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WEBSITE: http://beargrylls.com/
CITY: London
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COUNTRY: United Kingdom
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LAST VOLUME: SATA 285
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PERSONAL
Born July 7, 1974, in London, England; son of Michael (a former Member of Parliament) and Sally Grylls; married Shara Cannings Knight (a teacher), January 15, 2000; children: Jesse, Marmaduke, Huckleberry.
EDUCATION:Attended Eton College, University of the West of England, and University College London.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, expedition leader, and television host. Television work includes host of Escape to the Legion, 2005, Born Survivor: Survival Techniques from the Most Dangerous Places on Earth (also known as Man vs. Wild), 2006-11, Worst-Case Scenario, 2010, and Get out Alive with Bear Grylls, 2013; has also appeared in television series, including The Island with Bear Grylls, Bear Grylls: Mission Survive, Running Wild with Bear Grylls, You vs. Wild, and Bear’s Mission with…; motivational speaker; public speaker; founder, Bear Grylls Epic Training and Bear Grylls Survival Academy, both 2015. Leader of expeditions to benefit children’s charities; volunteer with Global Rescue; Scout Association, chief scout; World Organization of the Scout Movement, chief ambassador; UNITED24 platform, ambassador.
MIILITARY:Served with 21 Special Air Service (SAS), British Special Forces, 1993-98.
AVOCATIONS:Climbing, boating, yoga, playing guitar and piano.
AWARDS:Appointed Chief Scout, British Scouts, 2009; honorary commissions in British Royal Navy and Royal Marines Commandos; two BAFTA Awards, for The Island with Bear Grylls; Emmy Award, for You vs. Wild; Order of the British Empire.
RELIGION: Christian.WRITINGS
Contributor of articles to periodicals, including GQ, Hello, and London Daily Express, Daily Mail, Independent, Observer, and Telegraph.
Facing Up: A Remarkable Journey to the Summit of Mount Everest was adapted for audiobook, 2001.
SIDELIGHTS
While he is best known in North America as the host of the popular television series Man vs. Wild, Bear Grylls is also an adventurer, educator, motivational speaker, and writer. (open new1)Leader of the first team ever to jet-ski around the entire United Kingdom, Grylls has also starred in other television series, such as Born Survivor: Survival Techniques from the Most Dangerous Places on Earth, Get out Alive with Bear Grylls, The Island with Bear Grylls, Bear Grylls: Mission Survive, Running Wild with Bear Grylls, and Bear’s Mission with…; founded a survival course; and lectures to corporations around the world regarding how experiences such as his hold lessons for those in the business world. He has served as chief scout of the Scout Association, as well as the chief ambassador of the World Organization of the Scout Movement and ambassador for the UNITED24 platform.(close new1)
1n 1996, while serving in the British Army’s Special Air Service, Grylls suffered a broken back during a parachute landing. Throughout the months of recovery that followed, he remained optimistic by making plans to accomplish his childhood dream: climb the tallest mountain in the world. Two years later, on May 26, 1998, at 7:22 a.m., the twenty-three-year-old Grylls became the youngest British climber to scale Mount Everest. To do so he spent ninety-seven days on the mountain and climbed up to eighteen hours a day in temperatures as high as ninety and as low as negative fifty-five degrees Fahrenheit.
In The Kid Who Climbed Everest: The Incredible Story of a Twenty-Three Year-Old’s Summit of Mt. Everest Grylls shares his story of summiting Mount Everest, a fight against nature and his own physical and mental limits. He chronicles the long trek up the mountain; the danger involved; the altitude changes that result in oxygen limitations; headaches and lethargy; the emotions he experienced during the climb; and more. Linda Zeilstra, reviewing The Kid Who Climbed Everest for Booklist, wrote that “this nail-biting adventure story is inspiring and compelling.” In Library Journal Tim Delaney asserted that Grylls’s story “of personal triumph … should serve as an inspiration to all who read it.”
Premiering on the U.K.’s Channel 4 in 2006 as Born Survivor, Man vs. Wild ran for six seasons on the Discovery Channel and here Grylls provided viewers with the skills they need to survive under extreme conditions. In each episode he is dropped off in an isolated area—an island, for example—and exercises the skills required to sustain himself in the local environment. Along the way, viewers learn how to build fires under difficult conditions, identify local dangers, find fresh drinking water, construct a raft, locate food, and navigate challenging terrain. Phenomenally popular around the world, Man vs. Wild boasted over a million viewers during its fifth season.
In Mud, Sweat, and Tears: The Autobiography Grylls focuses on his life before he achieved fame as a television figure and adventurer. The son of a British politician, he grew up on the Isle of Wight and attended prestigious Eton College before enrolling at University College London. Other intriguing members of his family include an influential grandfather who fought in World War I. Grylls also chronicles his time in the SAS, an elite special-forces division of the British Armed Forces, and shares the brutal training regimen recruits undergo before ending his book with his ascent of Mount Everest. Reviewing Mud, Sweat, and Tears in Kirkus Reviews, a critic wrote that “Grylls’ breezy account flows with the verve and uncomplicated language of an engaging novel and forms a satisfying life story brimming with excitement and adventuresome risk-taking.”
As his career has progressed, Grylls has embraced his status as a role model for younger generations, earning the role of Chief Scout from the United Kingdom’s Scouts organization in 2009. Of special significance is the fact that, at age thirty-five, he was the youngest Chief Scout yet appointed, and only the tenth to serve since Scouting founder Lord Robert Baden-Powell was so-named in 1920. He also shares his knowledge in practical guides such as Living Wild: The Ultimate Guide to Scouting and Fieldcraft and his philosophy in both To My Sons: Lessons for the Wild Adventure Called Life and True Grit: The Epic True Stories of Survival and Heroism That Have Shaped My Life.
Grylls has also written stories for children in his “Mission: Survival” series, which follow a globe-trotting teen named Beck Granger. In Way of the Wolf Beck is making a trek across a snowy mountain, where subzero temperatures and a hungry wolf threaten, while Sands of the Scorpion finds him parachuting from a smugglers’ plane, only to wind up in the middle of the Sahara Desert. Imparting more survival tips for young armchair adventurers, Tracks of the Tiger finds the intrepid Beck Granger joining friend Peter on a trip to Indonesia, where a trek into the jungle leaves them vulnerable when a local volcano erupts.
“In truth, after the Everest Expedition, I am more nervous of the big climbs,” Grylls once explained in discussing his evolving career. “I love to climb and love the mountains, but am married to my love Shara [and have a family now] and I don’t want to not come home. Television, speaking, my books, and different expeditions are a way of bringing the truth that dreams and hope give us life, to many more people—many much braver than myself.”
(open new2)With Spirit of the Jungle, Grylls offers the informative story of a young Indo-British boy named Mak. In the same vein as Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, the story finds Mak stranded in the Indian jungle. Mak must do what is necessary to survive, including eating raw meat. He also points out instances of deforestation and poaching and the dangers those cause to the natural environment. Writing in School Librarian, Stephen King observed that “the text is fast-paced, with short punchy chapters interspersed with quirky illustrations.”
In Bear Grylls Survival Camp: The Ultimate All-Terrain Training Manual, offers sound advice on how to survive nearly any situation that can be found in nature. His advice spans different biomes and , while serious in nature, maintains a playful tone. He discusses everything from tying knots and rolling a kayak to surviving attacks from polar bears and elephants. A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that the author offers “fact-based scenarios, empowering readers with the tools and basic knowledge they need to be explorers themselves.”
Grylls shares his personal experiences as a professional adventurer in the memoir, Never Give Up: My Life in the Wild. In the text, he considers some of the most memorable moments of his life out in nature. He discusses having former U.S. President Barack Obama on his show and the logistics of managing so many secret service agents as a result. He also recalls the many questions from viewers about whether or not he drank his own urine to survive. A Publishers Weekly contributor suggested that “fans won’t want to miss this.”
Do Your Best is a compact handbook for camping and surviving outdoors. It mixes both positive encouragement to help readers gain confidence in tackling the challenge, as well as practical advice to actually do so. Tips include making fire, erecting a tent, and foraging for food. The book also encourages the value of good role models and the courage to step out of one’s comfort zone. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews remarked that the book presents “hefty helpings of useful bits and motivational advice for enjoying the great outdoors.”(close new2)
BIOCRIT
BOOKS
Grylls, Bear, Facing Up: A Remarkable Journey to the Summit of Mount Everest, Macmillan (London, England), 2000, published as The Kid Who Climbed Everest: The Incredible Story of a Twenty-Three Year Old’s Summit of Mt. Everest, Lyons Press (New York, NY), 2001.
Grylls, Bear, Mud, Sweat, and Tears: The Autobiography, William Morrow (New York, NY), 2012.
PERIODICALS
Backpacker, October 1, 2012, Anthony Cerretani, interview with Grylls.
Booklist, April 15, 2001, Linda Zeilstra, review of The Kid Who Climbed Everest: The Incredible Story of a Twenty-Three Year Old’s Summit of Mt. Everest, p. 1525; April 15, 2012, David Pitt, review of Mud, Sweat, and Tears: The Autobiography, p. 13.
Books, March 22, 2000, Roger Tagholm, “The Height of Human Endeavour,” p. 14.
Geographical, May 1, 2000, “Grin and Bear It,” p. 114; June, 2004, Jessi Tucker, review of Facing the Frozen Ocean, p. 92.
