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Last broadcast on Sun, 13 Sep 2009, 00:40 on BBC Four (see all broadcasts).
Synopsis
Three-part documentary series telling the stories of early European explorers who reached the wildernesses of Canada, the Congo and Australia.
Two hundred years ago, the Arctic was largely a great blank on the map for would-be explorers. It captured their imagination as a place of sublime beauty and yet also as a desolate frozen landscape, home to the deadly polar bear. It was a place where heroes attempted to find the North-West passage and where whole expeditions disappeared without trace.
In the last century, the polar sea has become a region of vital strategic significance where the great powers built secret bases, transforming the lifestyle of the Inuit. Now, as the Arctic ice melts, the polar bear has become an emblem for the fragility of our planet.
Clip: Experiencing the Arctic
Dr Eckart Dege and author Margaret Atwood share their experiences of visiting the Arctic.
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