BBC Four in the UK will be broadcasting a 60-minute documentary tonight (Tuesday 12 June) at 9pm covering round-the-world sailor Ellen MacArthur’s visit to South Georgia as research assistant to marine biologist, Sally Poncet, highlighting the desperate plight of the albatross.

The documentary features footage from Ellen’s two-month visit to South Georgia in December 2005. It is a cause close to her heart as the birds were frequent companions on her solo circumnavigations.

But despite inhabiting the most remote parts of the world’s oceans, their numbers are massively in decline at the rate of over 100,000 albatrosses each year, mainly due to long-line fishing. Nineteen of the 21 species of albatross are now endangered, many critically.

Ellen accompanied marine biologist, Sally Poncet, on her annual birdlife survey on South Georgia to see the impact of this for herself.

Ellen said: “My hope for this programme is to make people aware of what is happening to the albatross and to try to capture the magic of the Southern Ocean, specifically the island of South Georgia. The more we understand the issues, the better we can find the solutions.”

BBC Four is a BBC television channel available to digital television via Freeview, satellite and cable viewers in the UK.