Wrap Of Man Vs Wild Season 6

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.

Ok so after seven seasons of huge adventure and many narrow escapes, we have wrapped up Man Vs Wild (for now!)

My Grandpa always used to say you have to finish things that you love five minutes too early rather than too late and that it is always best to finish strong. So in line with this, the time to start planning some new shows has come!

My goal remains the same: to make programmes that are high-adventure based, that empower people to survive in the wild and that continue to push the boundaries. So, on that front, watch this space!

In the meantime we have launched my autobiography Mud Sweat & Tears and in the UK and Australia it has hit the Sunday Times number 1 bestseller. I am so touched by people’s response to the book and never in my dreams did I actually believe it would even become a bestseller, let alone number 1 for 10 weeks – so thank you!

I have been busy recently supporting Scouts all around the world – that great worldwide force for good, some 28 million young people strong! What a privilege to be Chief Scout and to encourage young people to get out there, to live boldly and to follow their dream.

As a movement we are now growing like never before, and with the great encouragement and support from HRH Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, we are continuing to bring adventure to those who might never normally get such an opportunity.

I had the great honour recently of escorting Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth to take the Parade of some of the world’s top scouts who had achieved their Queen’s Scout Awards, at Windsor castle. Once again, a huge privilege to celebrate so many young people’s incredible achievements.

I have also been asked to represent TeamGB as we head into the Olympics 2012, along with 10 other UK Ambassadors. I feel super proud to have been asked to represent both our incredible athletes and our proud nation to the world.

I am going to be carrying the Olympic torch as well, as part of the relay to London – how and where and when we are keeping a secret for now, but the main goal is to keep the flame alight during the stunt!

We also had a blast launching TeamGB at the Albert Hall last week, rappelling the 180ft down from the roof of one of the world’s most remarkable buildings, and almost knocking out Prince William in the process!