The original reality series is back – after seven years. The launch episode of Castaway on BBC One, presented by Danny Wallace, reveals who has been cast away and exactly what they’ve been faced with on arriving at their new home. It will hit our screens during the first week of March this year!

The launch episode is the first chance for viewers to get to know the people who have chosen to leave their families, friends, jobs, beds, phones, TVs and even electricity and running water behind in a bid to find out how they fare when life goes back to basics.

The aim of Castaway in 2007 is the same as it was when the original series aired in 2000: it’s a social experiment which takes ordinary people far, far away from their everyday lives and all the mod cons they take for granted. Viewers watch and learn with them as they try to build a new community and discover what really matters to them when the usual hustle and bustle of daily life is stripped away.

The castaways are a real spread of personalities and backgrounds from around the country. They each have their own reason for wanting to undertake this unique experience and it is hoped that they will all achieve some personal goal or discovery along the way.

For the next 12 weeks, they will live together on an island off the coast of New Zealand. Geographically, it’s about as far as it’s possible to get from the UK. They’re going to be in an unusual, testing environment and things are going to be tougher for them this time round. For example, they’ll have no electricity for cooking, and they’ll have to do a lot more basic construction and use their ingenuity to make daily life more comfortable.

After the launch programme, viewers can switch over to BBC Three for Castaway Exposed. Presented by Richard Bacon, it features initial reactions to what’s been happening in the first week on the island and a chance to find out more about the castaways. BBC Three then supports the series throughout the week with Castaway – The Last 24 Hours.

After every BBC Three show, viewers can press their Red button for Danny’s Diary, in which Danny Wallace reveals his own thoughts on what’s been happening. Viewers who visit bbc.co.uk/castaway can also access the latest news before it appears on screen, as well as lots of exclusive content including a weekly video podcast.