We talk about the recent libel case. I ask how important the victory was. “It’s not finished. Part of the case won’t be heard till November. That’s about the accusation that I wrote a death threat letter to myself, posted it to myself, wasted an enormous amount of police time and terrified my family. They’ve made films about it. This is a different group of people called Fieldsports Channel.” Does he socialise? “I remember Charlotte saying to me, soon after we met, ‘Let’s go and see so and so,’ and I said, ‘Why?’ She said it would be nice to see them, and I said, ‘But what for?’ Why would I give up my time just for the purpose of seeing them unless they’ve got something interesting to tell me or we’ve something to do. What’s the point?” His words sound callous, mercenary even, but his tone is tender. Did fellow students think he was a freak? “Yeah.” Did he think he was a freak? “Yeah I did, and I didn’t want to be a freak, and it made me really angry.” With himself or others? “Both. I didn’t have a lot of time for my peers at that point. There was a lot of aggression.” Was he tough? “I wasn’t particularly tough, but I wouldn’t take bullying. I wasn’t good at controlling my temper. I subsequently learned to control it. When you’re a kid and it seems it’s you versus the world, you tend to lash out.”

Earth: Over 4 Billion Years in the Making by Chris Packham

What’s difficult to grasp is how somebody so withdrawn from the human world could make such a successful career for himself in television. In his early 20s, he worked as a camera assistant on nature documentaries such as The Living Planet. By his mid-20s, he was on The Really Wild Show. He looked so cool and confident – a peroxide-haired punk who seemed totally at ease with the world. “When I started TV, somebody said to me, ‘You can either be confident or not give a shit,’ so I think it’s not giving a shit. If we’re doing something like Springwatch, it’s not brain surgery; nobody ever dies because you messed something up on television. You’ve got to keep things in perspective. I try to do my job well, I try to maximise my professionalism. I work very hard at that. But I don’t take the overall thing seriously.” Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the “Settings & Account” section. What happens at the end of my trial?Eat, Drink, and Be Merry: The Ultimate Guide to Celebrating Christmas with the Best Drinks Books On The Shelves

Earth: Over 4 Billion Years in the Making – HarperCollins

The most epic moments from the Earth's history ... Crammed with loads of interesting trivia' Closer Combines the natural history of programmes such as David Attenborough’s Planet Earth with the planetary focus of Brian Cox’s Universe’ Guardian History Makers: Female Writers Dominate the 2023 William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award ShortlistWe went to Iceland to see volcanic regions, that was spectacular. I also liked the historical nature of a temple complex in Mexico, which was in a biosphere reserve with brilliant wildlife. Then in Chile, it's incredibly hot, dry and high and it parallels early hostile environments where species didn't only survive, they prospered.” Are there any similarities between Earth’s previous challenges and the ones we are facing now? Actually, he says, planning the future is pointless, because he can’t envisage it. Sure, his diary is full for the next few months, but beyond that he finds it impossible to make long-term plans. “Charlotte says I’m like an alien because I don’t generate an imagined future. But expectations are one of the most dangerous things you can have in life. If you have expectations of people, they will fail you. If you have expectations of yourself, you’ll fail yourself. Whenever I’ve been foolish enough to generate any expectation, I’ve always failed myself.” I don’t like looking at myself. I don’t watch myself on TV. I don’t like myself mentally, let alone physically. I can just about look in the mirror to shave Combines the natural history of programmes such as David Attenborough's Planet Earth with the planetary focus of Brian Cox's Universe to show how their interconnectivity has created and sometimes almost obliterated life on Earth' Guardian

Earth The Secrets of Our Planet Revealed The Science of the Earth The Secrets of Our Planet Revealed

Traces some of the greatest eruptions, freezes and moments of sheer destruction in Earth’s history … A reminder that the planet is more indifferent to us than we care to admit” - IFL Science Combines the natural history of programmes such as David Attenborough’s Planet Earth with the planetary focus of Brian Cox’s Universe to show how their interconnectivity has created and sometimes almost obliterated life on Earth” - Guardian This is an informative, visually arresting introduction to planet Earth. The core of The Science of the Earth features large, detailed photographs of single objects, many of them small enough to be held in the hand, that each speak volumes about an aspect of Earth's environments and how they work. For example, bubbles of ancient air trapped inside an Antarctic ice core reveal how Earth's climate has changed over time. A piece of pumice thrown several miles into the air by a volcano helps to explain what happens when tectonic plates collide.

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Many of the most fascinating parts of the natural world are beyond reach. This beautiful, informative book brings them up-close and within our grasp.