Alone in the wild... tweeting

[Nicola More]

Channel 4 has become one of the first broadcasters to harness the power of Twitter in a unique new TV experiment.
'Alone in the Wild' from Channel 4 and Tigress Productions sees Scottish cameraman and adventurer Ed Wardle going into the wilderness of the Yukon for 12 weeks totally alone, recording his own experiences of physical and psychological survival.

Each day, as part of his safety protocol, Ed will send an 'I'm alive and ok' message on a specially adapted satellite phone which has been disabled other than for outgoing SMS. These daily alerts will be sent direct to Twitter to form the basis of a networked conversation, giving followers a flavour of Ed's day within 140 characters. Ed cannot see or follow the discussion but it will involve his family and friends plus a range of experts who can give insight into what he's going through - from a psychologist to a polar explorer.

The TV element of the experiment, created by Tigress Productions, goes out as a three-part series on Channel 4 in September. It features footage recorded by Ed which he drops off in a 'dead letterbox' each week, and is collected by a float-plane when he's not around.

Follow Ed's updates on Twitter or visit the programme website on Channel 4.

Photo courtesy of www.edwardle.tv