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Arts & Culture

Chasing Shackleton

Alexander Shackleton sailing in the sun.
Courtesy of Joe French
Alexander Shackleton sailing in the sun.

Airs Tuesday, August 12, 2014 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on KPBS TV

This new three-part series follows a modern expedition that re-creates Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Trans-Antarctic Expedition, which launched in 1914. The series joins a crew of five intrepid explorers, led by renowned adventurer, scientist and author Tim Jarvis, as they duplicate Shackleton’s epic sea-and-land voyage in a replica of the original explorers’ lifeboat, James Caird, using only the tools and supplies his team used.

Expedition leader Tim Jarvis at the helm wearing sunglasses.
Courtesy of Ed Wardle
Expedition leader Tim Jarvis at the helm wearing sunglasses.
Seb Coulthard and Barry Gray
Courtesy of Ed Wardle
Seb Coulthard and Barry Gray
Below deck, fish eye image of Tim Jarvis, Nick Bubb, Ed Wardle, Barry Gray.
Courtesy of Ed Wardle
Below deck, fish eye image of Tim Jarvis, Nick Bubb, Ed Wardle, Barry Gray.

When the ship The Endurance was crushed by ice and sank, Shackleton’s heroic leadership in the face of almost certain death saved the lives of 27 men stranded in the Antarctic for more than 500 days. His exploits have inspired explorers across every continent over many generations.

Episode One airs Wednesday, January 8, 2014 at 10 p.m. - Veteran polar explorer Tim Jarvis is on a mission to discover exactly what happened on the most famous survival story in expedition history — Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 800-mile boat journey across the Southern Ocean and deadly mountain crossing of South Georgia.

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Episode Two airs Wednesday, January 15, 2014 at 10 p.m. - Following in the wake of legendary polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, a team of six men risks their lives to discover what it’s like on the greatest survival journey of all time. In a 22-foot replica wooden lifeboat, with 100-year-old equipment, clothes and rations, the team battles 800 miles across the roughest ocean on the planet.

Episode Three airs Wednesday, January 22, 2014 at 10 p.m. - Following the successful sea crossing from Elephant Island, Tim Jarvis must now traverse the mountains of South Georgia to complete his re-enactment of Shackleton’s “double.” But injury, illness and bad weather are against him.

The original UK version of this series is called SHACKLETON EPIC. SHACKLETON EPIC is on Facebook, Pinterest, and you can follow @ShackletonEpic on Twitter. Tim Jarvis is on Facebook, and you can follow @TimJarvisAM on Twitter.