Ice Town: Life on the Edge
2016 · 1 season · 10 episodes · Ended · BBC Earth
Documentary
A lot can happen in the middle of nowhere. Take a trip to the most northerly town on the planet for this gripping docu-soap charting the real-life highs and lows of its quirky inhabitants. The series is set in the town of Longyearbyen, an isolated outpost in the breathtaking wilderness of the Svalbard archipelago, halfway between Norway and Greenland. As well as its mining business, Svalbard houses the global seed vault and is at the centre of worldwide research into polar bears, climatology and glaciology. As a result it is home to a unique expat community made up of 46 different nationalities, including American, British and Norwegian. With extreme arctic conditions, three months of total darkness and the ever-present danger of polar bears, this is not your average neighbourhood - and these are certainly not your average characters!
Episodes
- S01E01Welcome to Svalbard2016-08-2847m
Longyearbyen on Svalbard, the northernmost town in the world, is a place like no other a place where you aren't allowed to be born or die, carrying a gun outside of town is mandatory and where polar bears outnumber people.
- S01E02Life is Fragile2016-09-0447m
Meet the quirky characters who've chosen to live in one of the most remote and extreme places on the planet, including a taxi driver who's a dead ringer for Santa, an American chef who bakes worm cookies, and a death-defying dogsled team.
- S01E03Out of the Dark2016-09-1147m
Winter comes to Longyearbyen, meaning 24 hours of total darkness and extreme Arctic weather. Witness the aftermath of an unthinkable tragedy, when an avalanche claims the life of the local teacher and a young child during a brutal storm.
- S01E04Into the Light2016-09-1847m
Watch Christine put her new dog sledding skills to the test by entering the Hilmar Nois wilderness dog race. Meanwhile, Mary Ann makes a misstep when she hires a new chef, and tour guide Mats is less than thrilled about large polar bear tracks.
- S01E05Good Tracks or Bad Tracks2016-09-2547m
After the Arctic's warmest winter ever recorded, the residents of Svalbard are witnessing the effects. Professor Chris's students measure a glacier, Alex takes a tour to a Russian mining settlement, and Lara spends a day cleaning up after 200 dogs.
- S01E06On Thin Ice2016-10-0247m
Christine and Grace face their biggest test to date as they head to a remote cabin in the wilderness. Ben wrestles to recover after a fire ruins his permaculture business, and Wiggo scares tourists with grizzly tales of death and danger.
- S01E07Worlds Apart2016-10-0947m
Visitors are a big deal in lonely Svalbard. See how the residents react when Christine's sister visits from England, Mary Ann's son travels 1700 kms to save her disastrous kitchen, and an international opera singer arrives from Copenhagen.
- S01E08People Die Here2016-10-1647m
Christine and her lead dog prepare for Svalbard's biggest dog sled race, Wiggo struggles to quit smoking, and Doctor Echhardt explains how his small team has dealt with frostbite, polar bear attacks, and emergency rescues.
- S01E09Svalbard Solutions2016-10-2347m
Doctor Eckhardt treats three-month-old baby Malte, Professor Chris checks on an avalanche site, and Pastor Leif opens up about his hopes for a family ahead of recording a song with his band of vocalists.
- S01E10An Uncertain Future2016-10-3047m
Ben is close to launching his local food business, while Wiggo and his wife, Claudia, set out in search of the summer's first Arctic cod. Mark joins tourists visiting the world's northernmost ghost town, and Sasha gives an entertaining tour.
