Bear's Story
Bear had a real hunger to explore from a young age. Always More...
Bear had a real hunger to explore from a young age. Always curious. Never still. Eager to discover new places and follow the path less trodden. And the story is still being written...
1974
Bear is born
Edward Michael Grylls was born 7th June 1974 in London. Nicknamed ‘Bear’ by his elder sister when he was just one week old.
1982
Scouts honour
Bear joins the Cub Scouts in the 80s. By now Bear is already a keen climber and sailor, as taught by his late father, former Royal Marines Commando and politician Mickey Grylls.
His earliest fondest memories are of climbing on the sea cliffs with his late dad on the Isle of Wight and making boats. These were the foundation stones of Bear’s love for adventure; that closeness with his father.
1984
Karate kid
Enrolled at Eton College; helps develop their mountaineering and martial arts clubs.
By 18, Bear had learnt to climb, skydive and had been awarded his Second Dan black belt in Shotokan Karate. One of the youngest ever in the U.K. at the time.
1987
Special Air Service
After a gruelling selection process, begins a three-year stint serving as a Trooper in 21st Regiment SAS, part of the UK Special Forces Reserve.
Trained in combat survival, demolitions and close quarter fighting.
1996
Parachuting accident
One of the darkest times for Bear, sent to military rehabilitation at Headley Court, UK, after a freak freefall parachuting accident in Southern Africa, which broke his spine in three places. Told he might never walk again…
1996
Climbing the unclimbable
Under a year later, and not listening to the dream-stealers, Bear pushes himself through intense rehab to get back up on his feet, Bear climbs a Himalayan peak that Edmund Hillary once described as 'unclimbable’. The 22,000ft summit of Ama Dablam, Nepal.
1998
Record breaker
At just 23 years of age, Bear becomes the youngest person ever to summit Everest.
1999
Circumnavigating the British Isles
Guides a team circumnavigating the British Isles on jet skis - raising money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
2000
Family man
The beginning of life as a family, marrying his wife Shara.
2000
Naked rower
Rows naked in a bathtub with his best friend Charlie Mackesy, along the river Thames to raise funds for a friend who lost his legs in a climbing accident.
2001
Wake up call
A big wake up call and difficult period at the age of 25 as his Father passes away.
2003
Navigates the Arctic Ocean
Guides a team to navigate an unassisted crossing of the North Atlantic Arctic Ocean in an open rigid inflatable boat, battling Force 8 gales and huge icebergs on the 3,500 mile journey. In aid of the Princes Trust and supported by the Royal Navy.
2003
First break
Entering the slightly intimidating and unknown world of TV, Bear gets his first ever break in a commercial featuring his journey to the summit of Everest.
The kid who climbed Everest
First book published ‘The Kid who Climbed Everest’.
2003
Foray into fatherhood
First foray into fatherhood, welcoming his son Jesse into the world.
2005
Open-air dinner
Helps create a world record for the highest open-air formal dinner party; suspended under a hot-air balloon at 25,000 ft, to support The Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
2005
Lieutenant Commander
Bear is awarded an honorary commission with the Royal Navy, serving as a Lieutenant-Commander.
2005
French Foreign Legion
Bear begins his TV career on C4 with eleven other ‘recruits’ enduring what it is like to go through the infamous French Foreign Legion's basic desert training in the Sahara.
2006
Man vs. Wild
Bear is approached by the Discovery Channel to film a series of wilderness adventures where he gets dropped into some of the world’s most inhospitable places, and has to demonstrate some of his extreme survival skills. And so begins the journey of seven seasons of Man vs. Wild.
2006
Marmaduke Grylls
Birth of his second child, Marmaduke Grylls.
2007
Flying over Everest
Decides to give a record-setting paramotor attempt another shot and this time, to fly over the height of Everest in the Himalayas. Battling with temperatures of −60 °C and enduring dangerously low oxygen levels – he eventually reached an estimated 29,250 ft – happy days!
2008
Antarctic climb cut short
Later that year, Bear’s Antarctic climbing and paramotoring expedition is cut short when, while kite skiing, a ski catches on the ice, launching him into the air and breaking his shoulder on impact. Two months of rehab and then finally back on his feet… as they say, storms make us stronger!
