Discovery axes Bear Grylls' Man vs Wild

Bear Grylls has reportedly been fired from his hit show Man vs Wild. Photo / Steven McNicholl

Bear Grylls' days spent building ramshackle shelters and eating rotting sheep intestines appear to be over.

The Man vs Wild star has reportedly been fired from the popular and long-running show by the Discovery Channel over a contract dispute.

The Hollywood Reporter suggested Grylls, 37, was fired for refusing to star in two unannounced shows he was contracted for.

"Due to a continuing contractual dispute with Bear Grylls, Discovery has terminated all current productions with him," a network spokesperson told the website.

Grylls' spokeswoman Heather Krug confirmed the news, but claimed he was looking forward to working on other projects.

She said: "Bear's goal has always been to make life-empowering shows for his many fans around the globe, and he has taken great risks to bring Discovery such award-winning programming over seven seasons.

"Unfortunately, Bear and Discovery have not been able to come to mutual agreement on new programming, and he disagrees with Discovery's decision to terminate current productions.

"Bear has loved the Man vs Wild journey and looks forward to producing further cutting-edge content again soon for his loyal audience."

Seven seasons of Man vs Wild have aired since 2006, with Grylls pitting his skills in various locations around the world.

Each episode features Grylls taking on dangerous stunts, sleeping in the wild and eating something disgusting - usually some kind of dead animal.

Recently, the former British soldier featured several celebrities on the show, including actor Jake Gyllenhaal and comedian Will Ferrell.

The most recent season featured Grylls in New Zealand, showing off his survival skills in the South Island.

The two-part episode began airing here last Wednesday on the Discovery Channel, and is due to conclude tonight at 8.30pm.

- Herald online with Bang! Showbiz