Bear Grylls helps families repair rifts on his private island

TV adventurer Bear Grylls is starring in a new BBC reality series set in the Welsh wilderness.

Contestants taking part in BBC One's Wild Reckoning will be sent to the private Welsh island owned by Grylls - Saint Tudwal's Island West, near Abersoch in Gwynedd - where they will be "stripped of their everyday comforts".

Grylls will team up with mediators, psychologists and survival mentors as they help the families, siblings and couples to repair deep personal rifts through a series of physical and psychological challenges.

The star said filming the series had been "one of the most rewarding and beautiful things" he had done, dealing with "real lives" and "real emotions".

In 2001 Grylls bought St Tudwal West, which lies just over half a mile (1km) off Gwynedd's Llyn peninsula, for £95,000.

The rocky grass-covered island is about 700m (2,000ft) long and 200m (650ft) wide.

In 2015, the council approved a 129ft (39.3m) slipway at the Gwynedd retreat despite opposition, which is designed to hold two rib-type boats.

In the 16-part series, participants confront issues including grief, trust, sibling rivalry and abandonment.

Grylls, 51, said the show created a framework which allowed people to confront their problems head on, because "there's nowhere to hide" in the wilderness.

"You can't storm off. You can't just pick up your phone. You can't just get in the car.

"The wild doesn't judge, but you can't hide.

"In relational issues, we like to hide behind things," he said. "We blame this, we blame that - in the wild, we don't."

He cautioned the show would not be able to resolve complex issues, such as childhood trauma, in a matter of days.

However, it will allow people to "light a fire" and start the healing process.

"Sometimes the hardest bit is actually just sitting down together - not fighting and just listening - and saying, 'I want to redefine this in our relationship'," he added.

Wild Reckoning launches on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on 23 February at 14:00 GMT.