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On the BBC website at the moment is the story of a small incident that happened at Battersea Power Station earlier this week. I was there, having infiltrated a swanky soiree for the launch of Bear Gryll’s new TV show, to watch a Q&A with the man himself.

From the outside launch parties look like fun affairs, but when you arrive after a day at work, dressed casually and smelling of sweat and despair, they can be a little daunting. Particularly so if you can’t see a single person you recognise, and you’re stone cold sober.

I’d arrived slightly late, having spent twenty-five minutes walking around Battersea, trying to find the entrance to the site, so after a few moments of wandering around in a daze, I was herded outside, and told to ‘cast our my eyes upwards’.

At this point the whisper went round the crowd of helicopters, of planes, of parachuting. To be honest, had Bear descended in by rocket pack, I doubt anyone would have been too surprised. What we actually got was something a little less bizarre, but still very much within the theme: Bear at the top of the power station, asking us how he should get down.

I wasn’t alone in shouting ‘jump’.

Fortunately, he didn’t take the advice, instead he chose to abseil. As he did, an animation began playing, projected directly on to the front of the power station. It started with a shaft of flame shooting up toward the chimneys, followed by images of the walls crumbling, and the ‘inside’ burning. To cap it off, fairly sizeable pyrotechnic charges went off, launching flame fifteen feet into the air and sending the noise of explosions echoing across South London.

Of course, we were only half-watching this. Our focus was mainly on Bear’s descent, as well as following the request to tweet details of what we were seeing. And of course, no matter how good it looked, we could see quite clearly that it was a projection. Mostly because the building was being used as the screen.

Consequently I doubt anyone gave even a second thought to the notion that someone the other side of the river might think the power station was on fire. Which made it all the more amusing when, ten minutes later, we were sat in a marquee waiting for the Q&A to begin, and were told two fire engines had turned up.

Unfortunately, in all the excitement I failed to hit record on my Dictaphone. Consequently I can’t really offer any highlights from the Q&A session. To make up for this failure, here are a series of entirely true* and meticulously researched** facts about Bear Grylls.

–          Bear Grylls was created by the British Army as a part of a World War II super soldier programme. He is over 90 years old.

–          Bear, along with his friend Ray Mears was once sent on a quest to destroy the One Ring. The quest was successful, but Bear got peckish on the way home, and Ray hasn’t been seen since.

–          An episode of Born Survivor shows Bear wearing a seal skin as a wet suit. What we didn’t see was when he fashioned an entire tuxedo from just six penguins.

–          It isn’t necessary for Bear to drink his own urine. He does it because it’s sterile and he likes the taste.

–          Bear once spent a night in the desert, asleep inside a camel, On his return to the UK, Bear threw out all his camping equipment and bought a zoo.

–          “Bear Grylls” is a nickname. His real surname is Jones.

–          Bear was once considered by the BBC as a possible replacement for David Attenborough. A pilot episode was planned, but was abandoned when he ate the subjects of the documentary.

 

And here’s a video of him abseiling down Battersea Power Station

Bear Grylls Escape Form Hell has it’s UK premiere on the Discovery Channel on 7th October

*false

**Made up

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