Alone: Is this Channel 4's toughest reality show yet?

If the likes of Survivor, SAS: Who Dares Wins and Hunted are too lightweight for you, then Alone is the reality series you've been waiting for.

Alone is billed as the toughest, most extreme show on TV with season 10 currently underway in the US, and now we're getting our very own version, courtesy of Channel 4.

But with bears, wolves and starvation to contend with, this isn't a show for the fainthearted — here's all you need to know.

When does Alone begin in the UK?

Alone launches its UK version on Channel 4 from Sunday, 6 August.

The air time is yet to be confirmed and the series will run for six episodes.

What happens in Alone?

The show is billed as "the ultimate test of survival" and "the most extreme show on TV", making other survival reality shows look like a walk in the park.

Watch a trailer for Alone

As the title suggests, contestants will be completely alone — no camera crew, no comfortable camp to stay in once the cameras have stopped rolling, just a few sporadic medical check-ins to see whether they need to be parachuted out of the show.

Read more: Everything you need to know about Survivor 2023

It will feature 11 ordinary people who have no specialist survival skills but are dropped completely alone into the wilderness of north west Canada, one of the most inhospitable environments on Earth.

Each of them will be given a handful of basic tools and told to fend for themselves for as long as possible, with the last contestant standing winning £100,000.

What's more, they'll need to film their own adventure as there will be no camera crew with them and if they decide to leave the competition they will need to "tap out", or could be removed on medical grounds if they fail a check.

Contestants will face a battle with the elements, loneliness, starvation and dangerous predators including bears and wolves as they put their resilience to the test.

Each one of them has personal reasons for wanting to take on the solitary challenge and their stories and true selves will emerge as they find out whether they are up to the challenge of being alone.

Why have contestants 'tapped out' of the show?

In the original US version of the show, contestants are warned that the contest could run for up to a year — so it's no wonder that some of the most common reasons for tapping out include loneliness and missing family.

However, there are also some truly terrifying reasons given for US contestants having left early, including bear scares and a shelter catching fire.

Read more: SAS: Who Dares Wins rested by Channel 4 indefinitely as celebrity version is supersized

Medical grounds have included starvation, parasitic infections, broken bones, splitting a tendon with an axe, and getting a fish hook stuck in a hand.

In the Australian version, a contestant had to leave after contracting Covid — despite being alone.

Where else has Alone aired?

The show is a hit in the US, where the 10th season is currently airing and specials have included a contestant pairs season and a frozen season, based in Labrador in winter.

International spin-offs have made it over to Denmark, where in an even harsher twist the Danish contestants simply win the honour of being champion rather than a cash prize.

Norway also has a version, as does Australia, and the UK is the newest addition to the Alone family.

Alone launches its UK version on Channel 4 from Sunday, 6 August.