Unmissable show?
I’ve got to talk about my new series here! For The Island, this time we’ve done a men’s series and a women’s series. And what happened in the women’s one blew my mind. I’ve just been sitting in the edit and that really is unmissable TV. I’m not telling my wife too much about it; I want to sit down and watch it with her. It blows gender stereotypes out of the water. What happens by the end is both humbling and inspiring.
Earliest TV memory?
As a kid I was a huge fan of the US spy series MacGyver. I loved his resourcefulness and ability to use everyday things around him, and grew up aspiring to be him. I would watch it every week with my dad and it was amazing! I watched it recently and it was a bit cheesy and very flawed practically. But who cares when you’re eight?
Mastermind specialist subject?
Natural history. I was always a David Attenborough fan and it’s always been an inspiration in terms of going out into the wilds and getting close to things. We’ve done a whole new ITV series about great British natural history adventures and I’m really proud of it. I love to bring a flavour of adventure to it and use the skills I have to get up close and dirty.
Bring back?
The A-Team. It’s that resourcefulness under pressure thing again. I try and bring a bit of it to all the shows I’ve done because it’s so revealing of character. The A-Team was the ultimate bunch of rascals doing good and I loved that vibe. It kind of reminds me of our TV crew nowadays! We drop into all these remote backwater countries, cause havoc, have a whole host of scrapes and adventures and then get out of there fast!
Pitch us a show
Maybe something along the lines of taking wilderness food and making it delicious. But the truth is, I’m not going to tell you one that’s any good. If they are, we’ve got them in development!
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The Island With Bear Grylls returns in early April on Channel 4