2010
Worst Case Scenario
Discovery Channel commission another series with Bear called: Worst Case Scenario. The show features skills he learned in the 21 SAS including self-defence, evasive driving, parkour, urban survival, and wilderness survival.
2008
Longest indoor free fall
Using a vertical wind tunnel, Bear and his team set a new Guinness World Record for the longest continuous indoor free fall. The previous record was 1 hour 36 minutes by a US team. In support of the worldwide children's charity, Global Angels.
2009
Huckleberry is born
Celebrates the birth of his youngest son, Huckleberry.
2009
Youngest ever Chief Scout
Bear’s proudest achievement to date, appointed the youngest-ever Chief Scout to the U.K. Scout Association, acting as figurehead to over 50 million Scouts worldwide.
2010
Journey through the Arctic Ocean
Back in the inflatable boat, Bear navigates an ice-breaking RIB through 2,500 miles of the ice-strewn Northwest Passage in the Arctic Ocean. In aid of Global Angels.
2011
Wild Weekends
A brand new direction for his career, Bear’s Wild Weekends kicks off taking some U.K. stars out on adventures for Channel 4, guests include Stephen Fry, Jonathan Ross & Miranda Hart.
19XX
Mud, Sweat and Tears
Bear releases an honest life account in Mud, Sweat and Tears: The Autobiography which spends 8 weeks as Number 1 in the Sunday Times bestseller list and voted the most influential book in China for 2012.
2012
Survival Academy
The first Bear Grylls Survival Academy opens giving people the chance to get muddy and hands on with bush craft and the great outdoors.
2013
Escape from Hell series
Reliving the experiences and stories of survivors who have managed to defy the odds and survive in an array of mind boggling scenarios, Bear brings Discovery Channel a new series, Escape from Hell.
2013
Get Out Alive series
Bringing a new network into the picture, Bear films his first series for the USA network NBC called Get Out Alive.
2013
A Survival Guide for Life
A Survival Guide for Life is published, on how to achieve your goals and thrive in adversity.
2013
Royal Marine Commandos
Awarded the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Marine Commandos.=
2014
Running Wild
Get Out Alive gets superseded by the introduction of Running Wild with Bear Grylls. In this prime time hit adventure series, Bear takes celebrities on two-day journeys in the wild. The show is then aired worldwide on Discovery Channel.
2014
Land Rover Ambassador
Embodying the ‘above and beyond’ Spirit, Bear is announced as Global Ambassador for Jaguar Land Rover. For the toughest challenges, Land Rover is always the vehicle of choice.
2014
The Island with Bear Grylls
Fascinated by the psychology of survival, he launches his first televised experiment observing island castaways on C4’s The Island with Bear Grylls.
2015
Young adults survival books series
Bear also writes the Mission Survival series of children's adventure survival books, which are published worldwide.
2015
President Barack Obama
Much to his surprise, The White House ask Bear to take former President Barack Obama on a televised journey into the Alaskan Wilderness to look at the effects of Global warming and climate change. A real pinch yourself moment for Bear…!
2015
Sunday Times bestseller
Based on his late Grandfather’s treasure chest of secret files, Bear writes and publishes his first book of adult fiction, called ‘Ghost Flight’ from his trilogy. This hit the Sunday Times Bestseller List.
2015
British GQ Magazine
Bear is interviewed for the cover of British GQ Magazine and becomes a monthly columnist for the publication. Later being awarded TV Personality at the GQ Man of the Year Awards.
2015
Breaking Point
Breaking Point for Discovery Channel airs, where Bear brings people into the wild to help them conquer their deepest fears and anxieties, getting them to face their nightmares head on!
2015
Britain's Biggest Adventures
“You don’t always have to travel to the ends of the earth to experience incredible adventures and mind-blowing landscapes. Sometimes the best things are found right here, at home, in Great Britain”. Bear Grylls.
In this three-part series for ITV, Bear heads out on an epic journey of discovery across England, Scotland and Wales to experience the British Isles at their most spectacular.