Guardian (London, England), May 4, 2010, John Crace, review of Born Survivor: Survival Techniques from the Most Dangerous Places on Earth.
Independent (London, England), November 5, 2001, Ian Stewart, “Spoken Word Reviews;” November 24, 2023, Maanya Sachdeva, “Bear Grylls on Mental Health and Masculinity.”
Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2001, review of The Kid Who Climbed Everest, p. 381; April 15, 2012, review of Mud, Sweat, and Tears; March 1, 2024, review of Do Your Best.
Library Journal, April 1, 2001, Tim Delaney, review of The Kid Who Climbed Everest, p. 106.
Publishers Weekly, April 9, 2001, review of The Kid Who Climbed Everest, p. 61; April 23, 2012, review of Mud, Sweat, and Tears, p. 43; July 30, 2018, review of Bear Grylls Survival Camp: The Ultimate All-terrain Training Manual, p. 91; December 20, 2021, review of Never Give Up: My Life in the Wild, p. 85.
School Librarian, September 22, 2009, David Churchill, review of Sands of the Scorpion, p. 162; March 22, 2017, Stephen King, review of Spirit of the Jungle, p. 38.
Telegraph (London, England), November 5, 2001, Judith Woods, “We Were Bumbling Amateurs.”
Washington Post Book World, March 10, 2022, Dave Jorgenson, author interview.
ONLINE
Bear Grylls website, http://www.beargrylls.com (July 24, 2024).
London Speaker Bureau website, http://www.londonspeakerbureau.co.uk/ (December 27, 2012), “Leadership and Motivational Speakers: Bear Grylls.”
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RealBearGrylls/
Twitter: @BearGrylls
Instagram: @BearGrylls
Bear Grylls has become known around the world as one of the most recognized faces of survival and outdoor adventure. His journey to this acclaim started in the UK, where his late father taught him to climb and sail.
Trained from a young age in martial arts, Bear went on to spend three years as a soldier in the British Special Forces, serving with 21 SAS. It was here that he perfected many of the skills that his fans all over the world enjoy watching him pit against mother-nature.
His TV show Man Vs Wild and Born Survivor became one of the most watched programmes on the planet with an estimated audience of 1.2 billion. Emmy nominated, the show ran for seven high octane seasons.
He then progressed to US Network TV, hosting the hit adventure show 'Running Wild' on NBC, where he takes some of the world's best known movie stars on incredible adventures including President Barrack Obama who asked to appear on the show for a worldwide Running Wild Special.
Bear produces and hosts the BAFTA winning 'The Island with Bear Grylls' on Channel 4, which has sold as a format all around the world.
Bear also owns and hosts ITV's 'Mission Survive with Bear Grylls', for ITV, Bear Grylls Survival School for CITV, and a hit prime time Chinese adventure show called Survivor Games for Dragon TV.
Bear is currently the youngest ever Chief Scout to the UK Scout Association and is an honorary Colonel to the Royal Marine Commandos.
He has authored 22 books, including the international number one Bestselling autobiography: Mud, Sweat & Tears. Among these are his hugely popular titles Survival Guide for Life & True Grit, a bestselling novel Ghost Flight and his Mission Survival fiction books which have sold over 4 million copies in China alone.
This year Bear announced his first ever UK arena tour, a thrilling live action adventure show which will take the audience on an incredible immersive expedition across the globe using groundbreaking video mapping technology.
“COURAGE, KINDNESS AND NEVER GIVE UP”
BIOGRAPHY
BEAR GRYLLS OBE, has become known worldwide as one of the most recognized faces of survival and outdoor adventure.
Trained from a young age in martial arts, Grylls went on to spend three years as a soldier in the British Special Forces, as part of 21 SAS Regiment. It was here that he perfected many of the survival skills that his fans all over the world enjoy, as he pits himself against the worst of Mother Nature.
Despite a free-fall parachuting accident in Africa, where he broke his back in three places and endured many months in and out of military rehabilitation, Grylls recovered and went on to become one of the youngest climbers ever to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
He then went on to star in seven seasons of the Discovery Channel’s Emmy Award-nominated Man vs. Wild TV series, which became one of the most-watched shows on the planet, reaching an estimated 1.2 billion viewers.
Since then he has gone on to host more extreme adventure TV shows across more global networks than anyone else in the world, including six seasons of the global hit TV show Running Wild with Bear Grylls.
Running Wild has featured Bear taking some of the world’s best-known stars on incredible adventures. These include President Obama, Julia Roberts, Roger Federer, Will Ferrell, Channing Tatum, and Kate Winslet, to name but a few.
Bear also hosts the Emmy Award-winning interactive Netflix show You Vs Wild, which was one of Netflix’s most watched shows in 2020. Netflix & Bear then forged new ground by make two interactive movie versions of You Vs Wild including the second most watched film on Netflix US, titled: Animals On The Loose.
You Vs Wild spectacularly won him two EMMY’s for best show and best host. Bear has also won two BAFTAS for his hit Channel 4 show The Island with Bear Grylls.
Bear filmed an iconic adventure with Prime Minister Modi of India, which achieved a landmark record as the ‘world’s most trending televised event, with a staggering 3.6 BILLION impressions’. This was the start of many episodes with Indian superstars that have broken records and won awards in Asia for their originality. This includes his Netflix India movie Ranveer Vs Wild where Bear guides the Indian star Ranveer Singh on an epic journey across the mountains. This was the second most trending movie in all of India.
His autobiography, Mud Sweat and Tears, spent 15 weeks at Number 1 in the Sunday Times bestseller list and he has written over 90 books, selling in excess of 20 million copies worldwide.
Mud, Sweat, and Tears was named one of the best autobiographies for children and teenagers to read by The Guardian, and 2012, the book was voted “the most influential book in China.”
He is an Honorary Colonel to the Royal Marines Commandos, the youngest ever UK Chief Scout, and the first ever Chief Ambassador to the World Scout Organization, representing a global family of some fifty seven million Scouts.
He is married to Shara, and together they have three sons: Jesse, Marmaduke and Huckleberry. They live on a private island off the Welsh coast.
Bear’s life motto is simple: courage, kindness . . . and never give up!
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the British adventurer. For the American musician, see Bear Grillz.
Bear Grylls
OBE
Grylls at a meeting with Coventry Scouts groups in 2012
Born Edward Michael Grylls
7 June 1974 (age 49)
Donaghadee, Northern Ireland
Education Eton College
Alma mater
University of the West of England, Bristol
Birkbeck College
Occupations
AdventurerAuthorTelevision presenterMotivational speaker
Spouse Shara Cannings Knight
(m. 2000)
Children 3
Parent
Sir Michael Grylls (father)
Military career
Allegiance United Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service 1994–1997
Rank Trooper
Unit 21 SAS
Website beargrylls.com
Edward Michael "Bear" Grylls OBE (/ˈɡrɪlz/; born 7 June 1974) is a British former SAS trooper who is a survival expert, adventurer, and television presenter. He first drew attention after embarking on a number of notable adventures, including several world records in hostile environments, and then became widely known for his television series Man vs. Wild (2006–2011). He is also involved in a number of wilderness survival television series in the UK and US, such as Running Wild with Bear Grylls and The Island with Bear Grylls. In July 2009, Grylls was appointed as The Scout Association’s youngest-ever Chief Scout of the United Kingdom and Overseas Territories at age 35,[1][2] a post he has held for a second term since 2015 and in 2024 became the 2nd longest serving Chief Scout after Robert Baden-Powell.[3]
Personal life
Grylls was born in Donaghadee, Northern Ireland on 7 June 1974.[4][5] His family has a strong cricketing background, his grandfather Neville Ford and great-great-grandfather William Augustus Ford having both been first-class cricketers. He is the son of Conservative politician Sir Michael Grylls and his wife Sarah "Sally" (née Ford). Her mother Patrica Smiles, Patricia Ford, Lady Fisher, was briefly an MP, succeeding her father; later she married an MP.[6] Grylls has one sibling, an elder sister, Lara Fawcett, who gave him the nickname 'Bear' when he was a week old.[7]
He lived in Donaghadee until the age of four, when his family moved to Bembridge on the Isle of Wight.[8][9] From an early age, he learned to climb and sail with his father, who was a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron. As a teenager, he learned to skydive and earned a second dan black belt in Shotokan karate.[10] He speaks English, Spanish, and French.[11] He is an Anglican,[12] and has described his Christian faith as the "backbone" in his life:[13] "You can't keep God out. He's all around us, if we're just still enough to listen."[14]
Grylls married Shara Cannings Knight in 2000.[15] They have three sons, born in 2003, 2006 and 2009.[16][17]
In August 2015, Grylls left his 11-year-old son on Saint Tudwal's Island off the North Wales coast, as the tide approached, leaving him to be rescued by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) as part of their weekly practice missions. The child was unharmed, though the RNLI later criticised Grylls for the stunt, saying its crew "had not appreciated" that a child would be involved.[18]
Grylls used to be a vegan but now consumes a diet predominant in animal-based foods, fruits and honey.[19] In 2024 he commented to the Irish Times that he was proud to be an Irish citizen.[20]
Education
Grylls was educated at Eaton House, Ludgrove School and Eton College, where he helped start its first mountaineering club.[21] He studied Spanish and German at the University of the West of England, Bristol[22] and at Birkbeck College,[23] where he graduated with a 2:2 bachelor's degree, obtained part-time, in Hispanic studies in 2002.[24][25]
