Wilderness with Simon Reeve on BBC2 sees the intrepid presenter explore Earth’s last great wildernesses. He'll venture further into the unknown than ever before, exploring some of the last remote areas left on the planet.
In this series Simon will explore the Pacific Ocean’s Coral Triangle, Africa’s Congo rainforest and Kalahari Desert and the awe-inspiring landscape of Patagonia in South America, meeting those who call these wildernesses their home and asking how we can preserve these wonders for future generations.
“These have been the most extraordinary journeys and expeditions I’ve ever undertaken. They were knackering, sweaty, draining, emotional, inspiring and occasionally scary. But always bloody brilliant,” says Simon. “Our planet is sublimely beautiful. What an incredible wild home we still have to look after and celebrate. We travelled and trekked deep into some of our last great wilderness areas, to capture their beauty, meet the people who live there, and find some of the most spectacular wildlife on the planet, including giant whale sharks, pumas, and bonobos, perhaps our closest relatives.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the BBC2 series Wilderness with Simon Reeve…
Wilderness with Simon Reeve release date
Wilderness with Simon Reeve is a four-part series that starts on BBC2 on Sunday January 21 2024 at 9pm. Episodes then run weekly at the same time and will become available on BBC iPlayer.
Is there a trailer?
Yes there is a trailer for Wilderness with Simon Reeve with Simon introducing it with a whisper and he tells us about the remote areas he's visitning. Do take a look below...
What happens in Wilderness with Simon Reeve
Wilderness with Simon Reeve sees adventurer Simon journey deep into the heart of some of Earth’s great wildernesses, exploring the few remaining remote areas where nature still rules supreme.
‘I’m going in search of the vast, remote areas where nature still has the upper hand,’ explains Simon.
He’ll head to the Coral Triangle in the Pacific Ocean, Africa’s Congo Rainforest and Kalahari Desert, and Patagonia in South America. He will get to know those who live in these wildernesses and get up close and personal to incredible creatures such as whale sharks and pumas. Experiencing the world at its most beautiful and fragile, he’ll investigate what the future holds for these last wild areas.
Wilderness with Simon Reeve episode guide
Wilderness with Simon Reeve is a four-part series that takes him from the Pacific Ocean’s Coral Triangle, Africa’s Congo rainforest, the Kalahari Desert and Patagonia in South America. Check out our episode guide below.
Episode 1: Congo
In the world’s second largest rainforest, in central Africa, Simon hopes to track down hunter-gatherers the Baka, and the elusive bonobo ape, one of man’s closest relatives. After reaching a Baka settlement, Simon treks through more impenetrable jungle in search of the bonobo, and has almost given up hope when the team encounter a group of the endangered apes. Speaking in hushed tones to camera about how similar we are, with a bonobo close by, Simon admits it was hard not to think of Sir David Attenborough’s iconic 1979 encounter with mountain gorillas. ‘You can’t watch Attenborough for your entire life and not have that permeating through a situation like that!’ he smiles. ‘But hopefully it’s still me there!’
Episode 2: Patagonia
In South America’s spectacular Patagonia region, Simon makes the gruelling climb up to an enormous, 500-square-mile ice field, braving extreme weather and treacherous terrain. Travelling south through the Andes, he visits one of the continent’s legendary gauchos, who lives a solitary life tending livestock, before crossing into Chile, where he has a memorable encounter with ‘King of Patagonia’, the puma.
"These carnivores are the apex predators across South America," says Simon. "They see anything on two or four legs as a potential lunch, and were right in front of us! Luckily they were dead set on going straight ahead and just strolled past, saving us from looking stupidly foolish!"
Episode 3: The Coral Triangle
The biggest fish in the sea, the whale shark, is a fearsome sight but, as a filter feeder, is harmless to humans. However, when Simon Reeve swam with them he didn’t emerge unscathed! This week the explorer visits the Coral Triangle, a biodiverse wilderness in the southwest of the Pacific known as ‘the Amazon of the sea’. After going free diving with ‘sea nomads’ the Baja, who live over a coral reef in houses built on stilts, a three-day boat trip takes Simon to an archipelago off New Guinea, where zebra sharks are being reintroduced, before he heads to a remote bay to swim with the sharks. "They were gorging on catch that the fishermen were throwing into the water, and behaving unpredictably,’ Simon recalls. ‘They’re huge creatures whirling about and turning on a dime!"
Unable to swim out of the way fast enough, Simon unexpectedly collided with one of the giant beasts. "One of them smashed into my leg," he says. "It was like being hit by a tonne of concrete!"
Although the moment wasn’t captured on film, Simon still came away with something to remember the incident by. "I had a scar across my leg for a month and a half,’ he reveals. ‘I was lucky to get away without breaking a limb!"
Episode 4: The Kalahari Desert
Simon Reeve travels across the Kalahari in southern Africa in this last episode of his series, an area which straddles six countries and covers half a million square miles of desert and scrubland.
"The Kalahari is bursting with life," says Simon. "And it’s also home to some of the last great wildlife trackers and hunters in any wilderness on the planet."
In Namibia Simon joins a group of indigenous San trackers as they hunt, using arrows dipped in the poison of a rare beetle. But on his journey he learns how in Botswana the San, who have lived in the Kalahari for tens of thousands of years, have been moved out of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve to live in a purpose-built town with access to education and healthcare facilities.
"It’s hugely controversial," says Simon. "Many claim they’ve lost their way of life. To protect the Kalahari, we need to get better at protecting and looking after and educating and engaging the people who live there and know it best."
Simon also sees much of the Kalahari’s incredible wildlife, coming face to face with lions and rare aardwolves as well as some of Botswana’s elephant population. "Wildernesses are not empty, they are full of life," says Simon. "These wild areas are worth protecting."
All about Simon Reeve
Adventurer, filmmaker, author and presenter Simon Reeve has travelled the world making series such as Incredible Journeys with Simon Reeve, Mediterranean with Simon Reeve, Equator, Indian Ocean, Simon Reeve's South America and Australia with Simon Reeve. He’s also journeyed closer to home, presenting the travelogues Cornwall with Simon Reeve and The Lakes with Simon Reeve.
