An image of Robin Hanbury-Tenison resting after successfully climbing Brown Willy for BBC World.

BBC x BBC IPlayer

Survival: To The Brink & Back

A BBC documentary following one of the UK’s best known explorers on one great last adventure.

What started as a passion project after reading a local news article became a BBC World News documentary to an audience of over 400 million.

Robin Hanbury-Tenison has crossed continents by foot, hovercraft and jeep, and this was before the days of satellite phones. He’s famous for starting Survival International, a charity based in London that fights for the world’s indigenous people.

Robin was one of the first people to be hit by COVID and very nearly lost his life. We followed his journey from hospital to climbing one of the highest mountains in the South West.

This all began as a passion project, and it led to so much more…

A FatFace model in the front seat of a Beetle Car parked beside a road in Tenerife, Canary Islands.
Trailer for BBC World Doc

The Outcome

The project was picked up by the BBC and re-commissioned to be shot as a longer form, 20 minute film.

The final film was broadcast to an audience of over 400 million people.

You can watch the final documentary on the BBC website here.

A screen shot of the BBC Iplayer page where the film can be watched.
Screenshot