On November 9, the Discovery Channel will air a two-hour special covering Grylls's May expedition to the Himalayas, which had him piloting a motored paraglider at an altitude higher than the summit of Everest. A week later, Man vs. Wild will kick off its second season. The new shows will also run a full two hours, a format that Grylls and producers say will allow them to depict how the programs are put together. Each episode will also begin with a disclaimer stating that Grylls and crew "receive support when they are in potentially life-threatening situations.”

Lovering: We're trying to supersize Man vs. Wild. We want Bear to go to some of the most extreme environments in the world. So he's going to the Sahara and Patagonia and possibly Siberia. If we're going to these kinds of places, it's better to do a two-hour show.

Grylls: We're going to go into more detail and to see more of the role and challenges faced by the crew. I think people will enjoy that.

Thompson: My guess is that viewership will go up a little for the new season. A lot more people have heard of the show now.

Lovering: Our position is that safety equipment should be there to protect Bear and not to assist him. In other words, whatever he's doing, he's able to do. But there's protection when necessary so that he doesn't hurt himself.

Grylls: I have learnt that this show is not about me; it is about what it brings out in other people, such as a desire to climb, explore, or just get outside.