CBC Wild Docs

Ever thought of quitting your job to follow your dreams? Wished you never had to do that commute or sit behind that desk again? After five years of trying, Guy Grieve finally gave it a go. He swapped the comforts of his office in Edinburgh to build a log cabin in the wild, bear invested forests of Alaska. He traded in his car for a team of savage huskies, almost losing his hand the first time he tried to run them. And he gave up home cooking for the beaver caught from a freezing lake. Causing much debate at home, Guy headed off to this harsh, but beautiful wilderness without his wife and 2 young boys. But can the family deal with their dream becoming a reality? Will Guy survive the winter and get back home?

Terrifying... Destructive… Mesmerizing … Tornadoes are among Mother Nature's most devastating storms. Those who fall in its path usually take cover or run … But there are those who track and chase these beasts for sport. Eccentric, wild and just plain crazy … Meet the Twister Chasers. Peggy Willenberg and Melanie Metz have been dubbed the Twister Sisters. For two months out of every year, they put their lives on hold to chase tornados across the American Midwest. These two track tornado-producing storms through Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. In May 2004, they were first on the scene after a tornado hit a rural community near Hallam, Nebraska. While Melanie called 911, Peggy helped pull three teenagers from a collapsed house. We also meet Roger Hill, a veteran storm chaser who holds the Guinness World record for seeing the most tornadoes in a single season. Every spring, his tour service Silver Lining Tours delivers paying customers to the doorstep of Mother Nature's most powerful and unpredictable storms. Roger's passion for severe weather often forces him to the push the boundaries of safety. We'll watch him brave an intense hailstorm, challenge dangerous tornadic winds and dodge imminent lightening strikes. Scientists and researchers - a separate breed of Twister Chasers who pursue tornadoes for data are interviewed. Driving trucks affixed with weather radars, they get as close as they can to devastating twisters. Their goal: To unlock the mysteries of how twisters are formed and ultimately save lives by increasing tornado warning time. Follow along for a wild ride from the perspective of tornado chasers as they criss-cross the American Midwest hunting Mother Nature's most violent and unpredictable storms. From the point of view of amateurs, professional guides, and scientists you'll see why chasers become obsessed with the oddly magnificent storms that plague "Tornado Alley". It is heart-racing and unbelievable footage of twisters up close, a

Imagine living every minute of your life with someone who looks like you, talks like you, thinks like you, dresses and even acts like you. Walk a set of identical twins down a typical street and heads will turn, necks will crane - twins are a source of constant fascination. Extreme Twins reveals extraordinary, captivating and intimate tales of different pairs of identical twins. Thirty-eight year-old twins who still dress the same and share the same bed; twins who marry twins; twins who share psychic powers; twins where one has had a sex change; twins who refuse to be separated and who talk in unison; and twins who have married other twins. We also meet the plastic surgeon who has operated on several sets of twins to help them regain their similarity as age and lifestyle has made their faces drift apart.

The aftermath of the earthquake and ongoing tremors in China once again reminds us of the devastating power and unpredictability of earthquakes. Anatomy of an Earthquake examines what would happen if the 'Big One' were to strike North America, something scientists predict will happen soon. Through riveting stories from eyewitnesses, Anatomy of an Earthquake relives the infamous 1994 California earthquake that released more than five megatons of explosive force in the Los Angeles region. It explores the latest technology and structural testing that will hopefully prepare citizens for the next "big one". This fascinating documentary uses science and CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) to uncover the likely impact on Los Angeles if a major earthquake occurs.

An extraordinary documentary on the brainpower of Daniel T, the young Englishman who could be the world's greatest mental athlete. Daniel is not just a calculating wizard, but also a memory champion and super linguist. He speaks nine languages. Daniel, the oldest of seven children, has been able to do amazing calculations after an epileptic seizure when he was 3 years old. He was even able to remember over 22,000 numbers in a public display of his ability. But how does he do it? Leading scientists explore the extraordinary world of this real-life Rainman. Daniel's psychological make-up is explored by Cambridge University autism expert Professor Simon Baron Cohen who delves into his childhood experiences in an effort to explain his remarkable abilities. In America Daniel meets other extraordinary people like himself, known as "savants" --- including Kim Peek, whose story was the basis of the movie "Rainman". Brain scientists at the Salk Institute in San Diego, including Professor V S Ramachandra, are astounded at his skills and discover the key to Daniel's ability is his visual imagery which his brain "sees" when he hears a number, this condition is known as synaesthesia. To show it's not just numbers Daniel can remember -- he also learns one of the world's hardest languages, Icelandic, in just one week --- and gets interviewed on Icelandic TV after only 7 days of learning to speak it.

