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Ice Town: Life on the Edge

2016 - 2016

Welcome to Svalbard

28th August 2016

Episode 1

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.

Life is Fragile

4th September 2016

Episode 2

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.

Out of the Dark

11th September 2016

Episode 3

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.

Into the Light

18th September 2016

Episode 4

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.

Good Tracks or Bad Tracks

25th September 2016

Episode 5

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.

On Thin Ice

2nd October 2016

Episode 6

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.

Worlds Apart

9th October 2016

Episode 7

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.

People Die Here

16th October 2016

Episode 8

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.

Svalbard Solutions

23rd October 2016

Episode 9

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.

An Uncertain Future

30th October 2016

Episode 10

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.

Top Cast

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!

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Stephen Mangan

Self - Narrator

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