Extreme Lives

Extreme Lives was inspired by The Man Who Jumped to Earth – a frankly mindblowing documentary made in the late 90s. It was about a 61-year-old Welshman who decided it would be fun to BASE jump (i.e., leap, plummet, and open your parachute at the latest possible moment) off the highest waterfall in the world.

That film was produced by Steve Robinson, who actually happens to be terrified of heights. Still, it couldn't have been too scary for him, as Steve followed this up with Extreme Lives, which delves into the lives of other daredevils who make the rest of us look like extreme wusses. Making the series was quite a challenge in itself, with Steve and the crew spending six weeks in the Himalayas and a month in the wastes of Alaska, among other daunting locations. The end result is a show that's by turns inspiring, exciting, poignant, and frightening.