He was famous for taking mind-altering drugs on TV twenty years ago – now intrepid film-maker Bruce Parry has faced more extreme tasks as he brings back the award-winning BBC series Tribe.

The adventurer and ex-Royal Marine, previously embedded in 15 different tribes to make three series between 2005 and 2007, has become the first foreign visitor for three more communities in the most remote regions of the world. For new series Tribe with Bruce Parry he will live deep in the Amazon rainforest, in the Namib desert and on a remote Indonesian island.

Bruce, 55, believes the knowledge and wisdom held by these tribes is needed more than ever as huge numbers opt out amid the ever-increasing threats to their ancient ways, caused largely by climate change. He told the Mirror: “It’s been over twenty years since Tribe first aired. Living with people who experience the world in such profoundly different ways was eye-opening then, but today it feels vital. I believe we have so much to learn from those who still live in deep connection with the world around them. It feels a huge privilege that the BBC has allowed me to explore these places and themes once again.”

Renowned for never shying away from any authentic experience he is offered, Bruce took hallucinogenic drugs on camera several times. In the first series of Tribe he was violently sick after swallowing sakona – made from dried tree sap – to try to experience the trance used by the Sanema people of Papua New Guinea to expel evil spirits. There was more vomiting in the third series after he took Iboga root in a bid to experience a three-day trip, part of the initiation process for the Babongo of Gabon. Other extreme experiences included living with the Indonesian Kombai people to discover if cannibalism remained a part of their lives.

Jamie Balment, creative director of production company Frank Films, says this time around Bruce is as brave as he ever was. “I’m not sure how, but 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.”

In episode one of Tribe with Bruce Parry, which airs on BBC2 in the spring, he visits the Waimaha people of the Amazon rainforest who initially eye him with suspicion because rubber tappers and missionaries nearly destroyed their culture in the past. In the second episode the intrepid presenter ventures into the unforgiving Namib desert – only recently accessible following years of civil war and a legacy of landmines. Invited to live with the Mucubal, Bruce is the first white person some of the villagers have ever seen.

In episode three, Bruce goes to the island of Sumba in Indonesia where the residents follow an ancient religion called Marapu in which powerful ancestral spirits demand a blood sacrifice. Invited to stay by the priest, Bruce lives in an ancient hilltop village where the houses are built amid megalithic stone tombs of their dead relatives.

BBC commissioning editor Tom Coveney said he was delighted to welcome back the “original original trailblazer of immersive documentary-making”. He added: “I’m thrilled Bruce will once again entertain and inspire our viewers with his unquenchable thirst for adventure and infectious curiosity; this series is both a great watch and a chance to learn lessons.”

After Tribe ended Bruce, who films most of his experiences on his own camera, made Amazon in 2008 and Arctic in 2011, collecting two Royal Television Society awards for best presenter as well a BAFTA along the way. He has been off TV for the past decade, living in Ibiza for many years before moving to a remote part of Wales.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs onTikTok,Snapchat,Instagram,Twitter,Facebook,YouTubeandThreads.

Get email updates from our environment editor on green issues and actions you can take