Bear Grylls to find out what it means to be a British man in 2014

21 October 2013

Channel 4 has commissioned a bold new documentary series in which Bear Grylls undertakes the ultimate survival experiment to  discover what it means to be a man in 2014.

In the Island of Lost Blokes, 12 male volunteers are stripped of  all the comforts of civilisation, and cast away on a remote deserted island for four weeks - completely alone. Basic rations of food and water will run out quickly - then they will have to work for their very survival.

Bear will discover if modern man has lost the ability to be practical – even when their lives depend on it. Can extreme circumstances force them to reconnect with latent practical skills?

The men chosen may hanker after a simpler life, a romantic vision of the outdoors; but can they even catch their own dinner and build their own shelter?

Without the luxuries of 21st century living, can modern man cut it? And what will they find out about themselves when life as they know it is stripped bare and they face the daily fears and brutalities of survival?

Bear Grylls says: ‘This is Lord of the flies meets Bear Grylls meets Darwin’s survival of the fittest. Man has moved further and further from his hunter-gatherer origins. We take food, shelter, warmth for granted; we barely have to expend any time and energy to get them. I want to find out what happens when you strip people of all the comforts of modern life  - does 21st century man still have it in him to fight for his survival?’

Liam Humphreys, Head of Factual Entertainment at Channel 4 says

‘Could I survive on a desert island” is a question many modern men ask themselves. This hard core adventure series promises to examine, in the most arresting and authentic way, how tough and creative we really are today.’

Tim Whitwell, Head of Programmes, Shine TV says ‘The Island of Lost Blokes aims to push the British bloke to the limit, and find out what they’re made of when the survival odds are stacked against them. The Shine TV team are thrilled to collaborate creatively with both Channel 4 and Bear Grylls/BGV on this exciting and very unique series.’ 

ENDS.

Production Information:

Executive Producers: Ben Mitchell (Shine TV), Tim Whitwell (Shine TV), BGV Exec Producers Bear Grylls, Delbert Shoopman

Production Company:  Shine TV/Bear Grylls Ventures Co-Production

Commissioning Editor: Factual Entertainment:  Liam Humphreys

 

About Shine TV

Shine TV is one of the UK's most successful producers of popular factual television creating series that entertain, surprise and challenge with humour and warmth. Titles include one of the most successful factual formats of all time, MasterChef, which has been brought into over 34 territories world-wide, as well as Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef the Professionals all for the BBC. Forthcoming and  returning titles include Ashley Banjo’s Big Town Dance for Sky One,  Britain's Best Bakery for ITV,  Idris Elba: King of Speed for BBC Two and Eddie Stobart:Trucks and Trailers for Channel 5. Founded in 2001, Shine TV is part of the Shine Group. 

About BGV

Bear Grylls Ventures (BGV) led by CEO Delbert Shoopman & CJ Cardenas is a management and production company based out of Los Angeles. BGV manages all television, film, books, licensing and endorsement deals for Bear Grylls. The goal of the company is to develop and endorse projects that embrace adventure and inspire people to realize their dreams.  Several product partners include Gerber Knives, Craghoppers, Bushnell, JIVO, F84 Games, Bear River and Kyocera.