Bear Grylls: Wild Reckoning | Preview (BBC)

BBC Daytime and BBC Cymru Wales have co-commissioned Wild Reckoning, a new 16-part series from Wrexham-based Tŷ’r Ddraig, part of Banijay UK’s Workerbee Group, fronted by Bear Grylls for BBC One and iPlayer.

The series will see Bear Grylls and a team of experts help people to resolve deep personal rifts in the Welsh wilderness. Bear, alongside his team of mediators, psychologists and survival mentors, will guide participants through intense emotional journeys — combining conflict resolution with the raw, revealing power of nature.

Expect to see feuding families and broken friendships to neighbour disputes and long-standing workplace grudges, this series will tackle some everyday problems and challenges faced by anyone and everyone.

From his island home off the North Wales coast, Bear will strip contributors of their everyday comforts and set them on a transformative adventure in the Welsh wilderness. Here, through carefully constructed physical and psychological challenges, they’ll be forced to confront their issues and work together to rebuild their fractured relationships.

In the first episode, former best friends Rhys and Niall come together in the wild to see if they can repair their relationship after barely speaking for the last two years.

Their friendship faltered after the death of Niall’s older brother, when grief left him feeling withdrawn from those around him, and Rhys was unsure how best to reach out.

The pair are set a canoeing challenge and, side by side, they also take on a forward-facing abseil down a sheer cliff face. In a campfire chat with mediator Mo, the pair talk for the first time about the reasons they drifted apart, confront past hurts and share the pain of bereavement. Will these two days be enough to rebuild the trust and friendship they once shared?

Bear Grylls says: “I’ve spent a lifetime learning from the wild and above all I believe in its power to heal. Away from the noise and distractions of daily life, we’re giving people the chance to reflect, reconnect, and rebuild. But nothing comes for free. The price is often courage to face the scary, and the humility to walk side by side respectfully with others. Wild Reckoning is a rare opportunity to help those in emotional conflict to face their differences with courage, and hopefully come through stronger, together. I’m proud to host it in North Wales, a place that truly means so much to me.”

Bear Grylls: Wild Reckoning begins Monday 5th January on BBC One Wales and iPlayer.