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It is the show that has stirred up controversy before it's even hit our screens, with Bear Grylls accused of sexism for The Island of Lost Blokes.

But the TV explorer has defended the survival programme, which will drop 12 men on a desert island to see how they survive for a month - and has even said he'd consider a female version.

The former SAS reservist said he would love to conduct a study what it means to be a modern woman and claimed this latest show had to be an all-male cast because it was a study specifically into modern masculinity.

 

Bear Grylls talks survival and his new show The Island

He told MailOnline Travel: 'This show was very much a study of modern masculinity so it was obviously going to be an all-male cast, it would have been crazy to have it any other way but it's nothing to do with who is the stronger sex, men or women.'

The show will see 12 hardy souls trying to survive on a desert island in the Pacific using just their instincts and ingenuity. They will be given cameras to film themselves and have no further interaction with Bear and the team, who will be watching the footage form elsewhere.

So as the hapless team got underway and struggled with even the most basic tasks, didn't that frustrate the experienced adventurer?

Adventurer: In his new show Bear Grylls drops 12 men off on a desert island and watches as they try to fend for themselves

'There were quite a few times when it was frustrating watching the footage, ' he admits.

'Because they would go to all this effort for example to try and get an ember to light a fire but I could see they had no tinder, so they would get an ember and had nothing to put it in so I was almost shouting at the footage.'

But he claims his predominant feeling was one of respect and pride for the men who took themselves out of their comfort zone to try and battle the elements.

'There are very few people in modern Briton who go through that sort of hunger, that intense missing f home, missing of food, basic things like water and not having a blanket over them at night,' Bear explains.

Daredevils: The 12 modern men who volunteered to see if they could survive in the wild

But he believes survival skills are still extremely important and could soon become a lost art in Britain.

'For thousands of years man has known how to survive and we've developed incredible skills all of these sort of skills its a tragedy if in a generation we lose them all and all you can do is this on your Blackberry.'

The television programme, which starts on Channel 4 on Monday May 5 at 9pm, was initially criticised for its focus on men and survival, instead of also testing women's skills.

Ruth England, who has made back-to-nature shows on the Discovery Channel – including presenting the series Man, Woman Wild – called the concept is 'laughable'.

Into the wild: Bear Grylls' new TV show, The Island Of Lost Blokes, ran into a sexism storm prior to launch

'The basic tenets of survival are the same, regardless of your genitals – and women cope very well,' she told The Independent.

'I'm disappointed in Channel 4's decision, but not wholly surprised.

'The sheer amount of different types of terrain that I have survived in means I have more primitive survival experience than most soldiers.

Yet I still get internet trolls telling me to get back in the kitchen.'

Her comments were echoed by explorer Sarah Outen, who took to Twitter to express her frustration at The Island Of Lost Blokes.

Ruth England (left), and Sara Outen - who became the first woman to row solo across the Indian Ocean in 2009

'Surprise, surprise,' she tweeted. 'An adventure show of blokes and beards.'

'Yawn, yawn, yawn. Where are the women?'

But the women could soon have their way if Bear follows through on his idea about a show focusing on modern femininity.

The broadcaster was also quick to defend The Island, saying that it focuses specifically on the modern man's ability to cope with difficult conditions - and assesses whether he is more or less capable of dealing with adversity than his ancestors.

'The series sets out to examine modern masculinity and how traditional skills and ideas of manhood have changed over generations,' a spokesman for Channel 4 said.