Tuesdays at 10pm from 22 April

Oil Strike follows the rollercoaster journey of independent oilmen as they gamble their reputations, livelihoods and, sometimes, their health on finding an elusive reservoir of black gold.

Episode 1

This is the story of three men who are risking it all on three massive gambles to strike oil or gas. Poker player Al Adler is betting over a million dollars he'll find gas in northern California. Veteran oilman Cactus Schroeder is hoping he will hit oil in western Texas. And Bo Darrah is risking millions on striking oil in Alaska, deep below the frozen seas of the Arctic Ocean. Each wildcatter can only drill for a few days before their money runs out. If they succeed, the prize is vast wealth. But if they fail, they lose millions.

Episode 2

This is the story of three wildcatters who have different techniques of finding oil. Jim 'Magic Man' Mietchen selects where to drill by employing the 'special powers' of wife Debbie, who gets butterflies when she stands over a pool of oil. Dave Hill drills for oil and gas in Ohio. The son of a wildcatter he employs the very latest advances in science - 3-D seismic surveys and satellite imaging to find oil. So does Texan oilman Cactus Schroeder. But he's got the crew from hell on his rig. All three have only a few days to strike oil before their money runs out. All three will battle with the elements, their crews and geology in the race to strike it rich.

Episode 3

This is the story of three guys and one woman racing against time to find oil. In Illinois Brad Gesell must drill past dangerous pockets of methane gas to hit oil. Get it wrong and he could send his rig sky high. In Texas, Cactus Schroeder must drill from the top of a mountain to find oil. And husband and wife team Jim and Debbie Mietchen think they've found a massive oil field beneath the plains of Kansas. But will this rig be the one to spoil their near 100% record? Each wildcatter can only drill for ten days before their cash runs out. This is a story of success and failure.

Episode 4

Wildcatters Al Adler and Dave Hill are facing the biggest challenges of their careers. Both lost millions on their last wells. In northern California poker champ Al faced an unprecedented disaster. He watched helplessly as two million bucks disappeared down a dry hole. In Ohio, Dave Hill fared even worse. Anything that could go wrong did go wrong. Drilling went disastrously off-course. Then his crew dropped a quarter-of-a-million dollars worth of equipment down a six thousand foot hole. Now, each has another chance to strike gas. If they succeed, they're back in the game. Neither can afford to fail.

Related links:
- Test your pipework skills with the taxing puzzle game Oil, Sweat and Rigs.