Military service
After leaving school, Grylls hiked in the Himalayan mountains of Sikkim and West Bengal.[26] From 1994–1997, he served in the Territorial Army with 21 SAS as a trooper. His time in the SAS ended as the result of a free fall parachuting accident in Kenya in 1996;[27][28] his parachute failed to open, causing him to break three vertebrae. At 16,000 feet, his fall is one of the highest ever to be survived without a functional parachute. [28]
In 2004, Grylls was awarded the honorary rank of lieutenant commander in the Royal Naval Reserve.[29] Then in 2013 he was awarded the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel in the Royal Marines Reserve,[30] and promoted to Honorary Colonel in June 2021.[31]
Expeditions
Grylls in 2014
Everest
On 16 May 1998, Grylls achieved his childhood dream of climbing to the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal, 18 months after breaking three vertebrae in a parachuting accident.[32] At 23, he was at the time among the youngest people to have achieved this feat. There is some dispute over whether he was the youngest Briton to have done so, as he was preceded by James Allen, a climber holding dual Australian and British citizenship, who reached the summit in 1995 at age 22.[33] The record has since been surpassed by Jake Meyer and then Rob Gauntlett who summitted at age 19. To prepare for climbing at such high altitudes in the Himalayas, in 1997, Grylls became the youngest Briton to climb Ama Dablam, a peak once described by Sir Edmund Hillary as "unclimbable", although now the third most popular in the Himalayas for permitted expeditions.[34]
Circumnavigation of the UK
In 2000, Grylls led the team to circumnavigate the British Isles on jet skis,[29] taking about 30 days, to raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). He also rowed naked in a homemade bathtub along the Thames to raise funds for a friend who lost his legs in a climbing accident.[32]
Crossing the North Atlantic
In 2003, he led a team of five, including his childhood friend, SAS colleague, and Mount Everest climbing partner Mick Crosthwaite, on an unassisted crossing of the north Atlantic Ocean, in an open rigid inflatable boat. Grylls and his team traveled in an eleven-metre-long boat and encountered force 8 gale winds with waves breaking over the boat while passing through icebergs in their journey from Halifax, Nova Scotia to John o' Groats, Scotland.[35]
Dinner party at altitude
In 2005, alongside the balloonist and mountaineer David Hempleman-Adams and Lieutenant Commander Alan Veal, leader of the Royal Navy Freefall Parachute Display Team, Grylls created a world record for the highest open-air formal dinner party, which they did under a hot-air balloon at 7,600 metres (25,000 ft), dressed in full mess dress and oxygen masks.[36] To train for the event, he made over 200 parachute jumps.[37] This event was in aid of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award and The Prince's Trust.[38]
Paramotoring over the Himalayas
In 2007, Grylls embarked on a record-setting Parajet paramotor in Himalayas near Mount Everest. He took off from 4,400 metres (14,500 ft), 8 miles (13 km) south of the mountain. Grylls reported looking down on the summit during his ascent and coping with temperatures of −60 °C (−76 °F). He endured dangerously low oxygen levels and eventually reached 9,000 metres (29,500 ft), almost 3,000 metres (10,000 ft) higher than the previous record of 6,102 metres (20,019 ft). The feat was filmed for Discovery Channel worldwide as well as Channel 4 in the UK.[39] While Grylls initially planned to cross over Everest itself, the permit was only to fly to the south of Everest, and he did not traverse Everest out of risk of violating Chinese airspace.[40]
Journey Antarctica 2008
In 2008, Grylls led a team of four to climb one of the most remote unclimbed peaks in the world in Antarctica, to raise funds for children's charity Global Angels and promote the use of alternative energies. During this mission the team also aimed to explore the coast of Antarctica by inflatable boat and jetski, part powered by bioethanol, and then to travel across some of the vast ice desert by wind-powered kite-ski and electric powered paramotor. However, the expedition was cut short after Grylls suffered a broken shoulder while kite skiing across a stretch of ice. Travelling at speeds up to 50 km/h (30 mph), a ski caught on the ice, launching him in the air and breaking his shoulder when he came down. He had to be medically evacuated.[41]
Longest indoor freefall
Grylls, along with the double amputee Al Hodgson and the Scotsman Freddy MacDonald, set a Guinness world record in 2008 for the longest continuous indoor freefall. The previous record was 1 hour 36 minutes by a US team. Grylls, Hodgson, and MacDonald, using a vertical wind tunnel in Milton Keynes, broke the record by a few seconds. The attempt was in support of the charity Global Angels.[42][43][44]
Northwest Passage expedition
In September 2010, Grylls led a team of five to take an ice-breaking rigid-inflatable boat (RIB) through 5,700 nautical miles (10,600 km) of the ice-strewn Northwest Passage. The expedition intended to raise awareness of the effects of global warming and to raise money for children's charity Global Angels.[45][46]
Career
Books
Grylls' first book, Facing Up (UK)/The Kid Who Climbed Everest (US), described his expedition and achievements climbing to the summit of Mount Everest. His second was Facing the Frozen Ocean. His third book Born Survivor: Bear Grylls was written to accompany the TV series of the same name. He also wrote an extreme guide to outdoor pursuits, titled Bear Grylls Outdoor Adventures.[47]
In 2011, Grylls released his autobiography, Mud, Sweat and Tears: The Autobiography,[48] followed by A Survival Guide for Life in late 2012 and True Grit in 2013.[49]
Grylls also wrote the Mission Survival series of children's adventure survival books titled: Mission Survival: Gold of the Gods, Mission Survival: Way of the Wolf, Mission Survival: Sands of the Scorpion, Mission Survival: Tracks of the Tiger and Mission Survival: Claws of the Crocodile. He has written two thriller novels based around his character Will Jaeger; Ghost Flight released in 2015[50] and Burning Angels in 2016.[51]
In 2019, Grylls published a Christian devotional titled Soul Fuel.[52]
In October 2021, Grylls released his second autobiography, Never Give Up; covering some of his most memorable events and adventures.[53]
In 2022, Grylls published Mind Fuel: Simple Ways to Build Mental Resilience Every Day.[54] Grylls told The Christian Post that it "offers honest and practical ways to practice better mental health... a crucial part of living a healthy, God-glorying life."[55]
In April 2023, Grylls released You Vs the World: The Bear Grylls Guide to Never Giving Up; a motivational book aimed at children.[56]
In September 2023, How to be a Scout, was released by Grylls.[57]
Television
Bear Grylls during a TV filming
Grylls was used by the UK Ministry of Defence to head the Army's anti-drugs TV campaign, and featured in the first ever major advertising campaign for Harrods. Grylls has been a guest on numerous talk shows including Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Attack of the Show!, Late Show with David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Harry Hill's TV Burp. Grylls recorded two advertisements for Post's Trail Mix Crunch Cereal, which aired in the US from January 2009. He also appeared as a "distinguished instructor" in Dos Equis' Most Interesting Academy in a webisode named "Survival in the Modern Era". He appeared in a five-part web series that demonstrates urban survival techniques and features Grylls going from bush to bash. He also has marketed the Alpha Course, a course on the basics of the Christian faith. In 2013, Grylls appeared in an airline safety video for Air New Zealand entitled Bear Essentials of Safety, filmed against the backdrop of the Routeburn Track on the southern tip of New Zealand's South Island.[58] In 2014, Grylls appeared on Piers Morgan's Life Stories.
Escape to the Legion
Grylls filmed a four-part TV show in 2005, called Escape to the Legion, which followed Grylls and eleven other "recruits" as they took part in a shortened re-creation of the French Foreign Legion's basic desert training in the Sahara. The show was first broadcast in the UK on Channel 4,[59] and in the US on the Military Channel.[60]
Born Survivor/Man vs. Wild
Grylls in front of an Alaska Air National Guard, 210th Rescue Squadron HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter before heading out to Spencer Glacier to film Man vs. Wild
Main article: Man vs. Wild
Grylls hosts a series titled Born Survivor: Bear Grylls for the British Channel 4 and broadcast as Man vs. Wild in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, and the United States, and as Ultimate Survival on the Discovery Channel in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The series features Grylls dropped into inhospitable places, showing viewers how to survive. Man vs. Wild debuted in 2006, and its success led it to lasting seven seasons over five years.
The show has featured stunts including Grylls climbing cliffs, parachuting from helicopters, balloons, and planes, paragliding, ice climbing, running through a forest fire, wading rapids, eating snakes, wrapping his urine-soaked T-shirt around his head to help stave off the desert heat, drinking urine saved in a rattlesnake skin, drinking fecal liquid from elephant dung, eating deer droppings, wrestling alligators, field dressing a camel carcass and drinking water from it, eating various "creepy crawlies" [insects], using the corpse of a sheep as a sleeping bag and flotation device, free climbing waterfalls and using a bird guano/water enema for hydration.[61][62]
The show caused controversy after a programme consultant revealed that Grylls actually stayed in a hotel on some nights — including an episode in Hawaii in which Grylls was ostensibly stranded on a deserted island — and that certain scenes were staged for him.[63] Grylls subsequently told viewers, "If people felt misled … I'm really sorry for that."[63]
In March 2012, the Discovery Channel dropped Grylls from its lineup because of a contractual dispute,[64][65] although he has subsequently worked with them again.
