Ray Mears

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Ray Mears
Ray Mears 2021.jpg
Mears in 2021
Born (1964-02-07) 7 February 1964 (age 59)
Coulsdon and Purley, Surrey, England
Nationality British
Occupation(s) Television presenter, author
Years active1994–present
Employer ITV
Known for Bushcraft
Spouse(s)Rachel Mears
(m. 2005; her death 2006)
Ruth Mears
(m. 2009)

Raymond Paul Mears (born 7 February 1964) is a British woodsman, instructor, businessman, author and TV presenter. His TV appearances cover bushcraft and survival techniques.

Contents

He is best known for the TV series Ray Mears' Bushcraft , Ray Mears' World of Survival , Extreme Survival , Survival with Ray Mears , Wild Britain with Ray Mears and Ray Mears Goes Walkabout .

Early life

Mears grew up on the North Downs, in Southern England. He attended Downside Preparatory School in Purley and then Reigate Grammar School, where he was a member of the Royal Navy section of the Combined Cadet Force.[ citation needed ]

Mears's ambition was to join the Royal Marines, but he could not meet the eyesight requirements for entry. After taking A-levels, Mears briefly worked in an office in the City of London. [1]

Career

In 1983, Mears founded Woodlore, a company that offers bushcraft-related courses and paraphernalia. [2] It became so successful that it soon led to the trademarking of the name "Ray Mears". Mears first appeared on television in 1994 presenting the BBC series Tracks and then, in 1997, Ray Mears' World of Survival . In 2003, he presented the BBC documentary Ray Mears' Real Heroes of Telemark about the Norwegian heavy water sabotage mission during World War II.

In 2003, Mears won The Ness Award.

While filming a documentary in Wyoming, US in 2005, Mears was involved in a serious accident. The helicopter in which he and his camera crew were travelling hit the ground during a steep low level turn, and broke apart, rolling to a stop. The fuel tank was ruptured in the accident and escaping fuel covered Mears and the crew. No fire occurred, and Mears was able to escape the wreckage uninjured and assist in the rescue and administer first aid to one of the crew who was badly hurt. [3]

In 2009, Mears was approached by ITV to present a planned revival of the nature documentary series Survival . [4] The resulting three-part series was rebranded Survival with Ray Mears and broadcast on ITV1 in 2010. Each episode followed Mears as he used his tracking skills to locate bears, wolves and leopards.

In a Radio Times interview to promote the series, Mears complained of being typecast by the BBC with the result that he was not offered the opportunity to present wildlife programmes. [5] Mears was a guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs in January 2014. [6] His choices were "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by the Rolling Stones, "English Rose" by the Jam, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by the Beatles, "Annie's Song" by John Denver, "Maria" by Blondie, "Suddenly I See" by KT Tunstall, "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" by Elton John and "Feeling Good" by Nina Simone. [6]

In 2009, he was awarded the prestigious Mungo Park Medal. [7]

In July 2010, Mears was asked by Northumbria Police to help them track fugitive killer Raoul Moat, after he fled his temporary tent-based shelter in the village of Rothbury. [8]

Between 2010 and 2013 he presented three series of Wild Britain on ITV. [9] The first series consisted of six 45 minute episodes, while series two and three had ten episodes of programmes lasting half an hour. Each programme would see Mears visit a different habitat in a different part of the country. The programme was a rating success, regularly featuring in the top 30 watched programmes of the week.

2013 also saw Mears write My Outdoor Life, which was a Sunday Times bestseller.[ citation needed ]

In 2014, he presented Wilderness Walks, where he visited six areas of natural beauty across the United Kingdom. [10] Each episode would see Mears spend day in a location exploring the local wildlife and offering advice on how to find wild food and make the most of natural resources. In 2015 he presented Wild River, a one-off episode where he explores the wildlife around the River Wye.

2016 saw him present Wild Australia where he explored the wildlife of several locations both on land and in the sea, coming across several iconic Australian species, such as the Red Kangaroo and Platypus. He then presented six episodes of Wild France, [11] travelling around the country and looking at its wildlife. Following the same format as his previous series, each programme focused on a different environment. He returned to Australia in 2017, presenting the seven part-series Australian Wilderness with Ray Mears. [12]

In 2021, he presented Wild China, a seven part series, where he visited a range of habitats and looked at several iconic animals, including Snow Leopards and Giants Pandas. [13] [14]

Personal life

Mears met his first wife, Rachel, in 1992 when she attended one of his five-day survival courses. The couple lived in Eastbourne, East Sussex with her two adult children and married in 2005, after Rachel was diagnosed with breast cancer. Rachel died in 2006, aged 50, and her ashes are scattered in Ashdown Forest near their home. [15]

Mears married again in 2009 to Ruth. [16] They live in Sussex with her stepson. [17]

In 2019 he was awarded an honorary degree from the University of York's archaeology department for "...his excellent representation of craft, the wilderness and public outreach." [18]

Series

Books

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<i>Extreme Survival</i> Television series

Extreme Survival is a survival television series hosted by Ray Mears. The series was produced for the BBC. In the series Mears demonstrates his wilderness skills and presents tales of survival from some of the world's most difficult environments. The show was first broadcast in 1999, after the success of World of Survival from 1997 to 1998, and ended in 2002.

