Depending on how you look at it, Steve Backshall is either incredible brave or totally bonkers – and likely a good dollop of both.
In his new ITV show Fierce, the presenter pulls the same trick as he did on too-good-to-just-be-a-kids-show Deadly 60 – namely, getting up close and personal with some of the world’s most powerful animals, big and small.
The man simply has no qualms about holding venomous beasties or getting into water with the world’s most venomous fish.
Backshall is as watchable as ever in Fierce, as he travels the globe in search of the planet’s most jaw-dropping creatures – and all delivered with a casual demeanour.
“I’ve never handled one of these before, so I’m ever so slightly cautious” he says, cool as a cucumber as he picks up the deadly stonefish.
He’s not just thrill-seeking though – the brilliance of Backshall is the wealth of knowledge that he has about the species he’s looking for, packing out the thrills with amazing facts and enthusiastic delivery.
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One of the highlights of Episode 1 sees Backshall heading out to meet Komodo Dragons – which goes slightly awry when one of them hops into his boat.
“I had a feeling that wasn’t going to work perfectly, but that was a disaster!” he laughs it off. What did we say: brave and bonkers.
ITV, 8pm