In August 2019, Bear Grylls appeared with Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi in a special episode shot in the India's Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand. The episode was showcased in more than 180 countries across the world on the Discovery, Inc. network.[66]
Worst-Case Scenario
Main article: Worst-Case Scenario (TV series)
In 2010, Grylls came out with a new project titled Worst-Case Scenario which aired on Discovery in the US. It is based on the popular books of the same name.[67] Twelve episodes were produced before the show was cancelled.[68]
Bear's Wild Weekend
In 2011, he made two specials under the title Bear's Wild Weekend for Channel 4 in the UK which was broadcast over the Christmas holiday that year. Each special featured Grylls taking either Jonathan Ross or Miranda Hart on short two-day adventures; Ross to rainforest in the Canary Islands, Hart to the Swiss Alps.[69] These screened in the US under the title Bear Grylls' Wild Adventure. A third episode with Stephen Fry, this time in the Dolomite mountains of South Tyrol, screened in late 2013.[70]
In 2014, two further episodes were aired in the UK under the title Wild Weekends. The first of these was the 2011 special of Man vs. Wild featuring Jake Gyllenhaal,[71] and the second was the Running Wild episode featuring Ben Stiller.[72]
Get Out Alive
Main article: Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls
Grylls hosted Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls, a reality competition series filmed in New Zealand, which premiered on NBC on 8 July 2013.[73][74]
Escape from Hell
In Bear Grylls: Escape from Hell, he reveals the true life stories of ordinary people trapped in extraordinary situations of survival. The six-episode series premiered on the Discovery Channel in the UK on 4 October 2013, and in the US on 11 November 2013.[75]
The Island
Main article: The Island with Bear Grylls
He presented The Island with Bear Grylls, first shown on Channel 4 on 5 May 2014. An American version of the show was also made and it premiered on 25 May 2015 on NBC.[76]
Running Wild with Bear Grylls
Main article: Running Wild with Bear Grylls
In this adventure TV series from NBC, which premiered on 28 July 2014, Grylls takes celebrities on a two-day trip in the wilderness. The celebrities who took part in Season 1 are Zac Efron, Ben Stiller, Tamron Hall, Deion Sanders, Channing Tatum, and Tom Arnold.[77][78] Celebrities who took part in Season 2 were Kate Winslet, Kate Hudson, Drew Brees, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ed Helms, Michelle Rodriguez, Ajay Devgan,[79] Akshay Kumar, Rajanikanth,[80] India's prime minister Narendra Modi,[81] James Marsden, Michael B. Jordan, and President Barack Obama.[82]
Mission Survive
Main article: Bear Grylls: Mission Survive
In 2015, he began presenting the six-part ITV series Bear Grylls: Mission Survive which features eight celebrities on a twelve-day survival mission. The series began airing on 20 February 2015.[83] Mission Survive returned for a second series in 2016.[84]
Bear Grylls Survival School
In 2016, he presented a CITV series called Bear Grylls Survival School. Filming started in August 2015. The series began airing on 10 January 2016.[85][86] A second series was scheduled to begin on 7 January 2017.
Survivor Games
In summer 2015, China's Dragon TV ordered a Grylls-fronted adventure series titled Survivor Games [zh] (Chinese: 跟着贝尔去冒险). The series featured Grylls and eight Chinese celebrities and premiered on Dragon TV on 16 October 2015.[87]
Bear's Mission
In 2018, ITV began airing a new series similar to the USA series "Running Wild with Bear Grylls" called "Bear's Mission with...". This show focuses on one British celebrity taking an overnight adventure with Bear each episode. The series premiered on ITV on early 2018.[88]
You vs. Wild
Main article: You vs. Wild
Later, Grylls went on to release an interactive series on streaming service Netflix.
World's Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji
Main article: World's Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji
Grylls presented the revival of the Eco-Challenge series, which is titled World's Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji. It involved teams from around the world competing in an adventure race, which took place in Fiji. The series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 14 August 2020.[89]
Bear Grylls Wild Adventure
Spring 2021, two-part ITV series featuring Jonny Wilkinson and Nicola Adams, respectively.[90]
Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge
Premiered in July 2022, it is a spin-off of Grylls' long running Running Wild With Bear Grylls series.[91] The series returned for a second season on 9 July 2023.[92]
Bear Grylls Meets President Zelenskyy
In this documentary that aired on Channel 4 on 28 March 2023, Grylls travels to Ukraine to meet President Zelenskyy and to meet civilians caught up in the war with Russia.[93]
I Survived Bear Grylls
Eight-part competition series; co-hosted with comedian Jordan Conley.[94]
Bear Hunt
Main article: Bear Hunt (TV series)
Upcoming reality competition series starring Grylls, and presented by Holly Willoughby. The series will premiere on Netflix in 2025.[95]
Motivational speaking
Outside of TV, Grylls works as a motivational speaker, giving speeches worldwide to corporations, churches, schools, and other organisations.[32][65]
Be Military Fit
Main article: Be Military Fit
Bear Grylls Ventures and NM Capital purchased British Military Fitness in September 2018 and re-branded as "Be Military Fit with Bear Grylls", to retain the existing abbreviation BMF. The company runs outdoor group fitness classes in 140 public parks and outdoor spaces across the United Kingdom. The classes are led by former or serving members of the British Armed Forces with recognised fitness training qualifications. It is Europe's largest outdoor fitness company.[96][97][98][99]
Charity and politics
Grylls juggling in 2016
Grylls is an ambassador for The Prince's Trust, an organisation which provides training, financial, and practical support to young people in the United Kingdom.[17]
Global Angels, a UK charity which seeks to aid children around the world, were the beneficiaries of his 2007 accomplishment of taking a powered para-glider higher than Mount Everest. Grylls' held the highest ever dinner party at 7,600 metres (25,000 ft) in aid of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, and launched the 50th anniversary of the Awards. His successful circumnavigation of Britain on jet skis raised money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
Grylls' Everest climb was in aid of SSAFA Forces Help, a British-based charitable organisation set up to help former and serving members of the British Armed Forces and their families and dependents. His 2003 Arctic expedition detailed in the book Facing the Frozen Ocean was in aid of The Prince's Trust. His 2005 attempt to para-motor over the Angel Falls was in aid of the charity Hope and Homes for Children.[100]
In August 2010, Grylls continued his fund-raising work for Global Angels by undertaking an expedition through the Northwest Passage in a rigid inflatable boat. Many of his expeditions also support environmental causes such as his Antarctica expedition and his circumnavigation of Britain which tested a pioneering new fuel made from rubbish. In 2011, Grylls was in New Zealand during the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Following the incident, he appeared on New Zealand advertisements encouraging people to donate money to help rebuild the city.[101][102]
Grylls is also an ambassador for Care for Children, an organisation that partners with governments in Asia to help create a positive alternative to institutional care through local family-based care for disadvantaged children.[103] In 2014, Grylls designed a Scouts-themed Paddington Bear statue, one of fifty located around London prior to the release of the film Paddington, which was auctioned to raise funds for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).[104]
Grylls said he spoke "from the heart" in backing "Remain" in the 2016 referendum. "At such a time for the UK to retreat, run and cut ourselves loose from Europe, when there are so many challenges on our doorstep, to me just doesn't feel either courageous or kind," he said. "Europe has many flaws, but I also believe the way to help resolve many of those tough issues is from within... I have never been a good quitter and I am so proud of the UK and our values: tolerance, kindness, respect, courage and resilience. This is why I want us to stay together and Remain in Europe."[105] In January 2020, he announced that he had asserted his right to Irish citizenship and had obtained an Irish passport.[106]
Grylls was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to young people, the media and charity.[107]
Positions in Scouting
Grylls speaking in 2016
Designation of Chief Ambassador of World Scouting
On 16 November 2018, The World Organization of the Scout Movement announced the appointment of Bear Grylls as its first Chief Ambassador.[108] Upon his appointment, he said "I'm very proud and humbled to take on this new role as Chief Ambassador of World Scouting and continue to promote the great work Scouting is doing across the globe. Scouting is a worldwide force for good that unites young people with positive values and an adventurous spirit. We aim to make a difference in our communities, help young people learn new skills, and be kind to all people."[108]
Bear has long been a supporter of Scouting around the world often visiting Scout groups on his filming missions and appeared at the 24th World Scout Jamboree in his role as Chief Ambassador[109]
Term as Chief Scout of the Scout Association
See also: Chief Scout (The Scout Association)
On 17 May 2009, The Scout Association announced Grylls would be appointed Chief Scout following the end of Peter Duncan's five-year term in July 2009.[110] He was officially made Chief Scout at Gilwell 24 on 11 July 2009 in a handover event featuring Peter Duncan in front of a crowd of over 3,000 Explorer Scouts. He is the tenth person to hold the position and the youngest Chief Scout since the role was created for Robert Baden-Powell in 1920.[1][111]
On 9 April 2015, The Scout Association announced that Grylls would continue as Chief Scout until 2018. Grylls wrote, "I am so proud that the largest youth movement on the planet has asked me to continue in my role as UK Chief Scout."[112]
On 5 June 2015, Grylls, in an interview with The Telegraph, praised the challenge of being Britain's youngest Chief Scout, saying "Scouting humbles me every day".[113] He remains Chief Scout in 2023.[114]
Ambassador in United24
On 29 March 2023, Bear Grylls has become an ambassador for the UNITED24 platform. His education company BecomingX, together with Amazon and Accenture, is developing the BecomingX Ukraine learning platform for Ukrainians.[115][116]
Tour
"The Never Give Up Tour" (2024); seven-day U.K. tour[117]
Transcript: Bear Grylls, Author, “Never Give Up: My Life in the Wild”
By Washington Post Live
March 10, 2022 at 3:40 p.m. EST
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MR. JORGENSON: Hello, and welcome to Washington Post Live. I’m Dave Jorgenson, a video producer here at The Washington Post.