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<i>Ray Mears World of Survival</i> (TV series) British TV series or programme

Ray Mears' World of Survival is a survival television series hosted by Ray Mears. The series airs on the BBC in United Kingdom, it is also shown on Discovery Channel in the United States, Canada, India, Italy, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands and Russia. The show was first broadcast in 1997 with "The Arctic", and ended in 1998. It would be followed by Extreme Survival.

<i>Ray Mears Bushcraft</i> British TV series or programme

Bushcraft is a survival television series hosted by Ray Mears. The series airs on the BBC in United Kingdom, it also shown on Discovery Channel in the United States, Canada, India, Italy, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, Czech Republic, Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands, Romania and Russia. Following on from Extreme Survival, Bushcraft was first shown in 2004, and ended in 2005.

<i>Wild Food</i> Documentary television series

Wild Food Documentary is a documentary television series hosted by Ray Mears. The series airs on the BBC in United Kingdom, it is also shown on Discovery Channel in the United States, Canada, India, Italy, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands and Russia. The show was first broadcast with an episode set in Australia and ended with "Woodland". The theme tune is not unlike the one heard in World of Survival.

<i>Ray Mears Goes Walkabout</i> British TV series or programme

Ray Mears Goes Walkabout is a survival television series hosted by Ray Mears, showing Mears in Australia. The series aired from 2008 on the BBC in United Kingdom, and was also shown on Discovery Channel in Canada, India, Italy, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Russia, and the United States. The broadcast version uses an updated Australian-themed take on the opening theme music to Ray Mears' World of Survival.

<i>Survival</i> (TV series) British TV series or programme

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<i>Ray Mears Northern Wilderness</i> British TV series or programme

Ray Mears' Northern Wilderness is a television series hosted by Ray Mears, showing Mears in Canada. The series is broadcast by the BBC.

<i>Survival with Ray Mears</i> British TV series or programme

Survival with Ray Mears is a 3-part television series hosted by Ray Mears, following him as he tracks predators in their natural habitats. The series was broadcast by ITV, and was billed as the return of the Survival brand. It was followed by Wild Britain with Ray Mears.

<i>Wild Britain with Ray Mears</i> British TV series or programme

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References

  1. ↑ Ray Mears (12 September 2013). My Outdoor Life . Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN   978-1444778199.
  2. ↑ "Ray Mears – Personally Speaking Bureau". Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  3. ↑ Danziger, Danny (1 June 2008). "Best of times worst of times Ray Mears". The Times . London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.(subscription required)
  4. ↑ Holmwood, Leigh (2 April 2009). "Survival of the fittest as ITV wildlife show returns". The Guardian . London.
  5. ↑ Wightman, Catriona (16 April 2010). "Ray Mears: 'I was typecast by the BBC'". Digital Spy .
  6. 1 2 "Ray Mears". Desert Island Discs. 10 January 2014.
  7. ↑ Bannerman, Gordon (25 October 2010). "Survival expert Ray Mears to visit Perth". Daily Record. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  8. ↑ Jackson, Chris (6 October 2013). "Ray Mears reveals role in manhunt for killer Raoul Moat" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  9. ↑ "TV review: Wild Britain with Ray Mears". the Guardian. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  10. ↑ "ray mears wilderness walks - Bing". www.bing.com. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  11. ↑ Wallis, Sara (11 July 2016). "Admire the dramatic scenery as we're taken to Wild France With Ray Mears". mirror. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  12. ↑ "Australian Wilderness with Ray Mears (TV Series)". Radio Times. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  13. ↑ "TV tonight: Ray Mears leaves Britain for a forage around China". the Guardian. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  14. ↑ "TV tonight: Ray Mears leaves Britain for a forage around China". the Guardian. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  15. ↑ Thorne, Frank (9 July 2008). "TV survival guru Ray Mears on death of his wife". Daily Mirror . London.
  16. ↑ "The Ray Mears & Woodlore Bushcraft Blog". 3 August 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  17. ↑ "Interview: Ray Mears on his survival skills". The Scotsman . Edinburgh. 21 September 2013.
  18. ↑ York, Department of Archaeology University of; Manor, King's. "Ray Mears to Receive Honorary Degree from York". University of York. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  19. ↑ Katsoulis, Melissa (25 April 2008). "Ray Mears discusses bushcraft and his new book about the Australian outback". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.(subscription required)
  20. ↑ We Are Nature: How to reconnect with the wild. ASIN   1529107989.
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