Doctor takes on big Bear Grylls challenge

Alice Rothwell, 26, from Sudbrooke, is part of a group of 16 strangers to be dropped on a remote island in the Pacific with just the clothes on her back and a few tools.

The show, which started on Monday evening (March 28), will see Dr Rothwell build her own shelter, hunt for her own food and battle against extreme weather conditions, environmental hazards and severely limited resources.

Dr Rothwell said she applied to go on the show because she wanted to test her ‘inner strength’.

She said the long shifts she works have taught her endurance and the ability to function when tired.

Dr Rothwell describes herself as an ‘outdoorsy person’ – she has fond memories of climbing trees with her brothers when she was growing up and she has even trekked through the Amazon and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.

She says her greatest strengths are her enthusiasm, commitment and hard working spirit.

This year’s show, the third series, includes an unexpected twist as men and women are dropped on the same island but different sides - and it’s up to them to find each other.

Bear Grylls said: ‘’We wanted to take this season to the next level and putting men and women together was the natural progression.

“It is easy to assume that this will turn into a battle of the sexes – but in truth it is much deeper than that and is a battle for survival - that’s not about gender or how bigand tough someone may look, that’s about mental strength and character.”

The men and women will arrive by boat with just the clothes they stand up in, filming equipment, basic medical supplies, enough water for 24 hours, a few simple tools and key survival training from Bear and his team.

Across six episodes they will become part of a select few who get to experience what it is really like to survive on their wits and determination.

And The Islanders can expect significantly different weather than in previous series due to the presence of the El Niño climate cycle, which is likely to mean increased rainfall as well as decreased fish stocks, a key food source.