Discovery Homepage

Wednesday 19 March at 9pm and 10pm

One of the most dangerous and difficult tasks in the history of exploration has been the search for a sea route across the top of the world which links Europe to Asia. In 1905, Roald Amundsen discovered this elusive route – the Northwest Passage.

In 1845, an expedition led by Sir John Franklin resulted in one of the Arctic’s most long-standing mysteries. Franklin and his entire team of 128 disappeared without a trace.

What happened has since been the subject of much speculation.

Were they poisoned by their own supplies, victims of the elements, or did they meet their end at the hands of something more sinister?

Sixty years later, Roald Amundsen and his team made it through and discovered the fabled route. Amundsen learned from the experiences of those that had tried, and failed, before him. But furthermore, Amundsen knew that to survive he must learn from those who are used to such hostile conditions – the native Inuit.

The skills he learned would serve him well in his later, successful, assault on the South Pole.

Using dramatic reconstructions, CGI and documentary techniques, this two-part series follows these two famous expeditions.

The benefit of hindsight and new information casts new light on what happened to Franklin’s tragic expedition, as well as showing how Amundsen managed to succeed where so many before him had failed.

Related links:
- Enjoy the ascent of Mount Everest from the first-person perspective thanks to a helmet mounted camera – the Sherpa Cam.
- To find out how to increase your chances of cold weather survival, take a look at the Survival Zone.