TV star's horror battle to stay alive in Antarctic as penguins set to 'starve to death'

Award-winning filmmaker and explorer Bertie Gregory’s Secrets Of The Penguins takes viewers on a journey across the southern hemisphere, following three species of penguins – the Emperors, the Galápagos and the Macaronis.

However, there was one moment when was convinced that a colony of would die after falling through huge cracks in the ice and the memory of the birds falling off the cliff is hard to let go of. “We don’t intervene, that’s a golden rule,” says Bertie, 31.

“We didn’t know if they could survive the fall, but even if we wanted to intervene, we couldn’t get to them. I thought they were going to starve to death. They were all looking up, like they were in an ice prison.”

Luckily, the penguins proved him wrong. When flying his drone over the crevasse the next day, Bertie was stunned to see they’d escaped. “They used their beaks like ice axes,” he says, “Then they climbed up to get out. I was like, ‘Emperor penguins can ice climb? Wow!’”

Produced by Academy-Award winning director and narrated by actress , the show is the latest in National Geographic’s Secrets Of … series and focuses on penguins in the Galápagos Islands and Antarctica. “The coldest day was -54 degrees,” Bertie says. “I thought I knew what cold was. I didn’t. You can’t do anything other than stay alive.”

READ MORE:

Yet it was these conditions that reminded him of the penguins’ resilience. “They don’t only survive, they raise their chicks in the coldest, darkest, windiest time of year in Antarctica,” Bertie says, “They’re the only animal that’s capable of doing that.”

To withstand the elements, Bertie says they wore “big mitts”, but “you can’t control drones with mitts”. So he used heated gloves modified to run off his camera batteries.

Filming also highlighted a sobering reality – climate change. “The fact some people still doubt its existence blows my mind,” he says. Emperor penguins are particularly affected.

“Most animals that are threatened by climate change are often threatened by something else, such as deforestation or poaching,” he says. “But the Emperors’ sole threat really is climate change. Most of them will never see a human.”

As temperatures rise, ice – crucial for breeding – is breaking up earlier each year, so many chicks end up in the icy water before they’re ready to swim. “They’re not adapted for that,” Bertie says, “So we’re seeing catastrophic losses of chicks in some colonies.”

There is some hope, however. “New research shows that they mix more than we thought,” he says. “So it’s possible the penguins that live in areas very prone to early ice break-up could move to areas where the ice is more stable. It’s like a lifeline and buys a bit more time to figure out where we’re going wrong.”

For Bertie, filming wildlife isn’t just a career. “I really love wildlife,” he says, “I’m completely obsessed with it. My colleagues will tell you.” But after weeks in remote environments with fellow filmmakers and animals, re-entering society is tough.

“I struggle with it and often have post-shoot blues,” Bertie says. “You work in small teams and grow attached to the animals. Then, suddenly, I have to choose which type of salad I want to eat. It’s mind-blowing!”

For Bertie, filming wildlife isn’t just a career - it’s a deep and lifelong obsession. “I really love wildlife,” he says, “I’m completely obsessed with it. My colleagues will tell you I’m relentless.”

Some may say that an explorer needs patience to make things work. Bertie disagrees. “Being passionate, persistent, even stubborn, is far more important. You need to grind, day after day.”

Secrets of the Penguins premieres 21st April on Disney+ and airs 22nd April on Nat Geo Wild.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on , , , , , and .