My guest today is probably the world's most famous outdoorsman and adventurer, at least in my opinion, Bear Grylls. He has just come out with his new autobiography, Bear Grylls' "Never Give Up: My Life in the Wild."
He joins us now to talk about his book and his life of adventure. Welcome to Washington Post Live.
MR. GRYLLS: Thanks, Dave. Yeah, nice to be with you.
MR. JORGENSON: Thank you so much.
And a reminder to our audience, we want you to join our conversation. So please tweet your questions and comments to the handle @PostLive.
Okay. So, Bear, I have a lot of questions. Can I call you "Bear" or "Mr. Grylls"? Which do you prefer?
MR. GRYLLS: Yeah. No, of course, Bear. Don't be silly. Yeah, yeah.
MR. JORGENSON: Okay, wonderful. Well, then I'm going to start with "Bear" because I understand you got that name from your sister at about a week old. Can you tell me a little bit about that?
MR. GRYLLS: So I have an older sister who's amazing, quite bossy, who always said she'd be much‑‑
MR. JORGENSON: I know what that's like.
[Laughter]
MR. GRYLLS: Yeah. She always said she'd be much better at being in the public eye than me. She said, "Bear, you always hide away," which is probably true.
But she decided when I was a kid that "Edward," which is what I was christened was‑‑she goes, "Oh, such a boring name." So that became "Teddy Bear," and I was always much less, you know, extravert than she was. And, you know, I used to think as a kid, oh, why can't I just be called a normal name? And I used to feel quite self‑conscious going to school and stuff, but actually, you know what? I look back now, and I think it served me well. It kind of works, and it's just always been "Bear" to everyone, so yeah.
I should really‑‑
MR. JORGENSON: I think that's‑‑
MR. GRYLLS: ‑‑have something about wrestling a grizzly or something, but the reality is much less spectacular.
MR. JORGENSON: I think that's a much more‑‑much more wholesome, much more relatable. My older sister at one point decided my name was "Pavel," which is for no reason, and she got everyone in high school to call me that. So I think "Bear" would have been a lot cooler.
And also, "Bear Grylls," the first time I heard that name in my head‑‑and not that you were trying to do a branding exercise, but it worked very well. And I think it really coincides with you as a person and just your sense of adventure.
So I wanted to ask too, you know, maybe jumping ahead a couple years to when you could walk, when did you start feeling this‑‑it seems like you have almost a drive to be outside and to be doing these things. When did that start happening? Do you have like an early memory of that?
MR. GRYLLS: Yeah. I think as I look back now, you know, as a kid growing up, like I said, I was quite sort of shy, but one of the things I always loved doing was doing adventures with my dad. And we were brought up on this little island off the south coast of the UK, and he'd been an‑‑he's been a Marine beforehand and just loved, you know, taking me on loads and many adventures. We were always climbing up the little sea cliffs where I lived, always tinkering around, making boats, always kind of figuring stuff out, and I think at a young age, it's that I‑‑it wasn't so much even the adventure. I just think I loved hanging out with him, you know, often literally on the end of‑‑you know, off a cliff face or whatever, but it was my way of being close to him, I suppose.
And I think, subconsciously, that's been a huge driver always in my life. I love the bonds you create with people when you're on these expeditions, when you're out in these sort of environments, and I think the wild kind of strips us bare. You get to know the real people, and for me, that's always been the magic, you know, from a young age, my dad, through the military stuff that I did, through expeditions, through to the "Man vs. Wild" and the "Running Wild" and all the TV side of things. You know, it's always about the connections and the bonds you make with great people in wild and often difficult places, and I love that.
MR. JORGENSON: I love that too, and the thing I've always gotten a sense of when watching the show‑‑and I've watched it for many, many years and all the other iterations that you've had‑‑is there's sort of a sense of humor underneath it all as well within the bond. And I feel like one thing that you're always really good at‑‑and you mention this in the book a few times‑‑is an icebreaker, essentially, and that always kind of gets them loosened up. Can you tell me a little bit about that and the sort of‑‑maybe even just the strategy of, hey, I'm going to do this, you know, give the president a half‑eaten fish and, you know, see what happens?
MR. GRYLLS: Yeah. Well, I think‑‑first of all, I think "Running Wild," it's an intimidating thing for these stars to walk into. You know, they are rookies for anything like this. They are out of their comfort zone. They're, you know, in an environment they've often never been in before, and I'm very respectful of that. That's a scary thing for them to do.
I think often they arrive with quite a lot of, you know, sometimes a bit of bravado, a bit of competitiveness, and I'm not like that as a person. I'm there to keep them alive, to make it fun, and to empower them and make them the hero, you know.
So I think what happens quite quickly is that they realize that I'm not kind of‑‑I'm not there to flex my muscles. I'm there to help them shine, and once they kind of get that, then everyone kind of relaxes a bit.
But I think the wild is a great leveler, ultimately, you know. It's‑‑you know, it's always fun stuff. You know, very quickly, somebody is tripping over something or finding some grub to eat or, you know, figuring out some crazy way of getting down something, and it's always‑‑you know, the improvisation part of the journeys, I think, are what people, these stars, often really enjoy. You know, even if they know the show, you know, even if they're watched a bunch of "Running Wilds," they often kind of go, "Oh, wow. It really is just like you and a small crew," and everyone is like, you know, carrying a camera and carrying some rope. We're gunning it and going, and I think they're often surprised at that. And once they realize that, they kind of relax, and they realize they don't have to perform. They can just have fun and go along for the journey, and you're going to face a few fears for sure. And there's going to be some hard moments, but essentially, I always want these journeys for people‑‑whether it's the president or whoever, you want it to be fun. You know, you want it to be an empowering thing, and the wild does that job for me really well.
MR. JORGENSON: I get the sense too, for lack of a better term, almost an entrepreneurial aspect of you. I know you started the Mountaineering Club at Eton College where you went to school. So it seems like this is a lifelong thing for you to say, hey, we're going to take this crew of 10 people out and do this or, hey, in college, we're going to start this club. Can you tell me a little bit about that, starting that club, and if that sort of led into what your career became?
MR. GRYLLS: Well, I think the honest thing is it was the only thing I was ever any good at growing up. You know, I wasn't the sport superstar or the cleverest person in the class, you know. You would have lost me in a crowd, but I was always the kid that could climb the highest building and, you know, get out these things and figure out fun ways to do things, and, you know, that was just how I was as a kid. And I think if you said to me, age 7, that I could have a job that essentially involved climbing up things, falling off things, being muddy outside, I would have thought‑‑I would have thought heaven, you know.
So I suppose I just tried to stick at what I loved, what I was good at or okay at, and my dad always used to say, you know, "You got to follow your dreams. You know, don't listen to the dreams stealers you're going to get along the way." You know, find what you love, what you're naturally okay at, and follow it, and try and be kind along the way and be resilient. You're going to have some difficult moments. Life is just like that, and that was kind of life in a nutshell, I think, for him and for me growing up.
You know, he'd been a Marine. I think for me, the aspiration was that I did want to join the military. I wanted to do it slightly differently. I wanted to join as a soldier rather than as an officer. I wanted to try for the British Special Forces, which I suppose as a teenager, I thought maybe that's one better than my dad as a Marine, and maybe I could push it a bit.
MR. JORGENSON: One‑up him.
MR. GRYLLS: And he was amazing. You know, he really encouraged me to kind of go for things. Everest was a big dream of ours growing up, you know, because we had climbed a lot together, but I do kind of look back, and I think I wonder if that Everest dream really would have just stayed a dream if I hadn't then had that accident I had when I was in the military. And I think sometimes it takes a knock in life to make you realize what you really want to go for and actually to go for it, you know.
MR. JORGENSON: Right. Well, I can say with full confidence, having read a few of your books, including the new one, but also watch your show, that you're more than okay at a lot of things. So, if you needed to hear that, it's pretty clear.
MR. GRYLLS: Well, you're kind. I don't‑‑I don't‑‑not only do I not actually feel like that, I really think the truth is I'm pretty mediocre at a lot of this stuff. You know, I hang out with amazing kind of skydivers and climbers and survivalists and all this stuff all the time. I think the more I've done of it, the more actually I'm kind of I'm okay. I'm sort of a jack of many things. I can do a little bit of most of it, but the world is full of amazing talented people. I think I had much more confidence in my ability when I started out, you know.
But I've also rose in life that that's okay. You know, life doesn't say you have to be the best. You just got to kind of give your best and be resilient, and like the book says, you know, never give up. You know, go through the storms. Get back on your feet. Be persistent. Be grateful. You know, know that you've‑‑you know, all of us stand on the shoulders of a few giants, and I've definitely had a few great people in my life who have helped me so much.
MR. JORGENSON: Yeah.
MR. GRYLLS: Yeah. Like I said, definitely not the best at anything, actually, you know.
MR. JORGENSON: Well, again, I'll challenge you on that, but we could do that all day. I don't think I'm going to break you.
One thing you do say in the book that I found very relatable as well is in‑‑you have much more experience than I do, but when the record button is on the camera, there is something about you that you're able to just kind of turn on and just do it. I think you also mentioned that the outside is‑‑the outdoors, rather, is your home turf, especially as it related to having an active president on the show. Can you tell me more about that and what it is, as someone who maybe grew up a little more introverted and suddenly you had this show? Is it just about being out there in the natural‑‑in your element that feels--it makes it a little bit easier for you?
