Gordon Buchanan: My Epic Camel Adventure — release date, exclusive interview, what happens and everything we know

Gordon Buchanan: My Epic Camel Adventure on BBC2 sees Scots adventurer Gordon Buchanan ride on camelback for miles across the vast arid wilderness of the Gobi Desert in the style of the three wise men from the nativity story!

Starting in the west of Mongolia he spends two weeks crossing epic sand dunes, rocky plains and the treacherous Bumbat Mountain with only his camels for company. The solo mission is fraught with danger as Gordon has to earn the camels’ respect and trust, survive icy conditions and navigate vertical rock faces. But he also brings us an extraordinary insight into the lives of camels and how they’ve adapted to survive – and even thrive – in on of the most inhospitable places on the planet. 

So here’s everything you need to know about Gordon Buchanan: My Epic Camel Adventure on BBC2…  

Gordon Buchanan: My Epic Camel Adventure release date

Gordon Buchanan: My Epic Camel Adventure will be shown in the UK on BBC2 from Sunday, December 22 2024. This one-off documentary will also become available on BBC iPlayer.

Is there a trailer?

The BBC hasn’t released a trailer yet for Gordon Buchanan: My Epic Camel Adventure but we’ll post it here as soon as it lands. No doubt it will tease all the drama, with plenty of footage of the camels!

What happens in Gordon Buchanan: My Epic Camel Adventure?

Having crossed the Canada’s frozen north with a team of huskies and tracked cheetahs in Africa’s Kalahari Desert, Gordon’s latest adventure sees him journey across the Gobi Desert in Mongolia with two camels and everything he needs to survive for two weeks! The adventures starts with him struggling to befriend the pair of grumpy camels, but soon sees them all bond as they cross miles of arid landscape. He also spends time with nomadic herders to experience their traditional way of life, and ends up catching sight of saiga antelopes, yaks and wolves. But will he be lucky enough to spot the rare Gobi bear, the most endangered bear on the planet?

Exclusive interview: Gordon Buchanan on his epic journey in My Epic Camel Adventure

Why did you want to take on this adventure? 
Gordon Buchanan says: "Camels have to be one of the most recognisable animals on the whole planet and they obviously feature in the nativity story, so this was an opportunity to look at how extraordinary they are while also exploring one of the most amazing places in the world that I've ever been. It was such a biblical landscape. Despite the challenges, every day I was excited about seeing more of that extraordinary part of the world."

There aren’t many wildlife shows about camels. What makes them special?
Gordon Buchanan says: "We always think of polar bears and penguins in Antarctica being really hardcore species. But the truth is that camels kind of blow them out of the water because the extremes of temperature they can cope with is extraordinary. In Mongolia, just two months before we got there, the temperature was minus 50. And then in the summer it goes up to plus 45, so you've got this extraordinary animal that can cope with almost 100 degrees of temperature range!

Can you talk a bit about your journey?
Gordon Buchanan says: "I spent a month in the Gobi Desert in March and April, just at the end of the winter. The plan was to put my camel riding skills to the test and travel through a really extreme and inhospitable part of the world. But I actually resorted to walking after about 10 days just to give my backside a bit of a rest, because they're not the most comfortable of creatures!"

What were they like as companions?
Gordon Buchanan says: "I had two camels, one that I rode and one that was carrying all my equipment and camping gear – and they were really huge! When I first met them, they gave off such ‘back off’ vibes that I thought there was no way I was going to be able to make friends with them. But they're thought to be as intelligent as elephants and, as I found, you can actually build up this bond with them. So went from being barked at, spat at and snapped at to cuddling them and tickling their ears. By the end of the two weeks, I was so attached to them and I had so much admiration for how they can navigate their way through that landscape."

And did they have different personalities?
Gordon Buchanan says: "Yeah, they definitely did. I named one Squeaks because when he ground his teeth it made this squeaking sound. He was more experienced, older and a bit bigger and stronger. He was very calm, very stable and more aloof to begin with. Chewy – because of his Chewbacca-type noises – was younger and less experienced and seemed to have anger management issues, but I ground him down over time! The nomadic herders don’t give their camels names because they’re not pets. But Chewy and Squeaks seemed very fitting for both of them!"

What was the biggest challenge of your journey?
Gordon Buchanan says: "Just trying to navigate that landscape. I had maps and GPS coordinates, and a rough plan to cover about 20 miles a day. But the route I’d naturally take wasn’t necessarily the best one. So the camels were the ones that could actually find the best route and know the best way to navigate, whether it was a rocky escarpment, sand dune systems or frozen lakes. I found myself having to trust in these two bizarre animals for the most fundamental thing of all, which was to get through that landscape safely!"

What’s your favourite camel fact?
Gordon Buchanan says: "So a camel can do pretty much do the splits. You have to be aware of the fact that they can move their legs in any direction, so you can get kicked in the face even if you're standing a meter and a half away from them. Another interesting fact is that the best dung for burning in a desert like the Gobi, which doesn’t have trees, is camel dung. It gives this remarkable, intense, long-lasting heat that's really, really fragrant. So when I was on my journey I gathered up the dung, got out my matches and made myself a little campfire!"

Can you separate the truth from the myth about what their humps are for?
Gordon Buchanan says: "You know, when I was a kid, I thought that camels’ humps stored water, and that's how they were able to survive in deserts. But the humps are really fat stores. You can get upwards of 40 kilos of fat in each of those humps, and that’s their energy store. It’s a bizarre design, but it's just a way of storing energy in a way that doesn’t affect their stability."

Did you end up spotting the rare Gobi bear?
Gordon Buchanan says: "They’re one of the rarest mammals on the planet and there are fewer than 50 left in the world, so I had to measure my expectations of actually seeing one. But without spoiling it for the viewers we did have some success! I also spotted a lone wolf up in the mountains, which was a remarkable sight!

What was the highlight of your trip?
Gordon Buchanan says: "Spending time with the nomads and really understanding their way of life. It was one of the most liberating experiences of my entire life – the nomadic lifestyle gives you this opportunity to go to the horizon and beyond in any direction. There are no boundaries, no fences, no rules and nobody telling you where you can and can’t go. So what seems like a really adverse or austere way of life is actually really uplifting and freeing. I fell in love with the Gobi Desert. It’s one of my favorite places in the world now!"