Fifteen-year-old Daniel Lee Barnett has been called Britain’s youngest cryptozoologist, sniffing out signs of Bigfoot in the woods near his home in Somerset. Daniel has a YouTube channel and a podcast, and he’s mates with A-listers in the Bigfoot community. He’s spoken in front of a crowd of 3,000 enthusiasts. Which is even more impressive given Daniel is autistic, and as a young child had selective mutism; his dad says he would turn and face the wall if people came into the room. Daniel also co-directs this documentary about his adventures looking for the big shy guy.
He first hit the headlines in his local area after finding a large footprint in woods near his home while out walking with his nan Jill. Demonstrating just how persistent he is, Daniel contacted DNA companies; eventually one offered to test his environmental DNA for free. In among the squirrel and dog DNA they found traces of ancient ape.
In the documentary, he heads off to the wilds of the Pacific Northwest for a Bigfoot hunt (an American colleague makes the point that we Brits have nothing properly scary in our woods). First is the matter of getting on the plane. Daniel is terrified of flying and dysregulates on his first attempt.
For me, the real story of the film is the wonderful Barnett family. Daniel’s mum Gemma says that they’ve always embraced Daniel’s passions, and their devotion is a joy to watch. His nan Jill and “gramps” Adrian are key players in the film. As for the hunt for Sasquatch, it has something for everyone. Bigfoot believers will gasp as the gang reports spotting something big and dark with huge luminous eyes crossing the trail. Smug sceptics will pooh-pooh the eyewitness accounts and anecdotal evidence. Everyone’s happy.
• My Bigfoot Life is in UK cinemas from 15 September.