With almost one in two marriages ending in divorce and 60% of couples having affairs, people are looking for an alternative to monogamy. For some, an option is Polyamory; multiple, long-term, stable relationships. For many it's a taboo, for others a fantasy, but is there such a thing responsible non-monogamy? This film follows two poly-families at different stages in their relationships, and explores how the lifestyle actually works. Take Jerome - he is married to Francisca and has two children. The couple has a live-in lover, Angel and recently introduced Linda, into the family. Will the newcomer upset the balance? And then there is Terisa and her live-in lovers Scott and Larry, who all claim that there is no jealousy between them. But what happens when Scott wants to bring another woman into the relationship? This film unlocks the door on an unusual way of managing personal relationships. It examines the possibility, and even desirability, of polyamory and ask is this really the future of relationships?

It is a mystery that scientists are determined to solve. Why do some people survive exposure, predators, starvation and trauma, while others succumb? We explore the incredible and dramatic real life mysteries of three people struggling to survive against all odds. Pablo Valencia is left stranded in the searing heat of the desert for days without water; hiker David Boomhower is lost and alone for more than two weeks and Charles Horton shatters his leg while skiing in a remote part of Colorado and battles freezing temperatures, sleep deprivation and starvation for days on end. Ultimately, only two of these men survive. We follow their individual stories throughout their respective ordeals, seeing how different responses to the situations either help survival or spell potential disaster. And, we'll reconstruct some of the key scenes in which they made these fateful choices. Luck plays a major part in determining who will survive a sinking ship or a killer hurricane. But scientists have long suspected that some people are better at controlling the body's reaction to trauma…and that survival of the fittest cam sometimes mean the fittest mind. Using CGI, we look at the human body and its defenses in great detail, including its reactions to heat, cold, starvation, and dehydration. We also review the science of our skin. Plus, what causes our minds to have strange thoughts or bouts of negative and positive feelings in such extreme conditions. Mysteries of survival follows these three men as they battle with pain, madness and hallucinations to prove that psychological strength and will to live can be as vital as physiological strength and stamina when the human body is put to the ultimate test.

Thousands of dog owners are becoming victims of the UK's latest crime wave: Dognapping. Their family pets are stolen from locked cars, secure gardens and even from their own houses - all for the sake of a few quid, or in the most sinister cases, for ransoms that can run into thousands of pounds. The police have other priorities, but one woman has quickly risen to become Britain's top expert in the new field of pet detection. Her name is Jane Hayes, and she'll do anything to re-unite the victims of dog theft with their pets - even as her marriage crumbles around her.

The road to being a stand-up comic is a difficult one and it takes a certain kind of toughness to submit to unforgiving and cruel comedy club audiences. In her late thirties, and well established in the bureaucracy of the Nova Scotia government, Candy Palmater is an unlikely newcomer to the comedy world. But Candy is afraid of no one. She's a Mi'kmaq from Northern New Brunswick who grew up in a family of bikers. Always a fighter, she once took on Tim Horton's in a union drive. Losing that battle taught her some lessons about justice and power and propelled her to law school, where she earned the honor of being class valedictorian. Today, however, this "recovered lawyer" as she calls herself, is a civil servant who does training in Aboriginal and diversity issues. Candy Palmater is an activist who's decided that comedy is a better way to deliver some uncomfortable truths. Besides, being a stand-up comic suits her bigger than life personality. The Candy Show follows her progress through the course of a year, beginning with a performance at one of the smaller venues in the Halifax Comedy Festival. She hopes that one year later she'll be invited to the festival's main stage. But as Candy tries to launch a new career she embarks on an emotional roller coaster, both on stage and off.

