Steve Backshall with king penguins.
Camera IconSteve Backshall with king penguins. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Steve Backshall shares stories in Deadly 60 Live! Pole to Pole

Tanya MacNaughtonEastern Reporter

NATURALIST Steve Backshall still struggles with packing, despite his nomadic career as host of BBC/ABCME children’s television program Deadly 60.

“I should have this down to a fine art after a lifetime travelling for a living, but I still find it tricky,” Backshall said.

However it has not stopped him from traversing the world in search of animal encounters from the world’s wildest places.

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Pole to Pole is the biggest expedition Backshall has done, taking him from the Arctic to Antarctica, and this will be the subject of his latest Deadly 60 Live! show at Riverside Theatre on January 28.

“It was 14 months across the planet, which had me dropping into the guts of a glacier and diving alongside Great Whites without a cage for comfort,” he said.

“We crossed deserts, mountains, ocean and ice before finally finishing, diving alongside a leopard seal underneath a jade green Antarctic iceberg; retelling this story on stage is going to be epic.

“There’ll be moments of madness, bits they haven’t seen before, high drama, venom-dripping fangs and striking snakes in super slow motion.

“Plus, of course, lots of bloopers and outtakes, things that didn’t go right, and plenty of chances for the audience to ask me questions about wildlife.”

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Backshall said he looked forward to the live shows after spending months filming with just his crew.

“I know how much the youngsters particularly love meeting me, shaking my hand and asking me questions,” he said.

“I still remember meeting my heroes when I was a kid.”

The tour marks Backshall’s return to Australia following live shows last summer and this time he will bring his wife, British Olympic gold medal rower Helen Glover.

“She doesn’t sit still, so I’ll have to find loads (of animal encounters) for us to do,” Backshall said.

THE ESSENTIALS

What: Deadly 60 Live! Pole to Pole

Where: Riverside Theatre

When: January 28

Tickets: www.ticketek.com.au