Beyond Bionic — Season 1

Andy goes to California in his quest to find the ocean's best high jumper, the mako shark. Andy learns how the mako can leap out of the water, reaching heights of up to nine metres. It can also reach top swimming speeds of well over 40mph. Andy has to find a way to propel himself out of the water to reach the same jumping height as the magnificent mako, as well as match the shark's incredible speed.

In this episode Andy travels to California to find the superhero technology that can help him match the fastest bird on two legs, the ostrich. This super-sprinter has a top speed of 45 mph, so Andy tries everything from a training session with Team GB sprinter Asha Philip, to using a jet pack to increase his running speed. He even runs in a pair of the aptly named Bionic Boots, which were inspired by the Ostrich itself. But is all the bionic technology enough to beat the Ostrich in a head-to-head race, or will Andy be going home with egg on his face?

In this episode Andy is on the east coast of America to try and match one of the best climbers in the animal kingdom. The gecko lizard has incredible climbing abilities thanks to amazing sticky toes pads on its feet that allow it to climb on almost any surface. To match it, the Beyond Bionic team set Andy an impossible challenge to climb a 10-storey glass building using just his hands and feet. Will he be able to track down the tech to help him climb where no human has every climbed before?

Andy Torbet tries to match his skills against some of the most powerful animals in the world. Andy travels to Alaska in his quest to swim like a seal in freezing lake water, under a sheet of ice. His journey begins off the Northumberland coast, diving with grey seals to learn how insulating, fatty blubber gives them unrivalled cold-resistance. Next Andy meets Olympic medallist, Keri-anne Payne, and discovers how cold-water shock affects his body. Then Andy tests out blubber-like insulating technology while being dunked in the Extreme Environments Lab pool at Portsmouth University. Will this chilly challenge see him sink or swim?

Things are about to heat up as Andy takes on the world's most heat-resistant animal. Very little is known about the mysterious Pompeii worm, which lives deep under the Pacific Ocean on hydro thermal vents. These vents pump out boiling water heated by underwater volcanoes, so Andy's challenge is to survive intense heat, just like the worm, in a specially built Beyond Bionic inferno. Will he be able to find the technological tools to withstand temperatures over 500 degrees Celsius?

Andy is on a mission to match the hovering skills of the hummingbird. Flapping their wings 80 times per second, these are the only birds in the world able to hover in one spot, using this to help them extract nectar from flowers with their long beaks. Andy begins his quest by testing gadgets that can extend the reach of his arms, to become his version of the hummingbird's beak. Part of the test has them strapped to a rally car, cue the wheel spins and donuts. Next Andy heads to San Jose in the USA, for the once in a lifetime chance to try out a hovering, human-carrying drone. Then his final stop is San Diego, to try out a gadget which lifts humans into the air using the propulsion power of water. Can Andy learn to ride it and finally mimic a hummingbird, or will he get into a real flap?

Andy takes on the bounding brilliance of the grasshopper as he is challenged to match its ability to leap ten times its body length. He finds out that the secret to their gravity-defying leap lies in the elastic muscles in their knees being able to store potential energy. Armed with this knowledge, Andy heads off to try out parkour, uses jumping gadgets and takes a tumble on the trampoline with Olympic gymnast Kat Driscoll. But in the end, it's a high-altitude science lesson that gives Andy his best chance of matching the mighty grasshopper.

Andy takes on a mission to match the deep-dwelling giant Japanese spider crab. Capable of living at depths as low as 600m, these crabs have amazing protective shells which withstand the pressure of the ocean water pushing down on them. His journey begins in Italy when he visits the world's deepest swimming pool, Y-40, to learn what happens to the body when submerged under many metres of water. Andy also heads to Catalina Island off the California coast for a trip in a submarine, coming face to face with some colourful fish in the process. Finally, he heads to Vancouver in Canada to try out a unique, wearable hard-suit diving system. But will his efforts enable him to complete some tricky, crab-inspired tasks?

Andy is in for a high-flying challenge as he takes on one of the world's best gliders - the flying squirrel. These tiny aerial acrobats are capable of gliding up to ninety metres from tree to tree with ease thanks to their specially designed bodies. Andy will definitely need a head for heights and be prepared to go to extremes as he takes to the skies to find the right equipment to help him achieve the perfect glide.

Andy Torbet discovers that the Madagascan rainforest-dwelling Darwin's bark spider might be tiny but has a truly epic power - it makes the world's toughest natural fibre and uses it to make 25-metre-wide webs! To try to match this awesome arachnid, Andy is set the challenge of finding a way to fire a man-made rope to the top of a 30-metre-high building in Norway, before using top technology to help him climb it.

Andy Torbet takes on a heavyweight Beyond Bionic challenge as he attempts to match the super-strength of the gorilla. He travels around the globe in search of the cutting-edge technology that can help him lift up to 10 times his own bodyweight. In Germany, the USA and Japan, Andy tries out the latest in wearable exoskeleton technology that is helping us push the limits of the human body and perform incredible tasks in space. And he works up a sweat as he's put through his paces by the world's strongest man, Eddie Hall. Will he be able to lift 800 kilogrammes and match the strength of the gorilla, or will the King of the jungle muscle him out of the competition?

Adventurer Andy Torbet takes on one of his toughest assignments to date. Inspired by the spectacular speeds of the world's fastest animal, the peregrine falcon, he attempts to plummet through the skies at over 240 miles an hour. With the help of rocket scientist, Angelo Grubsic, Andy sets to work improving his in-air terminal velocity. He turns to engineering for help and jumps out of a plane wearing a unique pair of jet-boots, that Andy hopes will turbo-charge his skydive to match the speed of the peregrine falcon.

Andy Torbet reflects on his favourite experiences from Beyond Bionic, after having taken on 12 skilful animals in 12 unique action-packed challenges. There is also a look back at the times when Andy met his match.