British author and TV presenter Simon Reeve (48) is known for travelling to some of the most remarkable and remote destinations in the world. He has visited more than 120 countries and has been described as a young David Attenborough for his stunning nature footage.
Simon’s adventures have taken him all over the world, from arctic glaciers to tropical reefs, from the forests of Borneo to the deserts of central Asia.
His latest TV programme, Incredible Journeys with Simon Reeve (BBC2, Sundays at 8pm) celebrates his most memorable experiences.
We caught up with him to find out more...
"In the 20 or so years I’ve been fortunate enough to travel the world, I’ve had many thrilling, moving, mind-blowing but also emotional experiences.
"I’m revisiting some of these in my new series, and catching up with some of the amazing people I’ve met along the way. There have been some fairly epic adventures and I’ve loved every single moment. I hope this enthusiasm and love for the journey comes through in the programmes."
Obviously, travel options are rather limited at the moment, so how are you feeling about being grounded?
"I get itchy feet when I can’t travel. I’m a bit addicted to it, to be honest, and for someone like me who also depends on it to make a living, it’s obviously quite tricky when I can’t – like at the moment. I’ll never take travel for granted again. I didn’t grow up going on holiday to exotic destinations. In fact, I didn’t get on a plane until I was an adult and that was for work. I am very aware that I am an over-privileged telly presenter and that many are suffering much, much more than I am right now. That’s my little tale of woe – I can’t get to gad around the world! Cue the violins..."
Bangladesh had the biggest impact on me
"It’s not a touristy country by any means. It’s very poor, very crowded. It gets hammered by floods coming in from the sea and also from the rivers coming off the mountains. It’s between a rock and a hard place, really. The real joy for me there is the people – as it is everywhere I go. When I first went to Bangladesh 11 years ago, I met ten-year-old Jahangir who was a child labourer in a glass factory and earning only the equivalent of 30p a day, just enough to buy his family a small bag of rice.
"In Incredible Journeys, we managed to track him down. He’s now grown-up with a wife and baby and has his own battery-powered rickshaw – effectively a taxi service. Oh, my goodness, some tears were shed when we spoke to each other again. It was so moving. He’d survived to become a man with a family of his own. It was wonderful."
And what do you hope people take from your programmes?
"I’ve been amazed at how warm and welcoming our planet actually is. We’re sold a vision that the world is a scary place beyond Calais, frankly.
"There are, of course, many problems out there with darkness and conflict in some parts but the vast majority of the planet is welcoming and the people on it, greet you with nothing more than a smile and a laugh. That’s absolutely stunned me and has been part of the great joy of my journeys."
You're actually a city boy at heart - how's country life treating you?
"I was born and brought up in West London but moved to Devon some years ago. I joke that I was forced into it by my wife and that it was a kind of marriage arrangement – she went through the pain of childbirth and in return I agreed to Devon.
"There are so many big trees and wide-open spaces. We have two dogs who are able to run and roam, and there’s plenty of space for me and our eight-year-old son, Jake, to play football. It’s been an absolute blessing during the lockdowns."
Watch Incredible Journeys with Simon Reeve on BBC2, Sunday at 8pm. Or catch up on iPlayer.
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