This year has been a crazy one for us as a team but fun as well – despite
the odd nasty injury amongst the crew from various wilderness incidents!
But through it all we have emerged smiling.
We wrapped up season six of Man Vs Wild with some of the strongest shows
we have ever done, including eps from Borneo, New Zealand, iceland, Utah
and more.
Personal favourite from man Vs Wild for me was the Jake Gyllenhaal ep and
the behind the scenes show which is a real testament to how hard the crew
work and the risks they take alongside me.
We also started a new TV series for Channel Four in the UK called: Bear’s
Wild Weekends, where I took well known UK personalities on a wild
adventure! These included Miranda Hart in the Alps and Jonathan Ross in
the jungle. These produced the highest rating TV for Channel Four over the
Christmas period and are shows that I loved shooting.
We also have greatly extended our Bear Grylls Survival range of kit with
Gerber and the lead item, the Bear Grylls Ultimate knife became the
biggest selling knife in the world. A testament to the massive research
and testing we put the knife through on many many episodes of Man Vs Wild
and Born Survivor. Watch out for all the new gear out this coming year!
The clothing range of Bear kit with Craghoppers has also really
consolidated this year with some of our best survival and mountain gear
available. I am so proud of how this gear has stacked up in some of the
toughest environments on the planet and I love hearing fans’ stories of
using the kit in the extremes, Keep the stories coming!
We also started a world tour with the Bear Grylls Live stage shows -
starting in Australia where we sold out. It was a total honour to get time
to hang out and meet so many fans and young people who have loved the show
over many years. I found these evenings very moving and always love
hearing people’s adventures.
The shows are a mix of past expeditions, some military stuff, the Man Vs
Wild journey, including behind the scenes and much more. We had snakes,
fire and stunts, so I was always happy!
These Live shows now go to Norway, the UK and then USA. I can’t wait to
keep meeting people all over the world who have been encouraged by Man Vs
Wild, and I am always so grateful for so much support in return.
It has also been a busy year as Chief Scout, and I have loved meeting so
many Scout groups from all over the world. Whenever we have been filming
in some remote wilderness, I always make sure we get to hang out a little
with the local Scouts afterwards and their stories are always inspiring.
The highlight for me though was definitely the opening ceremony of the
World Scout jamboree with 45,000 Scouts from every country on earth
gathered together celebrating Scouting. So much energy, hope and
enthusiasm, and all in the pouring rain! (Or Scouting sunshine as we call
it!)
Some Scouts had cycled or walked from as far away as Kenya! Now that is
commitment.
Indeed, as Scouts, we stand for something special: Friendships, family,
faith and adventure.
We also launched my autobiography Mud Sweat & Tears this year, which spent
nine weeks at the No 1 in the Bestseller List. (To my amazement!!) The
book tells my story from growing up, through to my time with 21 SAS,
Everest, other expeditions and then Man Vs Wild. We launch the book in
America in May.
This year we also filmed commercials for Degree and Sure deodorant, as
well as Dockers and Persil. Always fun messing about on set with good
teams.
The goal for this year is keep safe, get time with my family and keep
filming exciting TV shows that God willing inspire others.
It ain’t rocket science. Luckily!
Bear
Such a great feeling to wrap up season six of the shows Man Vs Wild and Born Survivor. When all the crew and myself are safe and on the whole uninjured (apart from the case of the 11 broken ribs for Ian caught in the rockfall in NZ and a few other close shaves!!), then we are all grateful.
The season has started airing in the USA – leading off with the Jake Gyllenhaal episode – he was a hero to film with and it’s a privilege to have guided him thro some of the worst weather I have ever known! (100+mph winds on the glacial volcano in Iceland is always going to be interesting!)
Then the season 5 aired in the UK and we saw the highest ratings ever for the show – so thank you everyone for such hard work.
My autobiography Mud Sweat & Tears launched as well and has now been No 1 in the Sunday Times Bestseller List for over seven weeks (by some miracle!) So thank you everyone again for so many amazing letters etc. in response to the book.
I have just returned from New York filming ads for Degree deodorant where I also got to interview 18 of the world’s top extreme athletes – a really incredible privilege to get to meet so many talented people all together. I felt very small!
Then we hit the World Scout Jamboree where I got to hang out with all the Scouts in Sweden, meet a load and hear their amazing stories- some had walked all the way from Uganda!! I was pretty nervous walking out on stage at the opening ceremony in front of 40,000 Scouts but I simply said what we all stand for: friendship, adventure, faith and cool outdoor skills. Then the crowd went wild and the night had begun!!
I now have a break with the family and we are heading to our island in north Wales and I cant wait! Then I head down to Australia for a series of Bear Grylls Live events and a campaign for Solo drinks, and then we start prep on filming a big kayak project in the Congo… Going to be a mission I suspect.
