Sue Perkins: Lost in Alaska is a three-part Channel 5 travel series that sees comedian Sue explore America’s last frontier. But as an animal lover, vegetarian and somebody who hates guns it turns out to be a challenging adventure! And then there are those very big bears!
"Alaska is the biggest and wildest state in America and I want to discover what life’s like in this great land,’ says Sue. "But it’s a journey that will force me to face my fears, test my survival skills and maybe even my sanity!"
Here's everything you need to know about the new Channel 5 series Sue Perkins: Lost in Alaska...
Sue Perkins: Lost in Alaska release date
Sue Perkins: Lost in Alaska is a three-part series that starts on Channel 5 on Friday 9 February 2024 at 9pm.
Sue Perkins on her Lost In Alaska series
What does Sue Perkins: Lost in Alaska reveal about this huge American state?
Sue says: "That the pioneer spirit is still very much alive! There’s so much uncharted territory you can plonk yourself in. It’s like there’s a moon landing every day, and everyone wants to be the first person to place their feet on untouched land. There are Alaskans who decide to buy a parcel of land in the middle of nowhere, spend days trekking there, and pop their family flag in the ground. Over the course of two or three years, they build infrastructure, like roads and energy supplies, and live out there. I couldn't do that personally – I'm quite a wuss!
You’re from London, so how did you find exploring such a vast wilderness?
"I love the outdoors, I love nature and I love the British countryside, but ours is often so manicured and council-controlled. In the third episode, I went for a hike in the St. Elias National Park, which was the size of Switzerland – and it’s not even the biggest national park! That’s the scope of Alaska’s size!
You start your adventure by having bear attack survival training. What did you learn?
"There are all sorts of things you have to do. But if you use bear spray, you have to check the wind. There’s no point firing off a load of pepper spray if the wind is blowing towards you, because you’ll blind yourself and choke half-to-death. At one point I genuinely thought a bear was running at me and my response was to slightly wet myself, swear to the point where the footage is unusable, trip over my left foot, and discharge pepper spray down my trousers. I made a real pig’s ear of it!
Your survival training also involved a trip to a firing range. How comfortable are you around guns?
"I’ve fired guns before and I learned quite a lot about guns by working with amazing armourers on the Sky comedy Hitmen. It turns out I’m actually quite a good shot. I went from, ‘I hate guns’ to ‘I made quite a good job of that’.
But did you find it disturbing seeing children at the firing range?
"It was very shocking to see a six-year-old and an eight-year-old holding AR-15s and the kind of assault rifles that are most commonly in the news when used against children. One of these kids had already killed an animal and the parents were proud. The one topic that kept coming up in Alaska was their right to kill wild-sourced food. They view the wild as their pantry.
You also have an ethical struggle when you go fishing…
"Definitely. To take a life is a terrible thing. You hear of people who’ve worked in slaughterhouses or abattoirs, who can't take it after a while. We’re insulated from the process. So when I was in Homer, which is home to a vast industrial fishing fleet, I ended up operating a reel on a fishing boat and I brought in a sable cod and a king salmon. Both are pretty rare and I wanted to throw them back, but I couldn't because the crew wanted them. When you’re somewhere like Alaska, you have to unhook your suburban prejudices quite quickly.
There’s another challenging experience when you take a flight in a small plane. What was that like?
"More people in Alaska actually use planes as a mode of transport than cars, but nobody would take us up at first because the conditions were so rainy. We eventually convinced a pilot to fly us, but we were wobbling around at about 1,000 feet in a tiny aircraft that had wind-down windows. A driving gale came in through one window, making all the instrumentation wet. It was horrific!
You also spent time with doomsday preppers. Are you more paranoid about the future now?
"I’m Armageddon aware! They took me down a tiny snaking river to the secure facility they have in case of disaster. Culturally in Alaska there’s a feeling of, ‘if it all goes to s***, we know how to look after ourselves’ and that’s a real source of pride. I wouldn't say they're looking forward to Armageddon, but Alaskans are more ready for it than anybody else on the planet. It’s in their psyche to be adaptable and resilient, and frankly they have the land mass available to be very far away from a nuclear strike, chemical attack or whatever they think they're facing!
Does living out in the wild appeal to you?
"I love Alaska. It’s an extraordinary place, but it takes a kind of ruggedness and single-mindedness to live in those conditions, which I don't have. I really need people, I love people and I love a chat. Also in Alaska, you’re very controlled by the weather and I’d find that very difficult. For a holiday Alaska is amazing, but my pioneer mindset isn’t strong!
Finally, what does Alaska smell like?
"I love this question! In the winter the smell isn’t pine because you lose the trees when you reach the Arctic Circle. The air is so clean and cold that there’s an antiseptic or medicinal vibe. The forests don’t smell of pine or any of those top notes, but of moss washed clean by rivers!"
Sue Perkins: Lost in Alaska — what happens, destinations and episode guide
Here's the lowdown on all three episodes Sue Perkins: Lost in Alaska...
Episode 1: Friday February 9
After some survival training in Anchorage, where Sue gets given a can of protective bear spray, Sue travels along the Kenai Peninsula to Homer, stopping off to learn how to fire a gun. Over 60% of Alaskan households own a firearm, for hunting and protection. But it’s an uneasy reality for Sue.
"I feel uncomfortable around guns. I find it really upsetting," she says. "I couldn’t purposely kill something, but I’m going into the wilderness where there are bears. I know I might need to protect myself."
Sue also braves a salmon fishing trip, explores Alaska’s Russian heritage, and visits a wildlife conservation centre where she bottle-feeds an orphaned moose and comes face-to-face with a brown bear – although from behind a fence!
"Coming close to a bear is the moment I’ve been waiting for," says Sue. "Being here and seeing these animals has made this one of the best days of my life. I’m starting to get the feel of true Alaska, of big skies and fresh air. Everything is supersized here!"
Episode 2: Friday February 16
The comedian steps further and further into the wild Alaskan interior in the second leg of her adventure, as she challenges herself to see if she’s got what it takes to live amongst bears and moose in the wilderness. As well as taking part in Alaska’s ‘state sport’ of dog mushing and trying her hand at panning for gold, she also meets a homesteader living a self sufficient life miles from anywhere.
"There’s so much uncharted territory,’ says Sue. ‘There are Alaskans who buy a parcel of land in the middle of nowhere, spend days trekking there, and pop their family flag in the ground. Over the course of two or three years they build infrastructure, like roads and energy supplies, and live out there. I couldn't do that personally – I'm quite a wuss!"
But the most thrilling part of this week’s journey is when she joins Alaskan doomsday preppers, Craig Compeau and his daughter Emily, on an intense 70-mile boat ride to their secret hideout. "They took me down a tiny snaking river to the secure facility they have in case of Armageddon,’ says Sue. ‘Culturally in Alaska there’s a feeling of, '‘if it all goes wrong, we know how to look after ourselves,’ and that’s a real source of pride.I wouldn't say they're looking forward to Armageddon, but Alaskans are more ready for it than anybody else on the planet.
"It’s in their psyche to be adaptable and resilient, and frankly they have the land mass available to be very far away from a nuclear strike, chemical attack or whatever they think they're facing!"
Episode 3: Friday February 23
We'll be updating on this final as the series progresses so do check back.
Is there a trailer for Sue Perkins: Lost in Alaska?
Channel 5 hasn't yet released a trailer for Sue Perkins: Lost in Alaska but when they do we'll post it here.
