Levison Wood is an iintrepid explorer who has a new Channel 4 series where he treks into remote regions of the world hoping to find endangered animals. He's travelled to over one hundred countries and embarked on numerous challenging expeditions already over the years, from walking the length of the Nile to circumnavigating the Arabian Peninsula, but now Levison is putting animals that are on the brink of extinction at the forefront of his adventures, heading to Borneo, Namibia and East Greenland in search of orangutans, desert lions and polar bears.
Travelling into some of the most remote and physically challenging environments on the planet, Levison will examine how human activity is threatening both their survival and our own. “This extraordinary quest took me to some of the harshest and most awe-inspiring environments on Earth,” he says. “I experienced the deep connection between local people and animals who are struggling to co-exist amid increased environmental destruction. This series is a testament to the beauty and fragility of our planet's wildest corners, and I trust it will inspire action to help save these animals and their habitats before it's too late. Join me as I explore the incredible worlds of orangutans, desert lions and polar bears.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the series Levison Wood: Walking with… on Channel 4...
Levison Wood: Walking with… release date
The three-part series Levison Wood: Walking with… will start on Channel 4 on Sunday August 6 at 8pm, with episodes running weekly.
What happens in Levison Wood: Walking with….
Levison Wood is hoping to highlight how three endangered species – orangutans, desert lions and polar bears – are battling to survive in the face of human activity and climate change. With the help of indigenous guides and naturalists, he gets up close and personal with these animals, learns about their lives and explores the environments they are now struggling to exist in. He also encounters other animals along the way and visits some rescue and rehabilitation centres to see if they could hold the key to the species’ survival.
Episode 1 — Levison Wood: Walking with Orangutans
In the series opener, Levison Wood travels to the rainforests of Borneo which he describes as being like something out of Jurassic Park. He sees first-hand how our demand for palm oil has destroyed the orangutans’ habitats and why their numbers are plummeting. He and the team encounter a tragedy and then Levison visits an orangutan rehabilitation centre. He is hoping to see a rare, dominant male in the wild but along the way has an unfortunate encounter with a leech.
Episode 2 — Levison Wood: Walking with Desert Lions
Levison Wood heads to Namibia to look for rare desert lions, but it’s not easy as less than 100 are left in the wild. He sees how drought caused by climate change has brought them to the brink of extinction and visits the local people who are losing their livestock to the remaining hungry lions. On the way, he is charged by an angry elephant, eats a disgusting desert melon and finds himself on the menu for one hungry animal.
Episode 3 — Levison Wood: Walking with Polar Bears
In the last episode of the series, Levison Wood braves temperatures down to minus 35C to travel across east Greenland looking for polar bears. He meets the Innuit people and hears how climate change is changing the landscape at a frightening rate, causing huge problems for both people and animals alike. They find themselves marooned on an iceberg at sea and are forced to sleep in abandoned buildings when they are cut off by the changing tides.
Is there a trailer for Levison Wood: Walking with...
Channel hasn't released a trailer for this Levison Wood series, but do have a look at Levison in action in his previous Walking The Nile series in the trailer below...
All about Levison Wood
Ex British army officer Levison Wood is now an explorer, photographer and writer best known for his walking expeditions in Africa, Asia and Central America. He walked the length of the Nile (see trailer above) and his journey was turned into a documentary series for Channel 4 in 2015. He’s also walked the length of the Himalayas, circumnavigated the Arabian Peninsula, crossed from Russia to Iran and made an expedition from Mexico to Colombia, all of which were also made into documentaries. In May 2020 Levison made Walking with Elephants, where he followed the 650-mile migration of elephants across Botswana. He’s also been a guest on Christmas University Challenge, The Sara Cox Show, Today, Saturday Kitchen and Jeremy Vine.
