Wild Alaska Live

The team are spread across Alaska as the feast begins, from Tongass National Forest to Katmai National Park, but will we see brown bears live?

This is a critical time for our animal characters. What is special about this year? Predictions are that 2017 is going to be spectacular.

Vast swathes of Alaska are frozen for much of the year; in summer, the huge glaciers start to melt. This melting triggers the natural spectacle of the Alaskan Summer Feast.

Steve Backshall will attempt a dangerous live TV first, landing on a glacier by helicopter and abseiling into and underneath the ice. He'll be looking for evidence of what ignites the summer feast and for answers about what makes the Gulf of Alaska so special.

The sheer power of glaciers turns mountains into dust. This kick-starts a food chain in the seas which brings in the biggest animals of all coming to this feast - humpbacks and orcas. Matt Baker will be looking for these with a live helicopter off the coast of Tongass National Forest.

Liz will be continuing her live brown bear adventure and we travel offshore to meet Alaska's version of Jaws - the salmon shark. We will also be meeting the people of Alaska, getting an idea of what it's like to live in this wilderness alongside so much wildlife.

A look at the impact of the feast across the vast state of Alaska. What does the future hold for our characters?

If our predictions are right, salmon should have arrived, in their millions. Liz Bonnin will be live at Katmai National Park to witness bears and if we're really lucky, wolves running up and down the rivers chasing after salmon. If there's enough fish these two top predators will happily eat side by side, but you never know what will happen when they meet.

Steve Backshall will be on board a boat heading to the epicentre of the marine feast, on the trail of orcas and humpbacks. This is the only place in the world where humpbacks perform bubble netting, a spectacular feeding behaviour where they perform synchronised dives, blowing bubbles as they rise, before erupting on the surface to catch fish.

Matt Baker will be at the salmon finishing line, the end point of their incredible migration where they undergo incredible body changes from silver to red, their entire shape shifts and the males compete in violent fights. This is what our black bear family has been waiting for, and we will follow the cubs as they try to catch their first fish.

The team goes on an expedition to the wilds of Kodiak Island, in search of the world's largest land predator - the legendary Kodiak bear. It's make or break for one fisherman, who depends on this week for his entire year's salary.