Known for being one of the UK's most exciting explorers and television personalities, Ed Stafford is back in a brand new series following the global success of hit series Marooned.
As the first man to walk the length of the Amazon and famed for thriving in some of the world's most inhospitable conditions, Stafford is now setting out a new quest to seek the truth behind unexplained mysterious satellite images of Earth's most remote locations.
Each episode of Ed Stafford: Into The Unknown is inspired by an image taken from space. There are right now 1,200 operational satellites flying around our planet, recording thousands of images every day, but the more closely the Earth's surface is examined from above, the more questions arise about the inexplicable markings found on the ground.
Hoping to find out the truth, Stafford will go to a selection of locations in a bid to find out the truth, determined to make each and every journey he goes on an authentic and exciting adventure. Setting off just hours after hearing about each picture, he has no idea about what lies ahead of him right up until filming.
But which locations will Ed be visiting, and will he be welcomed by the locals or seen as an enemy? Read on to find out more about what lies ahead...
West Papau
After finding out about some mysterious white lines covering a vast area in an uninhabited expanse of swamp on Kimaam Island in West Papau, Ed and a team of travelling missionaries get close to target before having to venture alone into the swamp. Progress is slowed and when Stafford comes across a group of indigenous people living in the swamp, the trip takes a totally unexpected turn, as Ed's led to a settlement no outsiders have ever visited before. Undergoing a tribal initiation, he discovers a startling insight into an ancient way of life.
Siberia
Ed travels deep into the heart of Siberia to investigate the origins of a mysterious ring of shattered rock known in local legend as the nest of a giant "fire eagle”. With the appearance of a crater or rocky volcano in the otherwise unbroken expanse of the Taiga forest, the site continues to baffle scientists. Ed knows that cold weather locations are outside his expertise and so he must rely on the locals for help. Ed is led to a group of semi nomadic indigenous Evenki people, whose reindeer sleds allow him to close in on his mysterious destination despite the bitter subzero temperatures, snowdrifts and arduous terrain. But the treacherous cold continues to set Ed back and when he discovers he has frostbite he must consider giving up.
Brazil
Journeying to the jungle of the Amazon, Stafford here is looking for a mysterious azure blue pool of water, deep in the remote Mato Grosso state. The pool has no apparent way in and is protected by thick and pristine jungle, and when Ed's expedition meets resistance from yet more indigenous people who want to protect their land, Ed is forced to consider a radical change of plan that sees him up against a jungle environment that's harder to negotiate than any encounter he's seen in the past.
Ethiopia
Ed’s target is a strange pattern of circular dots in the middle of the Danakil Desert in Ethiopia, the hottest place on earth and a dangerous disputed border zone. After his initial excitement and relief to be on his own in a wild and beautiful place, things start to go wrong. A camel carrying all of his precious water slips its leash and Ed risks heat exhaustion trying to recapture it – and the water he needs to survive. His health takes a serious turn for the worse. But Ed is determined to carry on to solve the riddle of the sands despite local tales of evil spirits and mysterious deaths in the desert.
Zambia
Inspired by a satellite image of giant germ-like shapes measuring up to 30 metres long and located in one of the most remote areas in the 'Wild West' of Zambia, Ed must cross the flood plain and Zambezi River to gain ground in his journey. Forced to ask for help from the royal family of Barotseland, local wildlife leads to an incredible terrifying encounter. Closing in on the target Ed is paired with an armed guard who becomes a valued companion, and to complete his task, he must win the trust of locals who live cheek by jowl with some of Africa's most dangerous inhabitants.
ED STAFFORD: INTO THE UNKNOWN will premiere on Thursday 27th August at 8pm on Discovery Channel (Sky 520 / Virgin 250 / BT TV 322 / TalkTalk 322)