Explorer Ed Stafford struggles to establish himself on a remote uninhabited Fijian island. Arriving with nothing, he has to quickly establish his priorities of water, shelter, food and fire to have any chance of surviving his 60-day challenge. Living mainly on coconuts, Ed frantically searches the island for a reliable water source and for food, eating anything that comes his way - including a raw gecko. As his only water source dries up, Ed suffers from dehydration before the rain comes and gives him the boost he needs to finally make a much-needed fire.
It’s been two weeks since Ed Stafford arrived on the uninhabited Fijian island of Olorua, with absolutely nothing except cameras to record his experience. With the rainy season approaching, he desperately needs to move out of his exposed caveman home and build a shelter inland. With nothing but a clamshell to fell trees, it’s physically exhausting. To make matters worse, he’s still constantly hungry and dehydrated. As Ed’s physical health deteriorates, so does his mental state, and loneliness begins to take its toll. He’s forced to dig deep to find the strength to keep going.
Finally, Ed is beginning to master the island and is living almost comfortably. But he's still got two challenges: to kill and eat a feral goat, and to build a raft and enter the shark-infested waters to catch fish.
Behind the scenes from Ed's 60 days on the island.
Ed Stafford has to survive 10 days in the dangerous Okavango Delta in Botswana.
Ed is marooned in the rainforest surroundings of Venezuela. He’s stranded with nothing; No food, no water, not even a knife. How will he cope for 10 days?
Ed is marooned on the unforgiving coast of Western Australia. He’s completely on his own with nothing; No food, no water, not even a knife. How will he cope for 10 days?
Ed is stranded in the Carpathian Mountains. He’s completely on his own with nothing; No food, no water, not even a knife. How will he cope in this environment for 10 days?
Ed Stafford takes on the jungles of Borneo. He’s completely on his own with nothing; No food, no water, not even a knife. How will he cope in this environment for 10 days?
Ed Stafford is marooned for 10 days with nothing in a mountainous area of the Golden Triangle. It’s the tail end of the monsoon and Ed is caught out, leaving himself exposed and vulnerable. Keen not to make the same mistake again he uses all his skill and ingenuity to tap into the resources the jungle has to offer.
Ed Stafford is marooned for 10 days with nothing, on the African savannah in Rwanda. Dropped at 2000 metres on the high grasslands of Central Africa, Ed finds himself in a bid to live in harmony with Africa's biggest game. Surrounded by antelope, warthogs, elephant and giraffe, the grasslands are a harsh environment to thrive in, and food is scarce.
Under the searing summer sun, Ed takes on Arizona's Sonoran Desert. As temperatures exceed 40 degrees C, and the local monsoon season threatens to bring potentially deadly flash floods, he battles against the threat of rattlesnakes and mountain lions in a bid to tread in the footsteps of ancient indigenous Americans who thrived in this harsh habitat.
Ed Stafford is a fighter. He has asserted himself in the rainforest, defeated the Carpathians and defied the cold in the table mountains of Venezuela without equipment and food. Thanks to his great experience and various tricks that are not in any Survival manual, he mastered all these challenges with flying colors. In this episode, the adventurer revisits his experiences on six different continents, revealing his recipe for success: ten key rules for survival in the wild.
Dropped in to the middle of Mongolia's Gobi Desert, Ed tackles his most isolated challenge ever. Thousands of miles from civilisation, and facing the constant threats of searing heat and dehydration, Ed finds refuge in a desert oasis. Home to elusive desert bears, the oasis provides Ed with a source of water, edible plants and a base to make a rock and wood house. After a meagre start, he eventually catches some supper.
This time Ed must survive in the jungles of Guatemala. Dropped off on a small island in the Usumacinta River, Ed has to brave crocodiles to reach the jungle. Once there, he is swiftly reminded how tough it is to survive in a rainforest. Battling through dense foliage, he discovers a beautiful lake and sets up camp. But as it's the rainy season, he struggles to make a fire and can't catch anything to eat. Desperately hungry, he builds a raft and sets out onto the lake to fish, ever aware of the resident crocodiles. After nine days alone in the wild, Ed realises that he should make a dramatic offering in thanks for his survival.
Ed takes on the parched bushveld of northern Namibia, in southern Africa. Dropped right at the end of a very long dry season, there are virtually no edible plants available to him. Undeterred, he makes base camp up a tree on the shores of a huge lake, spending each night on his home-made sleeping platform. He builds a huge fish corral which gives him a steady supply of small fish to eat, alongside a bird that he catches in a traditional bushman’s trap. But his obsession with trying to catch a warthog sees him take his eye off the ball. How will he survive?
Dropped deep in the foothills of the Andes, in Argentine Patagonia, Ed faces extreme exposure to both intense sunlight and freezing temperatures as the southern hemisphere unleashes a torrent of meteorological abuse. Making camp in a mountain river valley, he subsists on a diet of wild woodland salad, tadpoles and ant eggs before getting to grips with tickling trout in the fish-rich waters. In a final demonstration of thriving, he builds an automated fishing system and creates a living larder to keep his food source alive in preparation for a last evening mega-meal.
Ed is in The Philippines, on Coron Island, attempting to survive on a secluded beach. The seashore is covered in litter, potentially useful for survival but a depressing reminder of the state of our seas. Ed hasn’t been abandoned on an island since his ordeals on Naked and Marooned and, when he gets seriously ill, he starts to struggle with ghosts from the past. Lying on his sick bed of palm leaves, Ed realises that if he doesn’t push himself to find water and food quickly then his survival mission is over. Hemmed in by towering granite cliffs, he’s concerned there may be no fresh water to be found.
Ed heads for the Arctic Circle, and is dropped on top of a snow-covered mountain in the western fjords of Norway. This is the first time Marooned has ever been to a truly cold location. The conditions are so extreme that Ed is compelled to wear clothes, but as usual takes no food, tools or knife. Before entering isolation, Ed undergoes special ice training to prepare him for the dangers that lie ahead. He faces a new set of challenges, including having to build a shelter that will protect him from the inhospitable weather and keep his fire alight on the sodden ground. He’s under constant risk of hypothermia, and the rising spring tide threatens his home.
Former Army Captain Ed Stafford survived on a desert island for 60 days, arriving without any food, water or tools. Ed opens up about his life-changing experience.
Ed is marooned in a remote location that could kill him within hours. He’s completely on his own with nothing - no food, no water, not even a knife.How will he survive?
