filming

Simon Reeve’s popular BBC series Wilderness makes an epic return to screens as the star recounts his deadly encounters

Presenter Simon Reeve has shared some of his near-death experiences while filming his new BBC series.

For his brand new series, Wilderness with Simon Reeve, the host returns to screens with four new expeditions to some of the world’s wildest and most remote places.

From trekking deep into Papua New Guinea’s jungle-clad mountains and diving with sharks in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez, to exploring Canada’s Yukon and crossing almost 3,000 miles of Mongolia by 4WD, horse and on foot, these journeys promise to be bigger, wilder and more ambitious than ever.

With such major expeditions throughout the series, Simon has shared insight into disasters that almost cost him his life. Sharing his thoughts with the BBC, the 54-year-old was asked to elaborate on his near-disasters, which he revealed he had “several”.

Explaining the hair-raising moments, he said: “In Papua New Guinea, I had a makeshift bamboo chair in our camp. It looked pretty sturdy, right up until the moment it collapsed beneath me and a sharpened length of bamboo speared straight through the side of my t-shirt. It missed me. But it was close. Definitely a near-disaster.”

He also shared insight into a terrifying moment in Canada. He continued: “Even supposedly safe Canada was tricky.

“After getting up in the night to film the Northern Lights, I was half-asleep, freezing cold and fumbling with the stove in my tent.

“A burning log tipped onto the bone-dry mossy floor and suddenly there was a trail of fire heading towards my bed. In a bit of a panic, I kicked the log out through the tent flap and then extinguished the remaining flames with the nearest available liquid: a bottle of what I’ll call ‘Trucker’s Tango’ beside my camp bed. Thankfully I have a very poor sense of smell.”

The star also said: Then there was Bear Cave Mountain in the Yukon. Every night-time trip to the outside loo involved thoughts about what if I slip on the ice in my long johns, knock myself out and become breakfast for a wolf or a grizzly? It was one of the most remote places I’ve ever been.

“We were about 100 miles, as the crow flies, from the nearest other humans. It was like being in the middle of an ocean – except the ocean had bears.”

Wilderness with Simon Reeve will consist of four episodes which are 60 minutes each. The series is produced for BBC Two and iPlayer by The Garden, part of ITV Studios and co-produced by The Open University. The series has been written and presented by Simon Reeve.

Wilderness with Simon Reeve airs Saturday at 7:45pm on BBC Two.

Game of Thrones’ Rose Leslie still remembers what she learnt when winter was coming.

Rose Leslie has shared some handy behind the scenes Game of Thrones tricks she used for Vigil season three.

Vigil continues to air every Sunday and Monday night on BBC One as DI Kirsten Longacre (played by Rose Leslie) heads up the latest murder investigation.

But in a complete 180 degrees move to series two which was mostly set in the Middle East, season three takes place in Svalbard, Norway, which is located in the Arctic Circle.

And with Svalbard having an average annual temperature between minus 11 and minus 16 degrees, it wasn’t the easiest of conditions to work in.

Nevertheless, Leslie did pick up a few helpful tips while shooting in Iceland’s freezing temperatures for Game of Thrones.

“Filming back then, I was given a brilliant hack that I also used for Svalbard as well.

“Essentially, if you get a heat pack and you place them on both your kidneys, you are then heating up your blood because your blood is going through your kidneys and then whizzing everywhere else in your system.

“So if you’re heating up the blood going through your kidneys, you’re actually going to warm yourself up.

So I was like ‘Guys, you’ve got to listen to me on this!’ And it works!

“That really helped me on every single day we were filming outside on the mountain tops.”

Vigil season three returns for its third episode tonight, Sunday, September 6, where Kirsten will finally be reunited with DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones).

It’s been teased that Amy travels to Svalbard to “clear Kirsten’s name” as she faces the “wrath of the Russians”.

The official synopsis continues: “Together, they dig into the complex motivations within the hub whilst something more sinister bubbles beneath its surface.

“The truth of Hodge’s murder may be closer to home than they thought, but the situation threatens to combust before they can get to the truth.”

Vigil is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Michelle Keegan has reportedly quit a drama just weeks before she was set to begin filming and now a former Doctor Who star has is said to have taken over the role

Michelle Keegan has quit a drama just weeks before she was set to begin filming.

The actress, 39, is said to have been gearing to take on the part of a working class barrister in a new series that has been penned by Sherlock creator Steve Thompson, with cameras set to roll from November.

But it’s now thought that Michelle, who has to Palma, 18 months, with husband Mark Wright, has pulled out of the project in what is being called a “huge blow” for the production.

A source said: “Michelle was really keen to take on the meaty role, but the heavy filming schedule would take her away from daughter Palma for too long.

According to reports, former Doctor Who actress Jodie Whittaker has been drafted into the role instead but fans of Michelle will soon be able to see her in in Netflix drama The Woods, which is based on the Harlan Coben thriller of the same name.

Speaking to The Sun, the source added: “The hours were quite intense and the project was starting straight after her Netflix drama The Woods and she just couldn’t commit. She is dedicated to her acting career, but like all working mums has to prioritise being there for her family, juggling work, parenting and being present for Palma.”

Michelle shot to fame when in 2008 when she was cast as Tina McIntyre on Coronation Street, and stayed with the soap for seven years before making a permanent exit when the much-loved Rovers barmaid was killed off as part of a whodunnit plot. Since then, she has Michelle has become one of the most famous actresses in Britain, starring in top-rated programmes like Brassic and Ten Pound Poms.

Michelle previously starred in Fool Me Once for Netflix, which was based on Coben’s 2016 thriller, but this time round, she will play Lucy Silverfield, who helps her former partner, played by Tom Bateman. In

When the latest adaptation of The Woods was first announced, Coben said in a statement: “The Woods is a haunting and very personal story. It has everything you expect from us – twisty, turning, gasp-inducing – but at the core is a story of old love and yearning.

“Working with a cast led by Tom Bateman, Michelle Keegan, Mandeep Dhillon, Pearce Quigley, James Buckley, Tom Allen – it’s an embarrassment of riches.”

Penned by Danny Brocklehurst, the upcoming eight-part thriller begins with a mysterious disappearance 20 years ago that leaves a family devastated.

When new evidence comes to light that convinces barrister Paul ‘Cope’ Copeland (played by Bateman) his missing sister could be alive after all, he begins a relentless investigation to unearth the truth.

The Mirror has contacted Michelle’s representatives for comment

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