Twenty years ago, working with filmmaker Steve Robinson, Bruce Parry lived immersed within indigenous groups to make three award-winning series of Tribe for the BBC.

Deeply affected by the people he met and what they taught him, Bruce took time away from television, settling in West Wales to live more closely from the land. He continued to visit different indigenous groups across the world, advocating for their unique ways of life.

Bruce’s approach remains unchanged: total immersion for a minimum of three weeks in each location. His total commitment to experiencing every aspect of tribal life leads to extraordinary encounters. ‘Only because I am there, immersed in the community and getting involved, do I get to uncover the deeper secrets of life there and the understandings that these people have. I really do think I don’t find out many of the things I learn – unless I do them.’

Episode 1: Bruce Parry travels deep into the Colombian Amazon to meet the Waimaha. The Waimaha have successfully lived in this remote place thanks to their connection with the rainforest around them. This connection comes – in part from the psychoactive drug yagé which they take during seasonal ceremonies. Can Bruce win enough trust to get invited to the yagé ceremony?

Episode 2: Bruce Parry visits the Mucubal in Angola’s Namib Desert, one of the most inhospitable places on Earth. Staying with a thirty-strong family, Bruce struggles to witness the visceral rituals his hosts continue to practice. Extreme isolation protects a unique way of life here, but for how long?

Episode 3: Bruce Parry visits the Indonesian island of Sumba, the only place on Earth where the ancient religion of Marapu is practised. Staying in a traditional hilltop village the dead are buried in stone tombs amongst the homes of the living and powerful ancestral spirits demand blood sacrifice. During his stay Bruce comes to see how the great sacrifices followers must make to appease their ancestors can also bring great reward.

The years – and too many litres of jungle intoxicants – have not dimmed Bruce’s passion and curiosity for those living lives vastly different from our own. The energy and willingness to have a go remains – however extreme the task. Yet his time away has brought a new wisdom, his return has a greater urgency as these communities become ever more precious.