manly went through, as he risked his life to rescue families stranded in America’s Death Valley.
4. Part 4: Shipwrecked
James Cracknell is washed up on a remote island in the shark-infested waters of the South Pacific, as he explores how marooned crews of some of the worst shipping disasters survived. Many drowned without a trace while others found themselves stranded on uninhabited islands, without the means to survive. James will investigate the 1907 Dundonald shipwreck, and discover how her crew survived against all odds, eventually escaping with their lives following seven months stranded on an island. James will learn how to survive on a tiny island, with few resources, as he builds a makeshift coracle and plans his escape across rough seas, past Great White sharks.