BBC confirms Castaway to be filmed on NZ island

Reports suggest Great Barrier island has been considered for the series. Picture / Glenn Jeffrey

The BBC has confirmed the second series of its reality TV show Castaway is to be filmed in New Zealand.

The BBC said yesterday the location was chosen "to take the castaways even further from their current lives".

No location was disclosed but last month London's Sunday Times reported several of the islands in the Hauraki Gulf were being considered by the series' producers.

It was reported in August that filmmakers had visited Great Barrier Island.

The Sunday Times said filming was planned to start in February.

In 2000, 36 people spent a year on a Scottish island fending for themselves.

BBC One controller Peter Fincham said: "Fans of the previous series will recognise it, but we've got a few twists and surprises up our sleeve."

Castaway volunteers would build their own shelters.

The BBC said the contestants on the second series would "reflect all aspects of British life" and they would use their skills to "develop the infrastructure of the island".

In the original series seven people left during the course of the year.

- NZPA