Simon Reeve is back with Wilderness, and the second series goes further than before: four new expeditions, a bigger scale and the first TV crew ever to film a wild tenkile in Papua New Guinea. The series moves from rainforest to sea to mountain country, with the journeys designed to show that remote wild places still exist and still matter.
Papua New Guinea tenkile
In Papua New Guinea, Reeve trekked for days into the jungle-clad Torricelli Mountains, climbing through steep, soaking, near-impenetrable rainforest. That route led to the standout image of the series: the team becoming the first TV crew ever to film the critically endangered tenkile tree kangaroo in the wild, a rare encounter that gives the opening expedition real weight.
Simon Reeve said, "The first series showed us the possibilities, but it also made us realise we could take the idea much further." He added, "This time we wanted the journeys to feel even bigger, and to have more of a quest about them." That approach turns the series into more than travelogue. It is built around access, endurance and the chance of seeing something few cameras have ever reached.
Mexico, Canada and Mongolia
In Mexico, Reeve voyages through the Sea of Cortez and dives with sharks, coming face-to-face with bull sharks and passing among scores of critically endangered hammerheads. In Canada’s Yukon, he travels by canoe and on foot through forests, mountains and river valleys. In Mongolia, he crosses almost 3,000 miles by 4WD, horse and foot, from the Gobi Desert to the frozen peaks of the Altai.
The journeys are presented as remote and awe-inspiring, but they are also described as demanding, unpredictable and sometimes brutal. That mix is the point: the series is not just collecting scenic footage, it is testing how far a presenter and crew can go to reach places still shaped by wilderness rather than convenience.
Two and iPlayer
Wilderness is a 4 x 60' production for Two and iPlayer, produced by The Garden, part of ITV Studios, and co-produced by The Open University. Sam Bagnall is the executive producer, Chris Mitchell is the series producer and director, Jack Bootle is Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual, and Tom Coveney is Commissioning Editor and Head of Science.
For viewers, the practical hook is simple: four episodes, four expeditions, and a format built around wildlife encounters rather than studio commentary. The harder question is how the team managed to achieve the first TV filming of a wild tenkile in Papua New Guinea, because that kind of access is what separates this series from a standard return trip.
