Steve Backshall's global journey begins at the top of the world when he boards an Arctic icebreaker and goes in search of the Arctic's top predator, the polar bear. Paddling in his kayak, Steve gets closer than planned when an inquisitive polar bear starts to stalk him. One polar bear is frightening enough, but when a bunch of boisterous walruses with their dagger-like tusks decide to investigate Steve in his bright orange kayak, it's time to move on in search of other Arctic predators. Steve heads south to Somerset Island, high in the Canadian Arctic. He's on the search for some head-banging musk ox and a ghostly white whale. But it seems the weather is against them; for the first time in 17 years, the sea ice hasn't melted. Will Steve and the team succeed in their mission to see the beguiling beluga whale?
Steve Backshall and the crew are in Alaska looking for deadly animals and come face-to-face with a deadly force of nature. Steve abseils into the heart of a frozen glacier. This cold, harsh and inhospitable world pushes his endurance and nerve to the limit. Heading out to sea, Steve gets the shock of his life when a humpback whale breaches just meters from the boat. It's one of the most thrilling whale encounters ever. Continuing south to British Columbia, Steve is on a mission to find the mysterious sixgill shark. On his search he discovers an underwater world full of weird and wonderfully deadly critters that are stranger than science fiction. Finally, Steve looks to the skies. Using cutting edge technology he shows us the bald eagle like never before.
Steve Backshall continues his journey south and heads into Yellowstone National Park. This frozen wonderland is home to the grey wolf, but Steve will need all his tracking skills if he is to catch up with this elusive predator. Next, the team trek through deep snow to find North America's largest land mammal, the one-tonne bison, but they get a much closer encounter than they bargained for. The expedition's next stop is North Carolina, where Steve braves the icy rivers to uncover a sinister creature known as the hellbender. Finally, in Texas, Steve hangs out amongst the largest congregation of predators ever seen on Deadly
Steve Backshall continues his pole to pole expedition in Texas, investigating another deadly force of nature - tornadoes. To experience what it's like to be caught in the 200mph winds of a tornado, Steve stands behind the engines of a fighter jet and fires them up. Heading inland, Steve goes fishing for an alligator gar, the largest fresh water fish in North America, but nothing can prepare him for the prehistoric monster he reels in. Travelling on to California and Mexico, Steve dives underwater to meet the fastest shark in the ocean and a huge male sea lion. Finally, the team ride into the desert, cowboy style, to find a red diamond rattlesnake.
Steve Backshall continues his expedition from the Arctic Circle to Antarctica by doing something quite extraordinary - swimming outside of the cage with the most feared shark on the planet, the great white. Steve and the team travel to Guadalupe Island. One hundred and fifty miles off the Mexican coast its waters are a hotspot for these huge sharks. Diving into the crystal clear sea, Steve discovers what attracts great whites to this remote rock, their prey, Guadalupe fur seals. These underwater acrobats swim rings round Steve but even their speed and agility is no match for the great white. Back on the boat it is time for the main event as a huge great white shark is circling. Stepping out into the blue abyss, Steve's heart is racing as he swims alongside a feared top predator. It's a truly Deadly encounter he will never forget.
Steve Backshall's pole-to-pole expedition has arrived in the remote island chain of Hawaii. Steve's adventure begins at sea, and after days of searching the open ocean he is rewarded with a thrilling view of a shark with a fearsome reputation, the oceanic white tip. After sundown, Steve dives back into the inky black, seeking out a creature often known as the sea devil. At this time of year humpbacks surround Hawaii, and Steve gets a chance to swim alongside the heavyweight males as they battle it out to win a female. On land, the team find a lightning-quick carnivorous caterpillar before exploring the volcanic lava flows created by Hawaii's mightiest force of nature.
Steve's journey has reached the Bahamas. Using the latest time-slice technology he reveals the science of a shark bite, and has a hair-raising encounter when a tiger shark gets a little too friendly. Back on the mainland, deep underground, Steve faces one of his innermost fears as he enters one of the deadliest environments on the planet - a flooded cave system. The team then head south once again, arriving in Cuba. There they go in search of a giant bat-eating snake and then plunge into the water with a lethal prehistoric predator, the American crocodile.
Steve is on the search for a winged giant, the harpy eagle, but his first find is a feisty two-metre-long snake. Next the team set up base camp on the banks of a remote jungle river. Steve discovers an ant in the camp toilet which has the world's most painful sting, and at night has a chilling encounter with a spider that can reach the size of a dinner plate. Finally Steve explores below the water of the rainforest rivers. First he reels in a wolf fish with teeth to rival a piranha's, before leaving the safety of the river bank to swim with an animal so deadly that just touching it could stop his heart.
Steve Backshall and his team have travelled over 7,000 miles from where their Pole to Pole journey began, to the Pantanal in Brazil. It's a watery wilderness and home to more monster jaws and claws than just about any other place on the planet. Here they're on the search for an animal that has eluded Steve his whole life, the number one jungle predator - the jaguar. Then with their Pantanal mission complete, the team move on to Patagonia. They are here to see an animal that is possibly the greatest predator on earth and witness its unique method of hunting - the killer whale.
Steve Backshall and the crew continue their journey south, island-hopping across the Southern Ocean. Their adventures begin in the wild Falkland Islands where they meet the tiny-but-tough rockhopper penguin, encounter one of the Falklands' fiercest underwater predators and Steve tests the intelligence of the local bad-boy raptors, the striated caracara. Next up, the team endure four days of hard sailing through some of the roughest seas on Earth to reach the rugged and remote Bird Island. Packed with stunning wildlife, immediately they are met by hundreds of Antarctic fur seals, prehistoric-looking giant petrels, and the magnificent wandering albatross performing its dazzling courtship display just fingertips away from Steve.
Steve and the crew reach their penultimate stop on this global adventure, the remote and wild island of South Georgia. They had to journey through some of the roughest seas on earth to get here, but it's worth it. Steve gets to witness two huge elephant seals battling away at each other as he walks amongst the largest colony of king penguins in the world. Then he gets the opportunity of a lifetime, the chance to swim with the penguins as they head offshore to feed. Next it's time to hit the high seas again as they travel to Antarctica - the final destination on this epic journey. It's somewhere Steve has waited a lifetime to explore and he is here with one mission - to dive with one of the greatest predators of these waters, the leopard seal. A truly terrifying experience.
This episode of Deadly on a Mission looks at the very best experiences Steve and the crew had on their epic journey from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Featuring Steve's chilling encounters with polar bears and leopard seals, alongside Steve trying and failing to stand up to tornado-force winds as well as scorching-hot lava flows. Finally you'll witness some of the bumps, trips and slips that Steve didn't want you to see.
