Tom Crean was the unsung hero of Antarctic exploration whose incredible exploits exploring with Captain Scott and Ernest Shackleton were overlooked for 80 years. Crean, who ran away from home as a teenager, served on three expeditions to the Antarctic, spent longer in the ice than either Scott or Shackleton and outlived both men. He was among the last to see Scott alive near the South Pole in 1912 and returned to the ice to bury his frozen body. Crean was also a major figure on Shackleton's Endurance expedition to the Antarctic exactly 100 years ago. But Tom Crean could never speak about his exploits and took his remarkable story to the grave. Michael Smith, who wrote the definitive account of Crean’s life, explains why.

Michael Smith is an authority on Polar exploration whose books have sold over 300,000 copies worldwide. He has appeared on TV and radio and assisted with the development of film drams and documentaries.