Exeter College alumnus directs climate documentary featuring His Majesty King Charles

Exeter College alumnus Marshall Corwin (1972, Mathematics) has produced and directed a major new climate change documentary set to premiere on ITV1 at 8.30pm this Thursday, 18 December. Steve Backshall’s Royal Arctic Challenge is a 90-minute special exploring the profound environmental changes in the Arctic since His Majesty King Charles’s 1975 expedition to the region. 

The film follows adventurer and wildlife presenter Steve Backshall as he retraces the steps of the then-Prince Charles’s journey to the Canadian Arctic exactly fifty years on. From diving under ice to braving extreme weather, Backshall recreates many of the original challenges, offering a powerful lens on how the polar environment has transformed over the past half-century. 

In a rare and candid conversation filmed at Buckingham Palace, King Charles reflects on his youthful expedition, revealing unseen archive footage and sharing the lasting impact the Arctic journey had on his environmental advocacy. The Monarch’s insights, both heartfelt and humorous, provide a unique backdrop to the documentary’s exploration of climate change. 

Corwin, whose career spans impactful environmental and children’s broadcasting, spent three weeks in the Arctic filming with Backshall earlier this year. Reflecting on the project, he said: “Before we left, we had the extraordinary opportunity to spend an hour with the King at the Palace, comparing notes on the expedition and his hopes for the future of the planet.” 

Steve Backshall’s Royal Arctic Challenge will also be available to stream on ITVX following its UK premiere on ITV1 at 8.30pm this Thursday, 18 December

Steve Backshall meeting His Majesty King Charles

Steve Backshall meeting His Majesty King Charles

Steve Backshall approaching Coronation Glacier