Arctic Aviators      (1 x 60)

This follows the extraordinary story of how a father and son attempt to fly their tiny single-engine Cessna airplane to the North Pole - and land there!

Click the picture for a link to the YouTube 4K HDR trailer

It is an amazing story of risk-taking and daring: see the Arctic Aviators website for more information; synopsis, background, photographs, the route, the people ..

Living on the Edge      (6 x 60)

(in development)

Presenter-led, this series goes to 6 of the most amazing towns on Earth.  Each town is very different from the others - and in every town the contrasts with our comfortable western lives could not be more stark.

1. The Northernmost Town on Earth - Longyearbyen

(N. of Norway)

"The Narnia of the North" with more polar bears than people, the 3 months of perpetual darkness and 4 months of perpetual sun attract a mix of eccentric and interesting characters - the phrase "you don't have to be mad to live here, but it helps ! " comes to mind.

Short sample video

(Short sample video - click above image to open in separate window on Vimeo)

Images of Longyearbyen

2. The Southernmost Town on Earth - Puerto Williams

(S. Chile)

With the southernmost university in the world and southernmost ATM it has developed from the home of the indigenous Yahgan people to now be a scientific gateway to Antarctica and host to the Chilean Navy.

(Image

3. The Highest Town on Earth - La Rinconada (Peru)

Located high in the Andes, La Rinconada is a gold mining town. It is a harsh place "without rules" and lax policing; a throw-back frontier / gold-rush town with child workers, no sanitation, little policing and many dangers.

4. The Lowest Town on Earth - Jericho, the West Bank

(Palestinian Territories)

The oldest town on earth, this land has been fought over for thousands of years - and the fighting continues to this day.

5. The Coldest Town on Earth - Oymyakon (Siberia)

Ironically, Oymyakon actually means 'non-freezing water' due to a nearby hot spring, but it has the lowest recorded temperature of minus 71 deg. C
 

Nothing grows - it is too cold - and sometimes it is so cold at night that birds freeze. Digging a grave can take 3 days as the ground has to be thawed using hot coals.

6. The Hottest Town on Earth - Furnace Creek

(Death Valley, USA)

Aptly named Furnace Creek has the record for the highest recorded temperature in the world, reaching 56.7 °C

The Timbisha Native Americans lived at the Furnace Creek oasis for centuries until being displaced in the 1880s, following the discovery of borax which generated a brief period of prosperity from the mining and a transition to western culture, with the influx of newcomers.

Now it is a tourist spot, despite the heat - and home to the 'Heatstroke Open' golf tournament.

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