River Monsters Live at The Bristol Old Vic.

Sunday 23rd March 2014.



It was the show I'd been waiting for ever since I heard about it – a live talk by the man who makes River Monsters (produced by Bristol's Icon Film) so watchable, Jeremy Wade. Unfortunately I had a stonking cold that had totally wiped me out for days and made me feel ready for bed at 8pm for the past three days, keeping me in on my best friends' birthday, but I dragged myself down into town because this was one I wasn't prepared to miss.

We arrived in time to grab a quick drink from the bar and suss out the audience whilst taking our seats. There was a mix of ages, starting from around 5 years old and going all the way up, and a fair mix of the sexes. As my husband put it, “Its not the sausage fest I was expecting!” The lights dimmed and out Jeremy came, dressed modestly in a plain black t-shirt and some combat trousers. He did a quick reccy of the audience and established that the fishing to non-fishing contingency was around 50:50 and began talking to us in a very natural and easy manner.

For those of you who haven't seen the show on TV the basic premise is that each episode Jeremy travels to somewhere under the premise of investigating a 'fisherman's tale' which usually surrounds an unexplained or unattributed death in freshwater circumstances. In order to reasonably explain which culprit might be to blame he hooks and lands what he feels is the most likely suspect species of fish, always releasing it back unharmed afterwards. I am a totally ichthyophobic (terrified of fish) to the point where I cannot swim in wild waters or even visit an aquarium. I am ok being near ponds and fish tanks as long as I do not have to be too close to them and can get away if I need to. I started watching River Monsters as a way of proving to myself that in fact my fear was rational and there are things to worry about out there in the waters of the world. I was hooked in (pardon the pun) by the interesting stories and the natural history aspect of the show.



You might wonder, as we did, what River Monsters Live would be about. Would there be captive fish for us to gawk at as there quite often are on TV chat shows? Would it be a run-down of the most interesting investigations from the 5 series of River Monsters told in Jeremy's own words? Would it be really boring and ruin my admiration for him? What it was was a little unexpected but totally captivating.

Jeremy talked quite naturally about his back-story and how he got into fishing, from his earliest experiences to his travels around the world. We heard about his surprising encounter with the 'Amazon Nessie' in 1994 which is why he never dismisses the unusual and seemingly unbelievable stories he hears. He studied zoology at Bristol University and then went on to teach as a means to funding his global adventures. Jeremy started writing articles for fishing magazines and ended up as a TV presenter almost by accident.

River Monsters the show was seemingly organically conceived once he had made a couple of TV programmes. Jeremy went on to fill us in on some of the filming secrets and shenanigans and gave away some techniques and behind-the-scenes stories. At the end of the first and second halves there were a chance for questions and answers, which prompted a mix of interactivity from the audience– the most intelligent and genuinely interesting questions coming from the inquisitiveness of the children in the audience.

Following the show Jeremy came out to the foyer to sign autographs and have photographs taken with the well-mannered line of fans. My husband had bought me a copy of the River Monsters book in the interval so we jumped into the queue to get it signed however we nearly had a very public domestic row when I discovered he had let his battery run out on his smart phone and we would miss our photo opportunity! (I myself only have a basic mobile that can just call and text.) Luckily for him the couple ahead of us in the line were very kind and offered to take and email the pictures for us so marital crisis averted. When our moment came to meet Jeremy we were both a little star struck and hardly said anything except to tell him we are friends with one of his crew on the show and thank him for the autograph and photo! He was gracious, patient and made time for all of the people who had come to see him, no mater how overbearing or shy they were.

I came away feeling very pleased for having battled through my overwhelming cold and gone along on a chilly March evening. I could have listened to Jeremy talk for hours more about his experiences and adventures. It is undoubtable that he is the reason River Monsters has been such a success, with a 6th series having now been filmed (airing later this year). He has an obviously genuine interest and respect for the people, places and the creatures he encounters and this translates so well onto the screen. If you ever get the chance to hear him talk I would definitely recommend spending an evening with Jeremy Wade.

You can find out more about Jeremy Wade, his programmes and books on his website www.jeremywade.co.uk