It is the one of the most fearsome natural phenomena on earth. It affects almost everyone on the planet. Every time it appears it causes death, destruction and disease. It has even changed the course of history. It is El Nino. El Nino was first recognized hundreds of years ago by Peruvian fishermen who saw that every few years the fish they depended on disappeared. Because this strange event often happened at Christmas time they called it El Nino - the Christ Child. But for years it seemed like it was just a Peruvian problem, something to do with the local ocean currents. But over the last hundred years a dramatic scientific detective story has revealed that El Nino is actually a global phenomenon - affecting the oceans and the weather from Europe to Antarctica. In Australia it leads to drought, in California to freak storms, in Europe it can cause bitter winters - it can even stop the Indian monsoon. When El Nino strikes, there's almost nowhere on earth that escapes. Once they realized the power of El Nino, historians began to search for evidence of its destructive force in the past. From the sinking of the Titanic to the death of ancient civilizations, El Nino has been blamed for many great events in history. Now some scientists say that El Nino could be about to get worse, and unleash even greater destruction. What's worse, we humans may be to blame. Global warming could turn El Nino into something even more fearsome.

Ryan Horwood is a security guard. Geoff Hendry works for a 24-hour crisis support center. Saad Kiyani is a bank manager. Sandra Battaglini works for a marketing consultant. Jack Dani is a plumber. They all have one thing in common – they want to be stand up comics. So they've entered a contest to see who will be the funniest person with a day job. In comedy's answer to "Canadian Idol", wannabe comics who dream of giving up their day jobs for a life on the stage compete for a chance to perform in the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal. The "Funniest Person with a Day Job" contest is an annual event put on by the Laugh Resort comedy club in Toronto. About thirty contestants enter the first round, where every week for six weeks, six of them perform for a panel of judges. The winners go on to compete in a second round. There is a lot at stake for these amateur comedians, because winning the contest could be the breakthrough that launches a career. Who Wants to be a Comic? follows several of the contestants through both rounds of the contest and also goes behind the scenes to reveal the real people behind the performances. We discover that what drives people to think they can be comics is as diverse as the contestants themselves and is often surprising.

Clayoquot Sound has been described as a showplace of environmental elegance and biological diversity. Although it has been damaged by logging, much of Clayoquot's temperate coastal rain forest is still intact. John and Janet Foster explore this vanishing ecosystem on Canada's west coast, and illustrate its beauty and diversity by showing how the rain forest was created, and how the Pacific ocean influences and nourishes the forest. This is a land of steep hills and mountains, salt-water inlets, salmon streams, sand beaches, and volcanic rocky shores. Whales swim offshore, while black bears and huge flocks of shorebirds roam the beaches and tidal flat, and seabird colonies and sea lions thrive among scattered islands. Tourism has become a major player in the preservation of Clayoquot Sound. Thousands of visitors travel here, filling lodges and hotels, and visiting Pacific Rim National Park. Yet in spite of Clayoquot's unique qualities and its popularity with tourists, the forest is still threatened by more government sanctioned logging. Clayoquot Sound: The Sound of Wonder, also illustrates the impacts of logging in an ecosystem that takes thousands of years to create. Clayoquot is an ecological jewel on Vancouver Island's west coast – a priceless example of B.C's original rain forest.

The Whaleback lies in the southwest corner of Alberta, north and west of Pincher Creek and bordered on the south by the legendary Oldman River. The area was called "Whaleback" due to the contours of the rolling hills that resemble the back of a surfacing whale. About ten years ago, the Alberta government protected the Whaleback from oil and gas development by setting it aside as the "Bob Creek Wildland". The Whaleback is a rare montane ecosystem - one of the largest remaining in western Canada. It covers roughly 340 square kilometers and is a mix of prairie grasslands with foothills cloaked in aspen, Douglas fir and limber pines. It's the douglas fir and the limber pine that characterize montane landscapes and some of those in the Whaleback are between 4-500 years old. There are plant series found here that grow only in montane regions. The whaleback is also home to wintering herds of wild elk. Black bears, grizzly, and cougar use and pass through this important corridor that links grasslands to the Rocky Mountains. More important, there are no roads running through this rare montane landscape, just rough trails used by hikers and a small group of neighbouring ranchers who hold traditional summer grazing leases fro their cattle. Journeys in the Whaleback explores the Whaleback in three seasons, as we travel by horse drawn sleigh, wagon, and on foot to experience the wildlife and natural beauty of the region. And from a few experts we'll learn why it was so worthy of protection.

For John and Janet Foster, and thousands of others, Ontario's 7000 square kilometer Algonquin Park is a kind of spiritual home -- a nearby, accessible wilderness area that offers superb canoeing, snowshoeing, hiking, and opportunities for nature photography. In 1969, John and Janet spent part of their honeymoon traveling by canoe and portage into the park's interior. Since that time, Algonquin has been special to their lives, and they have always carried their cameras on journeys into the park. This program shows the nature of Algonquin from a personal viewpoint, and reveals the enduring qualities of a park that survives in spite of being within a day's drive of millions of North Americans, and threatened by the usual political and environmental pressures.

