Iceworld Podcast

Out now, ‘Evolving in the cold, with Professor Melody Clark and Dr Simon Morley’ – a tour of the Antarctic sea floor with two long-standing BAS scientists who are working to understand how these creatures have adapted and specialised to their chilly home… and what happens to them if that changes. Iceworld is available on your preferred podcast app.

Welcome to Antarctica. What’s it like living and working in one of the most extreme environments in the world?

Recorded at Rothera Research Station on the Antarctic Peninsula, the team talk extreme living, climate science, expeditions and becoming a community. From polar scientists to plumbers, these are interviews with ordinary people who are doing extraordinary jobs with British Antarctic Survey.

Iceworld is hosted and recorded by Nadia Frontier, and produced in partnership with Boffin Media.

Latest Episode


Who’s watching out for the creatures at the bottom of the Southern Ocean? Geneticist Professor Melody Clark and ecophysiologist Dr Simon Morley talk about their decades of work understanding the animals who have evolved to survive in the world’s coldest waters.

From antifreeze fish to nail-varnish-wearing limpets, and from the gut microbiome of sea cucumbers to anti-microbial resistance, Melody takes us on a whistle stop tour of some of the main characters she’s been studying in Antarctica. Meanwhile, Simon talks about his journey into studying the marine life around the frozen continent – and what the effect of warming will be on these creatures. He talks about the climate, optimism, and what you can do as an individual to make change.

Previous episodes

A person holding a sign posing for the camera S4 E1. Piloting flights from Canada to Antarctica, with Vicky Auld and Olly Smith
A person holding a cell phone S3 E14. The life Antarctic, with marine biologist Nadia Frontier
A man wearing a hat with snow on the ground S3 E13. Ash Shinn is looking after your Antarctic research station
A person that is sitting in the snow S3 E12. Yes, diving in Antarctica is COLD – with Jack Gordon and Mike Lindsell
Graphical user interface, website S3 Ep 11. Fixing Skidoos in Antarctica with Matthew McPherson
A group of people standing in front of a crowd posing for the camera Bonus episode. Happy Midwinter, from King Edward Point Research Station
A group of people standing in front of a sign S3 Ep 10. Engineers of Antarctica, with Jonathan Witherstone & Jaskiran Nagi
A person sitting on the ground Bonus episode. Fossil hunting and managing Antarctic mud, with the Seymour Island expedition team
A group of people on a boat S3 Ep 9. Watching wild weather in Antarctica, with Jo Cole
S3 Ep 8. From Arran to Antarctica with Niall Macleod
A group of people standing on top of a snow covered slope S3 Ep 7. Leading polar expeditions, with Ed Luke and Matthew Shepherd
A penguin in the snow Bonus episode. Leadership and a life on the ice, with Professor Dame Jane Francis
S3 Ep 6.  Chefs of Antarctica, with Sadhbh Moore and Katy Rumm
A man holding a sign S3 Ep5. Ryan Mathews on diving and exploring in Antarctic Winter
A man standing in front of a stove  S3 Ep4. Stu McManus on his journey to Antarctica as an electrician
Text Bonus episode. A polar voyage into the New Year, with Captain Matt Neill and Jo Johnson
Text Bonus episode. It’s Christmas in Antarctica, with Aurelia Reichardt, Matt Hughes & Jo Cole
A woman standing in front of a stove S3 Ep3. Joe Clay on small community living, and keeping the power on in Antarctica
S3 Ep2. Allie Clement on scientific fishing and life as an Marine Assistant in Antarctica
A couple of people that are standing in the snow S3 Ep1. Louis Day on boating in Antarctica and navigating ice
A group of people standing in front of a mountain S2. Ep3. Crossing the Southern Ocean
A group of people standing in front of a microphone S2. Ep2. Voyaging to South Georgia, with whales
A boat parked on the side of a mountain S2 Ep1. How did people get to Antarctica in a pandemic?