simonreeve
Simon Reeve is instantly recognisable from his many globetrotting documentaries. For more than 15 years this fresh-faced, easy-going lad about-town has travelled the world uncovering breakaway states in the award-winning Places that Don't Exist, scaling live volcanoes for Equator and sipping ouzo with shepherds in his study of modern Greece.
Now the intrepid explorer is once again preparing to shoulder his pack. This time, however, the terrain is less arduous. For Reeve's latest assignment is a five-month, 61-date speaker tour of the UK, with Richmond an early port of call.
"The whole idea is a bit of a blur really," he laughs. "I was approached by a man called Giles Cooper, a big hitter in the entertainment industry who has produced shows for Sir Elton John and Take That. He suggested it - and if he thinks it's a good idea, then who am I to argue? I won't lie, it's a little bit intimidating. Still, as long as people don't throw anything sharp, I think it will be OK."
In fact, being so open to opportunity - saying 'yes' to things to which most people would say 'no' - is, according to Simon, the main reason that he is where he is.
Born in West London in 1972, Simon had what he describes as a "cosy" childhood with his younger brother, James. His mum was a hospital worker, his dad a teacher. Things turned tricky during his teenage years, however, as he battled underage drinking and a tendency towards petty crime on the streets of Ealing.
Disillusioned by school (he scraped an inglorious D in his English A-Level), he turned his hand to jobs ranging from jewellery shop assistant to van driver - and was sacked from every one. By 19, he had resigned himself to life on "the scrapheap".
In his latest book, Step By Step, Simon opens up about his troubled past. Having "no qualifications, no girlfriend, no prospects" left him feeling suicidal, he admits. In the end, however, he realised that he "feared the pain of dying more than I feared life".
Luckily his dad spotted an ad for a post boy in the offices of The Sunday Times. Simon applied and, "by some miracle", was taken on. The job was just what he needed and he quickly realised that if, he wanted to make something of his life, now was the time.
"I have never had any kind of grand plan," he says. "It has been a journey - which I know is a cliche, but only because that's really what life is. I know it sounds bonkers to go from post boy to telly traveller, but don't forget that there was a certain amount of time in between. I was lucky, but I worked hard. I said 'yes' to everything, I was open to everything and I always volunteered."
While keeping busy in the post room, Simon began researching and writing in his spare time. His hard work paid off when he was given the chance to pursue his editorial ambitions after coming to the attention of one of the paper's established journalists. His area of expertise: international terrorism.
After covering the story of the first World Trade Center bombing, when a car was detonated nearby in 1993, Simon decided to find out more about Al-Qaeda, the organisation that claimed responsibility. He turned his findings into a book: The New Jackals was published in 1998 before slipping quietly from the literary landscape.
Then came the second assault on the New York landmark: the devastating 9/11 attacks. Suddenly the world's media needed an expert on Osama bin Laden - and Simon was it.
"Basically my phone started ringing and, thankfully, it didn't stop," he recalls. Soon afterwards he was approached to make Meet the Stans for the BBC, looking at Afghanistan, Kazakhstan et al. This led to the documentary series House of Saud, which saw Simon mingle with everyone from Saudi princes to Islamist fundamentalists and bin Laden's former best friend. Countless shows, books and awards followed.
"It's not rocket science making these programmes," he says. "I just try to come up with ideas that sound exotically appealing, and which enable me to tell great stories and meet inspiring people. It's hard work, but a huge privilege too."
Of course, this televisual privilege has also extended to the odd close shave. In Mogadishu, while on a visit to meet members of the UN-backed Somalia peacekeeping force, Simon came under fire from soldiers of the Islamist militant group, Al Shabaab. It was he says, the most scared he has ever been.
simonreeve
Since 2011, however, the presence of son Jake has put his adventuring firmly in perspective.
"It's complicated. I miss my family desperately. But I adore the journeys - they are so life-enhancing and I would be a shadow of the person I am if I wasn't doing them. They have been my education, my motivation and, outside of my family, have given me all my purpose and meaning. But having a seven-year-old is a great reason to stay put."
Despite a few close calls, Simon has always been "pleasantly surprised" at how safe the world is. "We are hard-wired to fear 'the other', but if you can put that fear to one side, the experience you can have are amazing," he enthuses. "I encourage people to take a few risks, even if it's only eating local food in the bar when you're abroad. Yes, there are problems; yes there are dangers. But seeing the world with your own eyes give you a different perspective."
For the time being though, Simon's family are surely relieved that he'll be safe in the nation's theatres.
"Maybe,' he laughs. "But I want to make audiences feel like they're travelling the world from the comfort of their seats. I've been to 120 countries, through war zones and into some of the beautiful and bizarre places on Earth, and I want people to understand how great travelling is. It's life-affirming, it's life-enhancing and we should embrace it as much as we can."
