Published by METRO
Tomorrow (7 July), 2.30pm, £19.50,
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh.
Tel: 0131 529 6000. http://www.edtheatres.com
VIDEO: Steve's potentially lethal encounter with a killer centipede (from Deadly 60, BBC)
Unlike many of you, who might actually have kids, I first stumbled upon Steve Backshall while nursing the hangover from hell. Channel-hopping, I eventually stuck on Deadly 60, and, for the next hour, sat as comfortably as a grown man watching some dude talk about animals on children’s television possibly could.
Today I love Steve Backshall, and I don’t care who knows it. With a presenting style that’s equidistant between the great David Attenborough and the late Steve Irwin, this naturalist would make the perfect scout leader – and probably also a fine father, travel companion, or lover.
The guy’s climbed peaks in the Himalayas, for goodness sake. He’s also kayaked 125 miles down the Thames in 24 hours, and run a marathon across the Sahara desert. Oh, and he’s a black belt in judo.
Tomorrow at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre, he’ll be talking about some of his amazing expeditions, epic encounters with wild wonders, and his new fiction novel Tiger Wars.
You could travel the world and still not find anyone with as much insight into its natural mysteries as Steve Backshall – so do come along. I’ll be the one staring, bedazzled, on the front row.