MR. GRYLLS: Well, I think it's been the constant struggle for me through my career is that I actually really struggle with the cameras. I find it‑‑find it really awkward having a camera point in my face. I mean, you only have to ask our crew. They go, "Bear, you're a nightmare. You know, you'll never"‑‑
MR. JORGENSON: [Laughs]
MR. GRYLLS: ‑-"be getting some stuff. You're always trying to dodge it." I'm‑‑the cameraman is going, "I'm trying to find you, and you're"‑‑you know, but there's been sort of a tension there, professional tension that I think looking back probably hasn't been a bad thing.
MR. JORGENSON: Right.
MR. GRYLLS: You know, I remember when the first time I was ever asked to do "Man vs. Wild." It was a UK producer that came to me, and he had read this book I had written on Everest. I had just left the military. I was starting out. We were just married as a young couple figuring out kind of life, and this producer came to me and he said, "Well, what‑‑could we do this show where we drop you in the middle of nowhere, and you show us how to get out of that? You know, I've read your book. I know your background, and just show us some of this stuff." And I was like really sort of‑‑I kept saying no. You know, TV wasn't my thing. I didn't really understand it. I was busy doing the expeditions, trying to raise money for the trips, doing some talks on it, writing, you know, and the idea of TV was just outside of what I knew.
So three times, I said no. Eventually, my wife, who's much smarter, she goes, "Well, why don't you just try it? You know, you never know. You might like it."
MR. JORGENSON: Uh‑huh.
MR. GRYLLS: And we went just‑‑small team. We went to the Rockies. We spent, you know, a week charging around the mountains, jumping off things, you know, shooting through the whitewater rapids, chasing snakes, having a‑‑having a blast, never really kind of thought about it. The cameraman early on just said, "You don't need to present anything. You just go ahead, and we'll film it," and it's always kind of felt like that.
And they‑‑Discovery put it out late at night one night, no marketing, and the timing was right. And there was a bit of luck on our side, and it kind of worked. And, you know, that was the start of the journey, and I look back now and I think now I know how competitive that industry is, how‑‑you know, how people fight and desperate sort of‑‑you know, have TV shows. And I think, first of all, there's a giant of a man, the person who, you know‑‑even though I said no three times, he persisted and stuck with me.
MR. JORGENSON: Right, right.
MR. GRYLLS: I was given many, many other breaks when the shows, you know, could have ended, and Discovery channel used to joke that I was the only one of their hosts who was always trying to quit after season, you know, and I used to go, "Listen, we've had an amazing time. It's been a great ride. I almost died a couple of times, but, you know, I think we'll call it a day." And they go, "Not bad. It's good. It's working. We got to keep going," and now I have an understanding of that and a gratitude for that.
But, yeah, yeah, it's been a crazy journey, and that's what I tried to articulate in the book, really, those kind of moment and behind the scenes and stuff, those sort of struggles and those tensions and those battles, but actually how ultimately, if you got great people with you who believe in you and you're willing to go through and be resilient at key times, you know, those things count for a lot.
MR. JORGENSON: Yeah. I think that's‑‑and I think that approach is really healthy, whether or not, you know, even‑‑even if you went into a little bit ignorant about how all this works, that's what makes‑‑what made the show so good and still makes anytime you're on camera authentic.
And one thing you also address in the book and you kind of just touched on there is your family. Before you went to go shoot the episode with then President Obama, there was this whole issue of this is our‑‑this is our precious time together. Can you tell me a little bit about that balance, that work‑life balance with your family through the years?
MR. GRYLLS: Yeah. I think‑‑you know, so we started this journey on TV. Then we had kids together, and I think the early days of "Man vs. Wild," I was like‑‑I felt run ragged, you know. I was dragged everywhere, and we were shooting, and then we were back for like chat shows. And it was like I always felt I had no control, and I think, ultimately, that was why I said, "Hold on. I'm going to stop. I want to do this on our own terms. I want to start producing the shows, making it, fitting it into our family life," otherwise you end up just kind of spent. And your family suffers, and, you know, as I said, we had young kids at the time.
And, you know, now we're in a really fortunate position where we can control these things. We can, you know, do it on our own terms, but there was definitely a battle to get to that stage.
But I think the Obama stuff happened at a time where we had just wrestled about that control. You know, we're super protective of our family time. When we're not filming, we try to sort of block off certain times of the year. We've done that. We were up on a little island that we spend a lot of the year on up in Wales in the UK, offshore, off grid, a couple of miles in the middle of, you know, windy, rainy Welsh sea. And we go there every year, and we just try and take a few weeks out and off grid, off phones, off everything.
So we were there, and then the call came, which is pretty rare. Normally, we're always reaching out to people. This was one of the only times really where, you know, somebody approached us and said, "Can you get‑‑can you get our guy on the show?" and it was‑‑obviously, it was the White House. I thought it was‑‑
MR. JORGENSON: Pretty big guy.
MR. GRYLLS: I couldn't believe it, you know, and they said, "Look, he's a fan of 'Running Wild.' The president is going to Alaska. He wants to see some of the climate change. Reality is close up. Could you show? Could you lead him on a 'Running Wild' and show him a bit of that?"
So it all happened pretty quickly. It was a huge privilege, a good, fun show, opened the door to many other sort of adventures. We ended up taking the prime minister of India and, you know, a whole bunch of iconic people on it since.
But I think that was a special one for me, just the fact that President Obama was sitting president at the time. Normally, we always say, "Look, come on your own. No entourage. Trust us. You're going to have a great time." That wasn't obviously going to wash with the president, but it was amazing.
Anyway, just to finish the story, I said to Shara, I said, "We got to do this one," you know. She said, "But it's our family time." I said, "I know, but it's a president. We got to go," and we went. And it was‑‑yeah, obviously fun.
MR. JORGENSON: And you did go.
MR. GRYLLS: I did. She's very grounded, my wife. She's pretty unimpressed by the fluff and the kind of glitz around stuff, and even the president‑‑I think at one point, she said, "Do you not think he could come to Wales?" and I was going, "Honey, I love‑‑listen, this one, we got to do. We got to do."
MR. JORGENSON: Well, I want to‑‑I want to show that, and you did do it, and again, I refer people to the book where the‑‑just barely getting there in time was a whole other adventure, but the president himself has his own challenges, of course, and he had been president at that point for a few years, a total of eight. He seems a little bit of‑‑a little bit nervous, though, about showing off your culinary skills. Let's take a look at this clip when he was on your show.
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[Video plays]
MR. JORGENSON: I think one of my favorite parts about that clip is you're describing, you know, here's where the bear ate this part, but he's just like, "So a bear ate it? Interesting."
[Laughter]
MR. JORGENSON: And that's another great part of the book where you're talking about‑‑it's really easy for me to imagine, but I'm sure I remember‑‑I'm thinking of it the wrong way. But I just imagine a chef with a hat on even‑‑again, that's not how you describe it, but you're basically saying there is a salmon that was being prepared to swap out just in case. But ultimately, the president did eat that salmon. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
MR. GRYLLS: Well, we had found this carcass the day before when we had been scouting the route, and I said, "This is perfect. We can use this to eat, you know. The bear has had a bunch of it, but the rest is fine." And the Secret Service looked at me and went "Nuh‑uh. There's no way he's going to be eating that. He never even drinks on camera. He's not going to be eating on camera."
I said, "Well, listen, I'm going to put it in the backpack. I'm going to have it, and we'll just play it by ear."
Then they said, "Look, we'll get the‑‑we'll get the White House chef to prepare a salmon. So, if he does want to eat it, we've got one prepared, and we can swap it in." I said, "Okay, whatever."
And I noticed all through the journey, there was a guy, you know, carrying this kind of silver platter wrapped in, you know, kitchen film and, you know, ready to go, and I thought‑‑I thought brilliant, you know.
We started cooking the thing, and behind the camera, I could see the chef going, you know, ready, ready to swap it in. And I thought I'm not going to‑‑I'm not going to suggest it unless the president really wants it, you know. So we cooked up this carcass, you know, the legit one, and I started giving it to the president. And he started munching, and we're sharing, you know, a thing of water, a flask of water, and I could see the chef going like this behind the scenes [pointing] and he turns kind of. [Laughs] But, you know, good for him.
And I think, like I said at the beginning, the wild is always the real star of these shows because it does so much of my job for me. It relaxes people. You're not‑‑you're not like in a job interview any longer. You know, you're two guys or whoever just out there, and you know what it's like. You know, you go for a walk with someone or go hiking or camping. There's a different‑‑there's a pace that allows you to kind of get rid of the formality and get to the real stuff quicker.
MR. JORGENSON: Right. Well‑‑
MR. GRYLLS: And he was totally on for that.
MR. JORGENSON: He was great, and of course, you know, he had an abbreviated version than probably most celebrities on the show. But a few of them, you really get quite a bit of time with. So I want to ask you if you can kind of potentially rate the adventure skills of a couple other celebrities. You know, we have Julia Roberts, tennis star Roger Federer. At one point in the book, you mentioned that Nick Jonas like really went into it. Can you tell me kind of who was really great and maybe who wasn't so great?
MR. GRYLLS: Well, you know, we've done seven seasons now of "Running Wild." There have been some amazing stars. You know, we do‑‑we've done them in China. We've done‑‑we do Indian stars. We've done UK versions of "Running Wild." So, yeah, it's been‑‑it's been a great privilege.
