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  • 2016-08-27T23:00:00Z on BBC
  • 50m
  • 7h 50m (10 episodes)
  • United Kingdom
  • English
  • Documentary
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!

10 episodes

Series Premiere

2016-08-27T23:00:00Z

1x01 Welcome to Svalbard

Series Premiere

1x01 Welcome to Svalbard

  • 2016-08-27T23:00:00Z47m

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.

2016-09-03T23:00:00Z

1x02 Life is Fragile

1x02 Life is Fragile

  • 2016-09-03T23:00:00Z47m

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.

2016-09-10T23:00:00Z

1x03 Out of the Dark

1x03 Out of the Dark

  • 2016-09-10T23:00:00Z47m

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.

2016-09-17T23:00:00Z

1x04 Into the Light

1x04 Into the Light

  • 2016-09-17T23:00:00Z47m

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.

2016-09-24T23:00:00Z

1x05 Good Tracks or Bad Tracks

1x05 Good Tracks or Bad Tracks

  • 2016-09-24T23:00:00Z47m

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.

2016-10-01T23:00:00Z

1x06 On Thin Ice

1x06 On Thin Ice

  • 2016-10-01T23:00:00Z47m

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.

2016-10-08T23:00:00Z

1x07 Worlds Apart

1x07 Worlds Apart

  • 2016-10-08T23:00:00Z47m

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.

2016-10-15T23:00:00Z

1x08 People Die Here

1x08 People Die Here

  • 2016-10-15T23:00:00Z47m

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.

2016-10-22T23:00:00Z

1x09 Svalbard Solutions

1x09 Svalbard Solutions

  • 2016-10-22T23:00:00Z47m

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.

2016-10-29T23:00:00Z

1x10 An Uncertain Future

1x10 An Uncertain Future

  • 2016-10-29T23:00:00Z47m

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.

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