This is a program about seven polar journeys, at both ends of the earth – the highlights, the encounters with wildlife, the incredible landscapes, and the spectacle of giant icebergs carved into elegant designs and floating in cold oceans. And it's about where people live, and explorers were lost, and what is happening to these regions as out planet becomes warmer. The journeys take place on an expedition cruise ship, the Akademik Ioffe, built as an acoustical research ship by the Russian Academy of Science, and now carrying modest numbers of tourists to some extraordinary destinations. The crew is Russian and the ship is under charter to Australian and Canadian companies specializing in nature tours, with highly qualified guides who are experts in polar science. John and Janet Foster were on board for five arctic journeys and two voyages to the Antarctic. They carried cameras and recorded adventures and wildlife encounters in remote places that relatively few people have seen. These encounters include polar bears and sea birds in the Canadian arctic, giant icebergs and glaciers in Greenland, and friendly minke whales, seals, and penguins among the mountains and islands of rock and ice in the Antarctic Peninsula. The ship also crosses the notorious Drake Passage, the feared and stormy sea that combines the waters of three oceans and circles the planet between South America and Antarctica. These are true expedition cruises, following itineraries that will change daily with the weather, with wildlife sightings, and the chance to explore new channels and make landings by rubber Zodiacs on shore at every opportunity.

Some of the highest tides on this planet sweep into the Bay of Fundy twice every day, creating tidal rips and tidal bores, emptying and refilling harbours, making rivers run backwards, and nourishing incredible life on vast mud flats. The Bay of Fundy is like a giant bathtub sloshing 100 billion tons of tidal water back and forth, literally shaping the coastline of two Provinces and affecting all life along their shores. At Hall's Harbour, in New Brunswick, the tides must funnel into a narrow channel. With a time-lapse camera we see boats floating high against the wharf, and then sitting on the mud six hours later. And at the north end of the Bay of Fundy the Shubenacadie River reverses itself as a powerful tidal bore from the ocean marches up river at high tide. Around the shores of Grand Manan Island, fishermen use the tides to catch herring inside simple and traditional weirs. John and Janet Foster explore all of these phenomena, and witness the extraordinary mating rituals of the endangered Northern Right Whales - animals that depend on the rich ocean pastures created by the upwelling nutrients in Fundy's tides. And with help from a mud scientist they witness the mass flights of thousands of migrating shorebirds that come down from the arctic to feed and refuel on tiny shrimps in the tidal mud flats, before continuing non-stop to South America. Their flights are aerial ballets of precision turns and synchronous formation flying. Fundy's tides are a powerful biological engine, an irresistible force of nature.

Although technology continues to evolve, a group of die-hard gamers refuses to abandon the classic arcade games of yesteryear. The 80's live on for these enthusiasts, who compete against each other and history to record the world's highest scores. Portland gamer Bill Carlton is one of the most brazen, fearlessly taking on some of the toughest records on the books. HIGH SCORE follows Bill as he attempts to take down the Atari classic Missle Command and its twenty year-old record. To get the 80 million points he'll have to play the game on one quarter for over two days straight. There is no pause button. There will be no sleep. There can be only one victor in this classic story of Man versus Missle Command.

It's a cutthroat world where the difference between first and second place can be as little as a hair's breadth. From the creator of Cane Toads comes this delightful look at the trials and triumphs from America's animal competitions, Standard Of Perfection. This week, the humble cow is the focus of our attentions as we go behind the scenes at the Fryeburg Cattle Show in Maine, USA. Standard Of Perfection has become the guideline by which animal show-judges award points and prizes to worthy animals. Each animal is awarded points based on physical 'perfection' including facial features, body shape, color and pattern, gait, tail and temperament. Standard of Perfection takes viewers into the world of the bovine makeover and shows how pride and determination, not to mention steel-capped boots, transform a barnyard cow into a regional celebrity. Most people have seen a cow, but few can say they've seen a Grand Champion Jersey being prepped and prepared for the biggest and most prestigious event in New England: The Fryeburg Fair. Held annually in October, the Fair signals a time when cattle lovers across New England gather to bath, groom, clip and show their animals over three days of intense competition. Judged against recognized standards in a variety of categories, hundreds of cattle exhibitors compete for six Grand Champion prizes and the coveted crown of Supreme Champion. With wit, respect and the sort of imaginative approach he has become renowned for, Mark Lewis exposes the intense preparation in order to prime an animal for the biggest show of the year and the love people have for their animals, big and small.

