Ice Age: A Frozen World

Steve Backshall and Michaela Strachan guide viewers through the Great Thaw, explaining how this climatic event brought the Ice Age to an end. They then illustrate how the thaw reshaped the world as it had previously been understood, marking a profound transformation of the planet’s conditions.

The Great Thaw is a television programme presented as a single episode. It falls within the genre of factual broadcasting and centres on a pivotal moment in Earth’s recent past. The title itself points to the dramatic warming event that marked the close of the last Ice Age. In this episode, natural‑history presenters Steve Backshall and Michaela Strachan guide the viewer through the science behind the Great Thaw. They explain how the rapid rise in temperatures acted as a catalyst that brought the Ice Age to an end, fundamentally altering the conditions that had dominated the planet for thousands of years. Backshall and Strachan go on to reveal the broader consequences of that climatic shift. Their discussion shows how the melting ice reshaped landscapes, opened new habitats and set the stage for the world as people once knew it to transform. The episode highlights the chain reaction that followed the thaw, illustrating the extent of change that unfolded across the globe. By the close of the programme, the presenters have laid out a clear picture of how the Great Thaw not only terminated the Ice Age but also redefined the environment, paving the way for the modern world we recognise today. Their narration ties together the cause and effect of this ancient warming event, underscoring its lasting impact.