Channel 5 chills out with Ice Age: A Frozen World, a new documentary series that explores the mysteries surrounding the last ice age. The series premiere sets out to examine not just how these magnificent creatures lived, but also why they met their frosty demise, with some surprising theories thrown in for good measure.
The first episode features naturalist Steve Backshall and presenter Michaela Strachan braving the elements (and occasionally a virtual studio) to uncover some icy truths. Backshall teams up with Professor Danielle Schreve in the UK, poking around a cave near Plymouth that’s become a mass animal grave. The skeletal remains of various Ice Age celebrities—mammoths, hyenas, and more—raise questions about their shared final resting place. Was it a sudden natural disaster? A prehistoric predator’s all-you-can-eat buffet? Backshall and Schreve aim to find answers.
Meanwhile, Strachan journeys to Svalbard, clutching a sabre-toothed cat skull. She explores the predator’s impressive hunting skills but also investigates a potential design flaw that might have contributed to its extinction. Perhaps saber-toothed cats simply weren’t built for the long haul.
Back in slightly warmer Sweden, Backshall joins geneticist Professor Love Dalén for a deep dive into mammoth DNA. They’ll explore why these furry giants went extinct and the very real possibility of using gene-editing technology to bring them back. Think Jurassic Park, but with more trunk and less Jeff Goldblum. Ice Age: A Frozen World combines on-location footage, snazzy virtual studio segments, and expert interviews to offer a comprehensive and occasionally chilling look at our planet’s frozen past.
Ice Age: A Frozen World airs Sunday, February 9, 2025, on Channel 5.