An army of toads, millions strong, sweeps across the Australian continent. Equipped with a deadly toxin their march is relentless. As the toads march towards the city of Darwin its residents prepare for the onslaught. Should they dig a trench? Set out traps baited with special lures? Arm everyone in town with golf clubs? Can anything stop the invasion of the killer toads? For the past 70 years, an invasion of cane toads has marched across northern Australia like a biblical plague. First introduced to Australia to eat farm pests, the toads immediately began multiplying and wreaking havoc on native wildlife. These over sized amphibians are armed with a toxin so potent it can even kill a full-grown crocodile. Now, poised at the gates of the continent's last frontier - the giant toads are set to complete their invasion of Australia's tropical north. And while they have yet to kill any humans here, residents are taking no chances. As scientists belatedly race to study why these toads are such effective killers, the amphibians march toward Darwin - much to the chagrin of its residents. This new action-packed program from National Geographic Television & Film includes great natural history, science, invention, humor, incredible predation sequences and CGI.

The second arctic adventure from the couple that met and fell in love at the North Pole. Their dream was the biggest, the longest and the hardest possible ice expedition: the total crossing of the Arctic Ocean from Russia to Canada via the North Pole. They swam across polar seas and pulled their 90-kilogram sledges across the drifting ice. They suffered through extreme temperatures, and encountered polar bears. They experienced the mental challenges of being a couple, and a mother endured the hardship of being away from her children. For more than 1500 km the nearly inhuman pain and effort could not stop them. But after 99 days of struggling, they were confronted with the reality of global warming. Scientists are talking about it, everyone is thinking about it, but at the top of the Earth these explorers found themselves alone in front of it. Trapped and surrounded by breaking ice, the couple had to abandon their dreams just miles from the finish line and had to be airlifted in order to save their lives. "Through the plane window I saw how much the Arctic was melting, and I understood how close we had been to a disaster. We were alive but the Arctic Ocean was dying."

This highly visual documentary takes us inside the mind of the Erotomaniac. Using a mixture of dynamic stylistic devices and computer-generated imagery, the film attempts to recreate a warped world as seen through their eyes. The film features people diagnosed with this Impulse Control Disorder and explores just how far their compulsions can really go. Erotomania is the delusional belief that someone is in love with you. A simple brush of the arm at the photocopy machine, or the way someone arranges their desk, can all be misinterpreted as signs of interest. From the unrequited love of a man still obsessed with a woman he hasn't seen or spoken to in 20 years to the sinister secret admirer who won't leave their victim alone. From celebrity stalkers, including the story of David Letterman's obsessed fan Margaret Ray, to the erotomaniac who will stop at nothing, including murder, to justify their love. But what makes them do it?

n an age when it's neither socially or legally necessary, why do Canadians choose to marry? While it's true that more couples than ever decide to just live together, the majority still want to say "I do". Why Do We Marry? looks at a convention that is not only persistent but thriving. The documentary begins with a young couple whose piercings and tattoos would lead you to believe they are not the marrying kind, and anything but traditional. However, while their drive- through wedding is a little out of the ordinary, Kathleen McEvoy and Andrew Sherratt have decided to marry for reasons that are as old fashioned as the institution itself. It's the moral thing to do, they say. People marry to make a commitment. They marry for religious reasons, to please family, and because they think children should have married parents. Tradition is still important. But affirmation and validation are also important, even among the unconventional. Larry Kleinman and Nira Friedman in Montreal are in their sixties and they were a couple for nearly two decades, although they never lived together. They decided to get married to cement their relationship and "close the circle", but they continue to live separately. Valda Leighteizer is a grandmother who has married before, and is now marrying her long time partner Kate Krug. As they prepare for their wedding they tell us why it's important to have their union publicly recognized. Sheila Patel and Fabrice Jesten marry to win the acceptance of her family. Kirsten Dane marries Aadil Mamuji for religious reasons after she converts Islam. But there are couples who marry, just to have the party. They are lured by the romance of the event and the idea of being prince and princess for day. They get lots of encouragement from a huge wedding industry that promotes the sensational wedding. And if it's not the couple who wants a marriage, in order to have a wedding, it might very be their parents who insist on the nuptials i