MacIntyre: Edge of Existence
How do humans thrive, day after day, in nature's most extreme environments? Award-winning journalist Donal MacIntyre experiences their harsh struggles firsthand in four engrossing excursions to the farthest reaches of the world. Join MacIntyre as he lives with the Bedouins on the edge of the bas Rub' al Khali Desert, wehre the temperatures regularly exceed 120F; the Insect Tribe in the rainforest of Papua New Guinea, where men spear crocodiles by torchlight; the Quechuan Indians in the Bolivian Andes, where salt flats stretch to the horizon in thin, barely breathable air; and the Bajau Laut, landless nomads who survive entirely on boats in the Celebes Sea. Each adventure serves as a study in humans' adaptability, imagination, and indomitable will to survive.
- 2007-2007
- 1 season
- Documentary
How do humans thrive, day after day, in nature's most extreme environments? Award-winning journalist Donal MacIntyre experiences their harsh struggles firsthand in four engrossing excursions to the farthest reaches of the world. Join MacIntyre as he lives with the Bedouins on the edge of the bas Rub' al Khali Desert, wehre the temperatures regularly exceed 120F; the Insect Tribe in the rainforest of Papua New Guinea, where men spear crocodiles by torchlight; the Quechuan Indians in the Bolivian Andes, where salt flats stretch to the horizon in thin, barely breathable air; and the Bajau Laut, landless nomads who survive entirely on boats in the Celebes Sea. Each adventure serves as a study in humans' adaptability, imagination, and indomitable will to survive.
Season 1 Episode Guide
4 Episodes 2007
Episode 1
Papua New Guinea
60 mins
Donal MacIntyre explores life in some of the most difficult environments on Earth. The Insect Tribe of Papua New Guinea were unknown to the outside world until 50 years ago and have a reputation as fearless crocodile hunters. Donal joins the warriors on a terrifying night-time hunt in dug out canoes, where the tribesmen think nothing of spearing crocodiles as big as their canoes. The tribe still uses seashells for money, but things are changing fast as the 21st century encroaches on their lives.
Episode 2
Borneo
60 mins
Donal MacIntyre explores life in some of the most difficult environments on Earth. Off the coast of Borneo he tracks down the Bajau Laut, a tribe of sea gypsies who are born, live and die on their boats, barely ever setting foot on land. They are true nomads who belong nowhere but the sea and have never been filmed before. Donal joins a family of 20 on their crowded boat where he must pay his way by free diving for fish. The sea gypsies can stay under water for minutes at a time but, as Donal discovers, it can be deadly dangerous.
Episode 3
Oman
60 mins
Donal MacIntyre explores life in some of the most difficult environments on Earth. Off the coast of Borneo he tracks down the Bajau Laut, a tribe of sea gypsies who are born, live and die on their boats, barely ever setting foot on land. They are true nomads who belong nowhere but the sea and have never been filmed before. Donal joins a family of 20 on their crowded boat where he must pay his way by free diving for fish. The sea gypsies can stay under water for minutes at a time but, as Donal discovers, it can be deadly dangerous.
Episode 4
Bolivia
60 mins
Donal MacIntyre explores life in some of the most difficult environments on Earth. The Altiplano region of Bolivia is one of the highest inhabited places in the world where every breath is an effort. It's home to the Quechuan Indians who worship Mother Earth with blood sacrifices, both animal and human. Donal takes his chances at a Tinku festival where rival villages fight, sometimes to the death, in honour of Mother Earth and battles high altitude exhaustion as he struggles over mountain passes with a Llama train carrying salt to remote villages.