Bear Grylls helps families repair rifts in Welsh wilderness

TV adventurer Bear Grylls is starring in a new BBC reality series set in the Welsh wilderness.

Contestants taking part in BBC One's Wild Reckoning will be "stripped of their everyday comforts" to try and repair deep personal rifts through a series of physical and psychological challenges.

In the show, Grylls will attempt to help the families, siblings and couples in what the star said had been "one of the most rewarding and beautiful things" he had done, dealing with "real lives" and "real emotions".

He said the north Wales environment created a framework which allowed people to confront their problems head on, because "there's nowhere to hide".

In the series, Grylls sets off from his island to the mainland where he joined by a team of mediators, psychologists and survival mentors.

In 2001 Grylls bought St Tudwal West, which lies just over half a mile (1km) off Gwynedd's Llyn peninsula, for £95,000.

The rocky grass-covered island is about 700m (2,000ft) long and 200m (650ft) wide.

In the 16-part series, participants confront issues including grief, trust, sibling rivalry and abandonment.

Grylls, 51, said the show created a framework which allowed people to confront their problems head on, because "there's nowhere to hide" in the wilderness.

"You can't storm off. You can't just pick up your phone. You can't just get in the car.

"The wild doesn't judge, but you can't hide.

"In relational issues, we like to hide behind things," he said. "We blame this, we blame that - in the wild, we don't."

He cautioned the show would not be able to resolve complex issues, such as childhood trauma, in a matter of days.

However, it will allow people to "light a fire" and start the healing process.

"Sometimes the hardest bit is actually just sitting down together - not fighting and just listening - and saying, 'I want to redefine this in our relationship'," he added.

Wild Reckoning launches on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on 23 February at 14:00 GMT.