Airdate: Ruby Wax: Castaway

Two part documentary special Ruby Wax: Castaway screens on SBS on Tuesday.

Aside from the set-up period, most of this doco sees Ruby Wax existing Alone-style on a deserted island for 10 days, including manning camera and sound.

Comedian Ruby Wax has been battling depression for over 25 years. Now, she’s putting her own mind through the ultimate test: she’ll be marooned on an isolated Madagascan Island for ten days, pitting her wits against the uncompromising force of Mother Nature, with only herself and her cameras to talk to. It’ll be tough, solitary and unforgiving but it will also be chance to confront her fears and, she hopes, raise the public discussion about mental health.

Episode One:
Ruby Wax has tackled numerous daunting experiences during her career, but none more demanding than being cast away for 10 days alone on a tropical island, 60 kilometres from mainland Madagascar. Inspired by best-pal Joanna Lumley, Ruby seeks hilarious advice from her on how to escape intact. Ruby must build her own camp, collect food and water, and pit herself against the unforgiving weather. Landing on Ankerea, a totally uninhabited island, Ruby quickly realises that she is out of her depth.

Episode Two:
It’s day three of complete isolation and Ruby is greeted by a torturous tropical storm. As the skies finally clear, she’s able to forage for much needed calories, but when the deadly silence creeps in on her, she makes friends with a hermit crab. He’s going to become her companion for the rest of the adventure. As island life becomes tougher, Ruby reflects on her own personal traumas growing up, and what survival means to her. In Ruby’s final 24 hours on the island, she contemplates the effects solitude has had on her personality, and the true person she is underneath the showbiz mask she wears.

Double episode 8:35pm Tuesday January 30 on SBS.