Somewhat obviously named, An Evening with Ray Mears is time spent understanding the passions and adventures of one of our country’s most likeable celebrities.
Ray Mears, bushcraft and survival expert, has been on our televisions for almost 20 years teaching us how to stay alive in the wild. Mears has taught us everything from sourcing food from natural surroundings to fashioning tools and equipment the way native tribes have done for centuries. More importantly, Mears tries to teach the magnitude of reducing the footprint we leave on the natural world.
One of the first things to notice is his kind and gentle manner and the enthusiasm he has for nature and all its inhabitants as he narrates photos of his experiences and tells anecdotes that most could only dream of having. His genuine excitement for what he is describing is so clear throughout his show and it seems he does not have a negative thing to say about any part of nature, except perhaps for the crocodile, and this joy becomes infectious to all within the audience.
The first half of the show was spent delving into the intricate relationship between everything within nature and how the smallest changes can produce such dramatic results. To illustrate this point perfectly, Mears took the audience on a trip through the Boreal Forest, one of the most untouched areas on the planet. He then went on to talk about his two favourite, but often misunderstood, animals, the bear and the wolf, and fascinates you with tails of his encounters with these intelligent beings. Mears can appear to become a little preachy at points when talking about conservationism and the drastic effect humans have on our own landscape and the animals we share them with, but perhaps this sensation is brought on by guilt rather than disinterest for his concerns.
An Evening with Ray Mears is a perfect night out for anyone interested in the outdoors and secrets of nature, but it is his sense of humour and charming anecdotes that make his show complete.
Freddie Gray
Photo: Property of itv.com