PRICKLY START

WILD Alaska Live got off to a fine start on BBC One last night, but it nearly did not get under way.

Pesky porcupines have been playing havoc on set, chewing through all of the cables right down to the wire.

A source told us: “When the crew arrived on location and spoke to the rangers, they were asking about the bears and one ranger said, ‘It’s the porcupines you need to worry about’.

“And since then cables, and staging, have been chewed right through to the wires.”

The series continues on Wednesday night when presenter Steve Backshall tries to land on a glacier in a helicopter. So if your screen goes blank during filming, you will know what has happened.