Richard Parks: Conquering the World

The first episode of the trilogy shows Richard preparing his body and mind to deal with the rigours of the challenge ahead - deprivation training, cold water immersion training, and the actual climbing of some of the worlds most inhospitable regions. In this programme, the South Pole, Mount Vinson - the highest peak on Antarctica - Aconcagua in South America and Kilimanjaro in Africa, each of these hurdles is attempted in this amazing challenge of human endurance.

Having reached the South Pole and the highest summits of Antarctica, South America and Africa, Richard Parks's next destination on his 737 Challenge was Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia. A difficult technical climb compounded by a 100 kilometre trek through the jungle - and Richard's knees were showing serious signs of wear and tear. His medical team were afraid that the whole project was in jeopardy. The relentless nature of this adventure would then see him join forces with Olympic Gold medallist Steve Williams to reach the North Pole and then to attempt Everest. Jungles, injections, ice plains and savage environments - all part and parcel of his attempt to set a world record and raise funds for a cancer charity.

The final programme with exclusive coverage of Richard Parks's record-breaking attempt to climb the world's highest peaks and reach the poles. Frostbite from the Everest climb meant that Richard Parks's world record attempt was now in serious jeopardy. Not only was he facing the prospect of losing a limb, but his next leg - climbing Denali in Alaska - freezing storms at altitude would now become a bigger threat to his life. The dangers of Denali though proved to be even more acute, with Richard falling into a crevasse - a ledge seven metres down prevented a fall into an uncharted abyss. His rescue and eventual summit of the North American peak left just one summit to complete the 737 Challenge. The problem with Elbrus in Russia (the highest mountain in Europe) is that terrorist activity had closed the region virtually throughout the year. The drama would continue to the very end.