My 12-year-old sister shouted, ‘Come and watch this TV programme, you’ll love it. It is all about naked men trying to prove how tough they are.’ She was right, I did like it, so much so that at the end, when applicants were invited to apply for the second series, I filled in the online form immediately.
The programme was Last Man Standing and involved six contestants travelling the world to live with tribes for two weeks. At the end of each show they fought members of the tribe using the tribes’ traditional form of combat. They had stick fighting with Zulu warriors in South Africa and wrestling with nomads in Mongolia. I told my girlfriend that the appeal was not so much the physical conflict as the overall cultural and aesthetic experience. What really interested me was the fighting. I sent off my application form, drawing attention to my best school subjects — rugby, Duke of Edinburgh, climbing, cycling — plus boxing, the Cresta run, rodeo riding and a stint with the British army.
A week later the BBC rang to say my application looked ‘very good’ and would I please come in to meet them. To me this was confirmation that I was to travel the world on a fabulous adventure before becoming the next Ben Fogle. I flicked through adventure catalogues choosing rugged outdoor tools and wondered whether I might get some sponsorship from Blacks.
The show comprises three English and three American contestants. The result is a diverse mix. The current series includes one of America’s top power-lifters as well as a slim-built Oxford graduate. While I liked to imagine I would be portrayed as the tough, muscle-bound outdoor sort, I was actually pretty clear about my own type.
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