off to China...

Just off tonight to China for a jungle episode of Man Vs Wild. Nervous. Excited. (Both emotions that I feel a lot of on this show!)

Just had a lovely cosy week with family at home and had a fun evening with some Scouts at the premiere of Disney's film:Up, in London. Great film!

Wish me luck. Shoot a prayer!

Bear x

starting up again...

I start filming a new desert island show in the next few days.

Have had a good break - trained hard and am 100% focused on the next run of shows. These include the Rockies, desert islands, China, a USA urban one and another celeb special!

The latest series is currently airing in the USA on Discovery: Vietnam, Alabama, Alaska, Texas, and the Arctic Circle, and is doing cool.

We hit the no 1 spot again in the ratings which has been encouraging to the crew and me who have put so much into these. So thanks everyone for your support and watching.

Bear x

ps here's a pic from our family holiday!

Scouts...

I am so proud to be able to announce publicly the Scouts have appointed me as their next Chief Scout. It is a post that is a dream come true for me, as someone who has always just loved getting muddy and hanging out with good friends!

It is an honour I would never have even dare imagine as a young scout aged 7 sitting on a pavement trying to figure out how to cook one sausage with one match! (It took a while to work out the fire thing!) 

But all I have ever sought in my life is the camaraderie that comes from high adventure, and this is exactly what scouting gives us all - the chance to dare to have a dream and the opportunity to follow it. 

There are 28 million Scouts now worldwide and the movement is growing faster than ever before - and the scope for fun is HUGE! 

So, I hope I can bring big ears and a big heart to all of you guys - I am here for you, through the email: chief.scout@scout.org.uk and I hope to get round as many scout groups and camps as I can in between filming.

This post for me is about bringing the chance for those who would never normally be able to afford it or to find it, to have the opportunity to live a great adventure. This is all about you guys, the young Scouts, and the more of you I meet the more inspired I am. You are the future of Scouting and together we are all stronger.

And don't forget the inspiration you all are to others young people in your communities. People admire Scouts and what we stand for, so together we must help touch people's lives wherever we can.

God bless,

Bear x

ps two other pieces of news:

I filmed a Born Survivor Man vs Wild with Will Ferrell the actor a few months back, (see blogs below), and this airs soon on Discovery in the USA and UK.

...and I have just finished filming a commercial for the USA with Dos Equis as part of their 'Most Interesting Man' Academy. I have been invited into the Academy as one of their Chief Instructors. 

The commercial involved masses of urban survival: like escaping from burning buildings, catching rats, unarmed combat: escaping from being mugged, back somersaults off roof tops and handstands along high walls! 

All fun, though I do feel like I have done a few rounds with Tyson - concrete is less forgiving than swamp to land on always!

Vietnam Special

I have just returned from filming a Vietnam Man vs Wild Special, which was quite a mission in the very dense jungle.

It reinforced the huge respect I have for any soldier that had to operate in those very intense conditions, especially for those who turned up with no jungle experience - it must have been hell on earth indeed.

Sadly the next jungle shoot I was intending to do had to be postponed as I severed my finger down to the bone on a razor sharp strand of half cut bamboo.

I got it sewn up but it was a bit of a quick job to see me through, hence it looks a bit ugly and ragged!

The production team flew me back to the UK but what concerns me is the lack of feeling in the end of the finger now. I also sliced off the tip of another finger which bled like nobody's business, but the raw flesh is covering up now slowly. Dank, damp jungle conditions are bad for such injuries, trust me!

Anyway, hopefully the nerve damage will repair and I can get back onto the next show, God willing. But I do feel a bit battered generally. Jungle episodes are always intense.

back soon

Bear x

filming in the Arctic...

I have just returned from two pretty full on shoots in the Arctic - the first was in Northern Norway for Man vs Wild and the other was in Northern Sweden for a Man Vs Wild Special where I took will Ferrell along for the ride!

More news and pics on all this to follow, but suffice to say it was both cold and a hoot!

But these are two shows that I am especially proud of.

It is a tough environment in minus 20 always and Norway really stretched me - more than I anticipated.

I had a day of where I flew back to the UK to help at the Outdoor Show and then went out to meet Will before we got dropped in together for the Man vs Wild Special.

I really admire Will for taking the plunge and committing to come along, and he arrived with no entourage at all. Just him. I loved that. All I then asked of him was to trust me. We gave him a good briefing the night before and then we both got dropped into the mountains at dawn.

The rest will tell its tale in the show itself, but in summary: Will did amazingly, despite some quite hairy moments. I suspect people will be greatly impressed by him. And for me, it was so lovely to have someone along to laugh with!

I hope you enjoy both these shows when they air soon.

Bear x

Man Vs Wild up & running!

Well I am mended!

We have just returned from filming the first new Man Vs Wild since my shoulder accident and all went well and as a crew we survived!

We filmed in the swamps of Alabama and the show included some great moments with forest fire, pig wrestles and very tight caving, not to mention ending up being picked up by State Troopers after being pulled for hitching a ride on a logging truck to end the show!

The shoulder was sore but didn't hold me back and I figured that the way to approach the show was flat out. I feel that it is like playing rugby: it is when you are tenative that you get injured; but when you commit 100% to tackles and the game then you generally survive better.

I have a few days at home now then am off to Norway for the second programme.

There is lots of other exciting news looming but for the time being I will leave it at this.

It feels good to be back in the saddle!

God bless

Bear x

injury update and even better news!...

 

OK - first the boring bit!...

The shoulder is mending well- although it gets really sore and I still have a bone poking up under the skin which looks a bit weird! But as Evel Knievel said: “bones heal and chicks love scars!” (Although Shara doesn’t quite agree!)

Anyway, despite that, I did my first back flip this week and can walk on my hands again, I am running, doing yoga and circuits BUT and this is the but...it is not 100% by a long way and definitely is not pain free.

If it doesn’t stop hurting (a lot!) soon, I might have to get it pinned. But the plan is to rest it a bit more then start filming in early March (God willing) and see how it fares.

My favourite quote is this: ‘Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in an attractive well preserved body; rather to skid in sideways, body thoroughly worn out, covered in scars and screaming “yahoo! What a ride!”

Thank you for your support and prayers...we will get there and I guess the odd injury is par for the course. (It is just that my list of breaks, smashes and cuts is quite a long one now!) But no-one ever said adventure survival is safe or easy!


Anyway, now for the fun bit!

Last week Shara and I had our third little boy, Huckleberry Edward Joscelyne Grylls, weighing 7llbs 11 ounces and his is pure heaven.

Shara had him at home, (which was interesting, with me armed to the teeth and holding the toolbox at the ready!)and she was amazing. She did it all with no pain relief (I tried to give her an aspirin at half way but then remembered she wasn't even allowed that as it thins the blood!)

The other boys are so happy to have a baby brother. The three Musketeers. Brilliant!
Thank the Good Lord.

Bear x