PICK OF DIGITAL & ON DEMAND TV

RUNNING WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS: THE CHALLENGE, 9PM, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

BEAR takes the actress Natalie Portman (pictured) into the wilds of Utah for the first in a new run of his outdoor adventure series, which is essentially a chat show — the adventure part serves as a nice bonding exercise with his celebrity guests, and typically puts them in a talkative mood. For her part, Natalie wants to escape the ‘suburban mom’ life, and Bear certainly starts as he means to go on in giving her that by jumping out of a helicopter and landing on the bonnet of her car. He has confidence in Natalie’s abilities for their challenge, judging the Thor: Love And Thunder star to be as ‘strong as a butcher’s dog’, a phrase that confuses but amuses her. Later, after a crash course in mountaineering, he presents her with water filtered through his pants to drink. You don’t get that on the school run, but to be fair, motherhood will prepare you for far worse things.