Channel 4 in the UK have commissioned two new series of shows which we will then start work on (details to follow) as well as a new series format for Discovery worldwide (again, at the moment this is under wraps.) And for the record, the show that I am proudest of from the latest batch, apart from the Jake G ep, is the behind the scenes ep. It shows just how incredible my crew is. Heroes one and all.
Bear
Been a busy few months and we have nailed 4 episodes of man vs wild – 2 in Borneo and 2 in New Zealand. Hurray!
I then spoke at a couple of big fund raising events in NZ for the earthquake appeal, including filming a TV appeal and doing some children’s hospital visits which were very moving for me. (we were in the mountains some way out of Christchurch when the quake hit.)
I then went onto Sydney for another big fund raising talk for flood victims, and did a press conference to launch the new season of Man Vs Wild shows down under. Hope people enjoy the new shows!
I also filmed some Nissan X Trail commercials and a Schweppes Solo drinks campaign, which were both fun to do!
The new season of shows in the USA have now all aired as well and we are focussing on the next couple of eps to wrap up the first half of season 6. (These include taking Jake Gyllenhaal on a mission which should be fun.)
Mud Sweat & Tears my autobiog is also done and dusted. (Finally!) And it is out in June.and our BG Gerber range of multi tools and knives is now launched around the world and doing great – well done the team there!
Oh and most exciting for me was that I got to meet the brilliant Roger Federer in Indian Wells, whilst on a whistle stop visit to LA to speak at a big Juice Plus event (great fun and great people as ever there by the way!) But Rog was v cool and v encouraging about Man Vs Wild which was nice. A definite hero of mine.
So that’s the update for now.
Anyway, back to the family and some good training for the mountains next week!
x
pics are me and boys doing push ups, and Dan and me getting muddy in Borneo!
had such a nice 10 days at home recovering from the Borneo jungles which were pretty full on.
Now off again to film 2 more eps in 2 secret locations, then onto New Zealand for a couple of charity fund raising talks I am doing (2nd and 3rd March) – see:
http://www.shadowcorpglobal.com/
come along if you are around! All for amazing causes.
Then I go to Sydney for another fund raising event on the 5th March and then to film some commercials and do some press as well. (And to catch up with some Sydney buddies too!)
Then home, and then LA for a Juice Plus event.
And then we get into prepping for me to run a Man Vs Wild bootcamp!
Oh and another celeb Man Vs Wild show and a few others in between as well…
so all busy but fun!
PS:
Watch out for the start of the new series of Man Vs Wild 9pm Thursday 17th feb on Discovery in America.
Also for the launch of our April X-Box, Playstation and Wii ‘Man Vs Wild The Game’
oh, and finally for my autobiography ‘Mud, Sweat and Tears’… out in May but as of yet still unfinished – but I am a lot of long haul flights to get that one nailed!
Hey Guys!!!!
Finally wrapped up filming for the year and it feels like it has been a tough one! (Or maybe I am just getting older!!) But what a wild year it has been!
We have filmed all over the planet, from Georgia to Australia, the Arctic to the deserts of Arizona and beyond, and the crew have been so amazing.
They really do deserve so much credit for the unbelievable work they do beside me – never a complaint, always a smile, and enduring endless hardships, mosquitos, freezing nights, swollen rivers, and endless death-defying drops!
They are not only best buddies, but also true professionals. In fact, together we keep getting called the A Team by the search and rescue guys or local Rangers that we work with in each location, which always makes me smile.
This year has also seen a massive surge in us making many of the Man Vs Wild skills and styles available to people – and we have done this through the range of Gerber BG knives, survival packs and multi-tools, as well as finishing the Man Vs Wild X Box, Playstation and wii, which launches in the Spring.
The BG Craghoppers clothing range has seen its strongest growth ever – people seem to be loving the survivor trousers that I wear on the show especially! And this week we also launch the iphone BG Bear Essentials App.
I am super excited for the App, and I know this will empower people to have many of the Man Vs Wild skills with them, always at hand, wherever they are.
Other news:
-I am down with the Royal Marine Commandos today, passing on some survival skills to their new recruits, which will be fun!
-Shara and me got invited to have supper with the Queen a few weeks back which was a huge honour, (I was very nervous having to sit next to her!) but she was such an amazing lady and so much fun. I feel so proud to have her as our Monarch, and she loves the Scouts which was good to hear as well!
On the Scouting front, I have been so proud to see the number of people involved with Scouting grow again, out of all proportion. What a tribute to the Leaders and the adventurous heart that everyone I meet in Scouting possesses. The scale of the projects that I see Scouts involved with, all over the globe, is a continued reminder of the power that comes when young people find a camaraderie, faith and purpose through adventure. Therein lies my life mission!
Anyway, gotta run, literally, it is frosty and I need exercising!
Here’s to a fun Christmas and New Year!
Bear