I think what I've learned is that‑‑is that these guys are often really willing to be out of their comfort zones and make themselves look vulnerable, and that's quite rare. You know, normally, when people kind of do well, they kind of retreat into what they're safe with, but I think such a mark of champions in whatever field they're in, it's that they like to be pushed. They like to stay‑‑keep a bit of that edge, to keep uncomfortable a little bit, and I think that's what keeps all of us sharp.
And I see that with them. You know, Julia Roberts or Roger Federer, as you say, they don't need to go on a "Running Wild." They don't need the money. They don't need the fame. They're doing it because they want the experience, and they want to kind of be challenged and pushed a little bit. And I really kind of respect that.
I think I've also learned don't judge a book by their cover just because you think, you know, it might be an actress and they're tiny and petite and, you know, don't‑‑you know, don't get lulled into that. Often, they're the toughest. They're baddest ass.
MR. JORGENSON: Speaking of older sisters, that's‑‑I learned that as well.
MR. GRYLLS: You and me know that one.
MR. JORGENSON: Yeah.
MR. GRYLLS: But‑‑so, yeah, all of those stars you mentioned have been amazing, and honestly, I can't think of a "Running Wild" where I've ended thinking that was a nightmare, all those people were, you know, difficult. You know invariably, they actually want to be there, and I come away thinking wow. The bit I love is just seeing that light in their eyes at the end, you know, when they've had to face a few fears. They've got cold and wet, and, you know, they're sometimes big stars, and they're not used to it.
I mean, even Roger Federer, I remember him just going, "Bear, we need‑‑my hands. What do I do? They're shaking," and it's like, "That's good. You're almost there. Keep pushing. You've got cold hands. You're going to live." And it was like, you know, I think people almost sort of expect, you know, a drink of water here or, you know, another set of gloves here or something. And I think that kind of stripping back and actually‑‑I always say to them, "You're going to have a few times where you're"‑‑you know, "where you're up against it, but you're going to be okay. We'll push through. We'll do it together," and that's kind of the heart of it and the magic as well. And that's what gives the light in the eye at the end that says, you know, "I've had to work for this a little a bit."
MR. JORGENSON: Absolutely. And we see that with one actor in particular I'm thinking of who, as you talked about, was vulnerable and put himself out there and did it. Now he's literally Captain America, the Marvel movies, but before that, he was on your program. That's actor Anthony Mackie. Let's take a look at the fun you guys were having there.
[Video plays]
MR. GRYLLS: [Laughs]
MR. JORGENSON: When people are looking at that clip, understandably, Anthony Mackie is pretty scared. I love the line about "This is why I have a stuntman," but, you know, he goes through with it. He gets that glint in the eye at the end that you're talking about.
Has there ever been a time a celebrity said, "Hey, you know, I'm not doing this" or "Maybe we can do an abbreviated version"? Has that ever happened?
MR. GRYLLS: Yeah. I think‑‑[laughs]. When I saw Anthony, what a‑‑what a great guy, and you never really know. Sometimes people have done a bit of this, and they kind of‑‑you know, they had more experience, and you never really know people's kind of skill levels. So I always think it's a bit like a stretchy band. You're going to adjust a little bit on the hoof as you're going, and you can‑‑you know, kind of amend it accordingly.
And this thing, there's always another way down, something. There's always‑‑you know, if I see they're really struggling, it's going to be too much there, we'll bend left or we'll find another little valley to go down that way. You know, we know our start point and end point, and the rest, we kind of figure out a little bit.
But I do think in the early days, we‑‑we really kind of almost went too hard, I think, with a lot of guests, and because it came‑‑"Running Wild" came off the back of "Man vs. Wild," which is kind of me on my own, and we'd spend, you know, five, six days out there shooting an episode.
And I remember our first guest was Will Ferrell, and he got a full experience. He basically came and joined me for "Man vs. Wild." It almost broke him. He was out there day after day, and we learned on that. Like, you know, you're not there to break people. You're there to give people a great time and get to know their story and hear their story, and we got shorter and shorter over the years and made it more and more accessible and fun for people. But I definitely think that some of the early ones, you know‑‑I'll always be grateful to the Will Ferrells, the Jake Gyllenhaals, some of those early ones where, you know, we were out there for days and days in horrific conditions often.
But now, you know, we do so many. We've got to keep them alive. We've got to keep it fun. We can't have every Hollywood star going back going, "Never do that if you're ever asked. It's a nightmare."
[Laughter]
MR. GRYLLS: So we try and focus as much on the fun. I mean, the wild, like I say, does the job. The wild is challenging. You're in a desert, jungle, mountain. If you're a rookie, it's going to be super hard already, you know. So I'm pretty respectful of that.
MR. JORGENSON: Yeah. Well, first of all, Will Ferrell is a great first guest to have on that show. It sort of feels like you're doing "Punked," but everyone is in on it, and they just get there and they go, "Oh, no, this is real." And so I love that show.
You've done, of course, "Man vs. Wild," "Running Wild," like you said, this book that's coming out, and I just want to know what's next for you. Is there an upcoming adventure that you always wanted to take but you haven't done yet?
MR. GRYLLS: Yeah. You know, life is‑‑life is a great privilege, and you got to keep those goals and keep‑‑you know, keep pushing the boundaries as much as you can.
We're just starting off the next season of "Running Wild" now. So we're back on the road for those. I just got back from the jungle for the last one. We got a couple of great guests on that. We're doing more for Netflix. We do an interactive "You vs. Wild" series for them, and yeah, so back on that, doing a lot of‑‑I do a lot of the kind of speaking as well, speaking on kind of leadership and teamwork. So we fit those in for companies in between it.
“Never Give Up,” though, was a real kind of‑‑you know, it took me ten years to write that. I wanted to write every word. I didn’t want it to be ghost‑written. It’s all the struggles. It’s all the doubts. It’s all the fears, and I wanted it to be a book for this time where I think people need the spirit of resilience and, you know, have that never‑give‑up spirit. I think it’s been especially tough for young people and many people around the world. It continues to this day, new challenges, and I think more and more in life, we realize the things that made the difference aren’t just your exam grades or your, you know, letters after your name. You know, it’s much more about this. This is where life is. So it was always going to be called “Never Give Up,” but I’m really proud of it.
I'm grateful, Dave, for your kindness and your words, but thank you for having me on here.
MR. JORGENSON: Absolutely. And it is‑‑it really is a page‑turner. I mean, like, I wouldn't just say this. I really wouldn't. You don't know me, but it's true. And I‑‑it was‑‑you know, I think what I like about it is it's really‑‑they're short chapters, but they're flying through, and they all just kind of weave into each other perfectly. And there's just a wide variety of adventures.
So, for instance, one of them, you're in Siberia in December, and just getting there is hard enough. So I wanted to ask you one last question: Is there ever an adventure that you were like, "I don't think we can do this"?
MR. GRYLLS: Well, there have been a few, you know, honest answer. There have been a few times where I thought, "How the hell have I got myself into this scrape?" you know, and I've learned over a lifetime in the wild, you only get it wrong once, you know. You have to leave your ego at home. You got to be smart. You've got to listen to your intuition. You know, what do they say? Instinct is a nose of the mind. You know, you've got to trust that, and yes. You know, listen, Siberia, we went‑‑that was a tough one. We've had the Sahara Desert in the heat of the summer, more jungles, deserts, mountains than I could shake a stick at, been bitten by snakes, chased by sharks, close encounters with saltwater crocodiles, pinned in rapids, caught in avalanches, parachute failures. They've all taught me this simple lesson. Number one, don't be an idiot. You know, be smart. Number two, always be grateful for life, and number three, when you're up against it, never give up.
MR. JORGENSON: Those are all equally important to me. I'm going to‑‑I'm going to really run with the first one and try not to be an idiot as we wrap this up.
Bear Grylls, thank you so much for joining me.
Again, this is the book, Bear Grylls, "Never Give Up: My Life in the Wild." I'll throw it out there for you again. Thank you so much, Bear. I appreciate you joining us today.
MR. GRYLLS: Thanks, guys. You take care. Well done, Dave.
MR. JORGENSON: I’m Dave Jorgenson. As always, thanks for watching. To check out what interviews we have coming up, please head to WashingtonPostLive.com to register and find out more information about all of our upcoming programs.
And remember we always want to hear from you, our audience, and you can share your thoughts and questions for guests on Washington Post Live by tweeting at @PostLive. Thanks again.
[End recorded session]
Lifestyle
INTERVIEW
Bear Grylls on mental health and masculinity: ‘It was a dark, difficult time – I had a major reset’
The TV survivalist has become an outspoken advocate for mental health support for men. As he launches an app designed to tackle the stigma surrounding male mental illness, he speaks to Maanya Sachdeva about trauma, criticism and fame
Friday 24 November 2023 06:30 GMT
11
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‘Nutrition is important, friendships are important. A problem shared is a problem halved’
‘Nutrition is important, friendships are important. A problem shared is a problem halved’ (Jonathan Hordle/Shutterstock)
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Before finding fame as television’s grittiest survivalist, Bear Grylls experienced a terrifying near-miss. This was 1996, when Grylls was 21 and serving in the SAS. He was skydiving in Zambia, and excited to take part in what was meant to be a routine parachute jump. But nothing about what happened next was standard. After his chute failed to open properly, Grylls continued hurtling towards the ground at breakneck speed, tumbling more than 16,000ft in total. Then everything went dark. When Grylls woke up in hospital, he learnt he’d broken three vertebrae, and that he might never be able to walk again.