2015
Mission Survive
In this series 8 celebrities go on a 12 day survival trek with Bear and his right hand team, Megan Hine and Scott Heffield. They must learn to navigate difficult terrain, build shelters, make fire and eat the food that nature provides. The stars face a range of challenges and Bear himself eliminates one of them each week, leaving three in the final.
2016
Survival School
Opening up to a wider audience and giving kids the chance to partake in his programming, Bear presents a new CITV series called Bear Grylls Survival School.
2016
Survivor Games
Bear also films his first primetime show in China called Survivor Games, taking Chinese celebrities on a two week journey through the jungle.
2015
Absolute Wild
Following on from Survivor Games, Bear hosts a new show for China called Absolute Wild, where he takes Chinese stars on one on one adventures in varying wilderness locations across the world.
2017
Chief Scout
The largest youth movement on the planet, extends Bear’s appointment as Chief Scout until 2020, making him one of the longest serving Chief Scouts in history.
2017
BG Fitness Centres
Based around the way he keeps fit and prepares for his adventures, he launches Bear Grylls Fitness centres Nationwide in the UK.
2018
Face the Wild
A brand new series for ‘Facebook Watch’ powered by Facebook, 10 journeys introducing you to some incredible unsung heroes who have battled unbelievable odds in their lives.
2017
How To Stay Alive
Bear’s latest book ‘How to Stay Alive’ has hit the bestseller list and is available on our store. For the first time he is putting all his expertise in one book providing you with dozens of essential skills to survive the modern world.
2018
The Bear Grylls Adventure
Join us at the NEC, Birmingham to conquer some epic mental and physical challenges at The Bear Grylls Adventure. We will bring together some of the most incredible adventures across mountains, deserts and jungles from across the globe.
2018
First ever Chief Ambassador to World Scouting
The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) announced Bear as it's first ever Chief Ambassador to World Scouting. Bear is so proud to take on this global position with the aim to encourage young people worldwide to find their adventures and know the power of courage, kindness and never giving up. Bear has been the youngest ever Chief Scout in the United Kingdom for nearly a decade now and will continue that role alongside his new position.
2019
Be Military Fit launches
Be Military Fit with Bear Grylls launches Nationwide in the UK.
2019
Prime Minister Modi
Bear takes the Prime Minister of India PM Narendra Modi on a Man vs Wild adventure in the Indian rainforest with the message of protecting the planet, promoting peace and encouraging the message of Never Giving Up. The show reaches 3.6 billion hits.
2019
Hostile Planet
& You Vs Wild
Bear brings a new show “Hostile Planet” to National Geographic Channel and stars in the first ever interactive adventure TV show in history on Netflix called You Vs Wild - over 100m people download and view the series.
2019
David Walliams
The latest “Bear’s Mission With” for ITV saw Bear take David Walliams out on an adventure
2015
Running Wild on National Geographic
The hit show “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” show moves across to National Geographic Channel for it's fifth season.
2019
Guest Editor of Lonely Planet
Based on his late Grandfather’s treasure chest of secret files, Bear writes and publishes his first book of adult fiction, called ‘Ghost Flight’ from his trilogy. This hit the Sunday Times Bestseller List.
2019
World's Toughest Race: Eco Challenge Fiji
Bear films his biggest budget TV series yet called: Eco Challenge The World’s Toughest Race airing in 2020 on Amazon Prime.
2019
Awarded an OBE
Bear was honoured with an OBE for services to young people, the media and Scouting in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
The announcement followed his appointment as Chief Ambassador to the World Scouting organisation and the celebration of Bear’s 10th anniversary as Chief Scout in the UK.
2019
The Natural Studios
The new production label The Natural Studios launches, led by Bear and Delbert Shoopman as co-CEOs. Banijay Group, the world’s leading independent content producer and distributor is backing and funding the new business as the duo build the ultimate “global go-to adventure” TV/Film production company.
The Natural Studios will be providing a home for the best adventure talent worldwide, to help them create shows that inspire and move people to go for it in their lives and to never give up.
