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comfortable, as if it is second nature, as comfortable as if it was like being at home, if you are someone who struggles in the rainforest or struggles in the desert, then life would just become incredibly painful.
Is it instinct or years of experience that keeps you on the safe side where wildlife is concerned? For example, your live presentation from the sea in the Bahamas surrounded by sharks…do you have ultimate confidence in that situation? Are you relying on your instincts or do you always need to be aware that everything is unpredictable? That’s a great question Katie and sharks are actually the perfect example of where it is 100 percent down to experience. I dived with my first shark when I was about 11, it was about a foot and a half long and scared the daylights out of me, [laughing] but since then I have maybe done about 1,000 dives with sharks and you get to know situations where you can be totally safe, situations where it’s edgy, you can read the body language and behaviour of individual sharks! There are things that they do, ways that they hold themselves in the water that show that they are just cruising or in predatory mood, you read conditions, time of day, all of those things are critically important to a safe encounter and if you get that right I honestly believe and I’m pretty sure that our actions have shown that you can be in the water alongside not just a great Hammerhead, but a Great White shark in safety!
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I love sharks! If you could pick just one discovery or situation that will live you forever, what would it be? Hard question hey? Ooh! [laughing] That’s a tricky one! But there was one particular climb that I did in Venezuela – I think it was during 2007 – and we were the first people to climb the mountain Upuigma; it was one of the most dramatic mountains I’ve seen and no one else had ever been to the top of it and when we got to the top after five days of climbing up this brutal vertical rock face we found this remarkable lost world environment of dazzling beauty where it seemed that all the animals we encountered were new, different and in all likelihood species that were new to science. I never felt like more of an explorer in my whole life! That was just the start, the beginning and here we are 12 years on still having that same sensation over and over again making this project!
Who or what inspired you to do what you do, what was the trigger? It’s been a bit of a slow burn; I was very lucky that both of my parents were massively into the great outdoors and animals and I grew up in a small holding where we had wildlife and the outdoors right there on the doorstep was something I took for granted. As I got older I decided I wanted to work in a safari park in Africa and I was going to be a guide, then I decided I was going to be writer and then I had an idea for a television programme and I made that! There was never a time when I thought, I’m going to make wildlife television programmes, [laughing] that never occurred to me, it just evolved throughout my life.
I think society is starting to wake up to our need to protect and covet what we have; as someone at the forefront of what is happening in and on our planet, do you think we're taking it seriously enough? That’s a very pressing question, after I finish talking to you I’m heading to London to meet the Secretary of State for Environment and we’re going to give an address on the environment bill, which
has been many, many years in the making and there is an overwhelming desire from a huge percentage of the general public to make the environment a critical concern. It is the basis and the glue that holds everything else together, and that I think has been a long slow burn, you know conservationists and environmentalists have been a certain kind of person up until now and now they are from every single walk of life and every single interest group. They are huge and strong and powerful and particularly seeing some young people taking on the causes for the environment is to me one of the most exciting and positive things I’ve seen in my whole life.
Do you think there is a need for TV shows like yours to become part of the curriculum? Like History and Geography, there are kids out there whose parents might not switch on your show, but this opens up minds and awareness and is inspiring? It’s a lovely thought. Certainly, I see that young people are studying more about the environment, they have projects that involve conservation far more than when I was a kid! We receive letters every single day from schools who are doing projects, many of which are based as you say on my programmes, which is amazing news. Should there be a compulsory conservation module, hell yes – I mean that would be amazing if that were to happen, but I am seeing evidence with my own eyes that there is an increased awareness now and whilst it might not be right at the heart of the curriculum, it certainly appears to be very much a part of school life.
Has being a father tamed you a little, not sedated your appetite, because I doubt anything could, but changed maybe the risks you take? Yes, it definitely has, there’s absolutely no question it changes everything becoming a dad! All of sudden an awful lot of my life has become one massive cliché! I do find myself looking at the world through his eyes and looking at the world ever more in terms of legacy and a planet that I want to be passing on for my young son and yes it’s made a massive difference in terms of my own behaviour. There’s a been a lot of talk about doing a second series of Expedition and I have to admit I’m very nervous about that and putting myself into these same situations again, because we had some really, really close calls on this series and I’m not sure I want to be taking those chances anymore. Let’s see, it’s only a very short period of time since we finished the last expeditions and it’s all a little bit raw – let’s see. I’m not going to write it off completely, but there’s no doubt I’m going to be cautious in the future!
From my personal point of view, I am in awe of what you do – please, please continue to do it! Katie, it’s been an absolute pleasure speaking with you.
Expedition: Adventures into Undiscovered Worlds, the book is also available to buy now.
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CE L EBRIT Y INTERVI EW S T E VE BACK SHAL L
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