“That accident was definitely a dark, difficult time for me at a young age,” the 49-year-old Grylls tells me today. “Things that I had taken for granted, like my health, my job and my skills, were suddenly gone. I had a major reset in my life the way you hope is never going to happen.”
Less than two years after he broke his back, Grylls became one of the youngest people to climb the world’s highest mountain, as he achieved his dream of scaling Mount Everest. “[The accident] was why I became so focused on Everest,” he continues, calling the challenge “an extreme form of therapy” amid trauma that he felt “ill-equipped” to deal with. “[But] it’s not a duplicatable model to say you have to take a one in six chance of dying in order to be healed.”
In the years since the accident, Grylls has become an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness and support. In 2022, he released a self-help book titled Mind Fuel, packed with daily strategies for building mental resilience. Now he’s teamed up with Love Island star Dr Alex George, the UK Youth Ambassador for Mental Health, to launch a first-of-its-kind “mental fitness” app that’s tailor-made for men.
“There are a lot of incredible mental health apps out there but they tend to be quite soft or female-oriented,” he says. Mettle, he adds, targets the “forgotten demographic”. According to the Mental Health Foundation, one in eight men in the UK experience anxiety, depression, or stress. It is also estimated that men make up 75 per cent of the country’s suicides. When you offset these statistics with the findings that 40 per cent of men feel uncomfortable talking about their mental health with their friends, family, or a healthcare professional, the gendered stigmas around it come into sharp focus. Mettle is a bid to combat them, Grylls explains.
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There was always an heroic assumption [about me]. I never felt comfortable with [it] because I knew behind all of that there was a ton of struggle
He calls the app a “toolkit” for men to help them build mental resilience so that “we’re ready when the storms of life do come inevitably”. It uses gamification elements to encourage positive habits for users that can help boost mental wellbeing, as well as an AI chatbot that customises each user’s health journey. Not included, though, is advice of the more fantastical variety. Men, Grylls says, may not “find it not so appealing to do breathwork or listen to pipe music”.
The app’s lofty goal is to transform the way men think about mental illness: “They think it’s an admission of weakness,” Grylls says. “We’re trying to change that into an admission of battle.”
I ask Grylls which tools and techniques make up his own “arsenal of weapons”. “Sun on my face, bare feet on the ground, and movement – first thing in the morning,” he says. He also incorporates cold showers or ice baths into his routine. “Nutrition is important, friendships are important,” he continues. “A problem shared is a problem halved.”
Upon the release of Mind Fuel, some critics and readers suggested Grylls had “oversimplified” the problem of mental health, and that some of the strategies he suggested – such as going for a walk – might seem incredibly daunting to someone experiencing a serious mental health crisis. How does he view that criticism now? “I didn’t do that book lightly,” he tells me. “I did it in consultation with a psychologist who then ran it past mental health charities.” Nothing is going to be perfect, Grylls adds. “It’s the same thing with Mettle; it’s not going to be perfect but what’s the alternative? Do nothing and never get any criticism?”
Since 2017, when he wrote an op-ed about confronting mental health issues, Grylls has continued to champion the cause publicly. No stranger to mapping difficult, uncharted territory, Grylls says he decided to speak out to dispel the idea that he is some kind of Superman. “There was always an heroic assumption from the TV shows,” he says. “I never felt comfortable with [that] because I knew behind all of that there was a ton of struggle. I didn’t want people to assume that [everything is] always all great. I’ve got no problem saying that life is hard sometimes, just like the wild is hard sometimes. And it all starts with vulnerability and humility, before you build up from that.”
Grylls, Bear DO YOUR BEST Hodder Faith (Children's None) $24.99 4, 16 ISBN: 9781399809870
Tips and guidelines for Scouts and would-be Scouts from TV presenter Grylls, the Chief Ambassador of World Scouting.
British adventurer Grylls packs this compact handbook with pep talks and practicalities in roughly equal measure. So, thickly interspersed with general instructions for erecting a tent, building a fire (with a blank page to rip out for kindling), foraging in the wild ("Grasshoppers. Only eat the body, not the legs, wings and antennae"), and dozens of other outdoorsy camping and survival topics, readers will find prompts to maintain that can-do attitude and rousing, inspirational slogans from (naturally) "Be prepared" to "Most of all, don't count the days. Make the days count." The author emphasizes that "Scouts is open to all," skipping mention in the brief outline of Scouting history of the movement's long struggles with inclusivity in terms of race, sexual orientation, and gender. Still, for intrepid and armchair explorers alike, he has plenty to offer, from navigation tricks and no fewer than 13 ways to use the standard-issue kerchief in emergencies to the values of team play, sustainable living, worthy role models, and leaving one's comfort zone. "After all," he writes, "adventure is a state of mind." The monochrome illustrations include plentiful diagrams as well as human figures who are diverse in both skin tone and gender.
Hefty helpings of useful bits and motivational advice for enjoying the great outdoors. (Nonfiction. 10-15)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Grylls, Bear: DO YOUR BEST." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A784238457/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=72bbcba8. Accessed 3 May 2024.
Bear Grylls. National Geographic, $28 (336p) ISBN 978-1-4262-2262-7
Grylls (Mud, Sweat and Tears), star of Man vs. Wild, looks back at the "greatest hits" of his career as a professional adventurer in this exhilarating autobiography. With a laconic sense of humor, he takes fans behind the scenes of his show and how it's impacted his life--including being "asked more times than is imaginable, do I really drink my own urine?" (He has, on occasion, but only "in the name of survival.") Just as enthralling are recollections of his encounters with some of the world's most powerful figures--such as when he recounts the mind-boggling logistics of having former president Obama on an episode of his show Running Wild(a "Running Wild Presidential Special"), and having to account for over 50 Secret Service agenrs. Doled out in short, punchy chapters that jump back and forth through time, Grylls's narrative never lets up as he shares his deep and abiding love for the natural world and hard-earned lessons from his travels ("Don't screw wirh polar bears"). And his humbleness is made evident throughout--from his giving thanks to the "many unseen kindnesses" of his shows' crews to his quotidian complaints about aging and annoyance at how much it hurts to get up in the morning nowadays." Fans won'r want to miss this. (Mar.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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"Never Give Up: My Life in the Wild." Publishers Weekly, vol. 268, no. 52, 20 Dec. 2021, p. 85. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A688844775/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=3f2a9ef3. Accessed 3 May 2024.
Bear Grylls Survival Camp: The Ultimate All-Terrain Training Manual
Bear Grylls. Kane Miller, $12.99 (128p) ISBN 978-1-61067-755-4
Grylls, star of the television series Man vs. Wild, advises readers on surviving anything nature can throw ar them: savannahs and jungles, deserts, polar regions, mountains and forests, and rivers and oceans. Grylls strikes a playful tone, featuring dangerous circumstances that most readers are unlikely to experience (surviving an elephant or polar bear attack, for example). Yet many survival tips and skills are a bit more practical, such as learning to roll a kayak or tie knots. Grylls doesn't emphasize his own experience in the wild beyond occasional anecdotes ("In the Sahara Desert, I once shelrered inside the body of a dead camel"). Instead, he presents fact-based scenarios, empowering readers with the tools and basic knowledge they need to be explorers themselves. Occasional photographs are gracefully integrated into spreads featuting simple, accessible art, while profiles of explorers from history--on journeys both ill-fated and victorious--may further spark readers' interest. Also available: Extreme Planet: Exploring the Most Extreme Stuff on Earth. Ages 8-13. (Sept.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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"Bear Grylls Survival Camp: The Ultimate All-Terrain Training Manual." Publishers Weekly, vol. 265, no. 31, 30 July 2018, p. 91. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A550547581/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=5f49e259. Accessed 3 May 2024.
Grylls, Bear
Spirit of the Jungle
Illustrated by Javier Joaquin
Macmillan, 2016, pp240, 12.99 [pounds sterling]
978 1 5098 2846 3
Commissioned as part of Pan Macmillan's celebration of the 150th anniversary of Kipling's birth, this all-action boy's own adventure story updates the classic Jungle Bookyarn of Mowgli, the jungle boy befriended and protected by a variety of wild animals.
Chief Scout Bear Grylls was an obvious choice to produce this--survival techniques, thrashing about in the undergrowth and eating raw meat all feature highly here. Mak, a young Indo-British boy is stranded alone, deep in the Indian jungle after a boating accident. Aficionados of the original will be happy to meet depictions of Akela, Bagheera and Balou (although I was disappointed by the non-appearance of the Beatles-inspired vultures from the 1967 film), and the story line has been adapted to include conservation, deforestation and big-game poaching themes.
The text is fast-paced, with short punchy chapters interspersed with quirky illustrations by the Argentinian illustrator. Not surprisingly, Mak develops new-found skills and strengths whilst lost, and we see the emergence of a strong young man from the introverted boy at the start of the book. The at times strained relationship with his father during the opening chapters is particularly interesting, and could be used as an entree for a reading group or discussion.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 The School Library Association
http://www.sla.org.uk/school-librarian.php
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Source Citation
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King, Stephen. "Grylls, Bear Spirit of the Jungle." School Librarian, vol. 65, no. 1, spring 2017, p. 38. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A490821304/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=576109c0. Accessed 3 May 2024.