Like its predecessor, it is a story of Reeve’s personal life and travels, but this is primarily focussed on the filming of his Tropic of Cancer and Indian Ocean series. Reading about Reeve’s travels was fascinating, as it felt that by this point in his career he had become more confident as a documentary maker as he gained further experience. If I’m not, then what we’re shooting isn’t strong enough quite frankly. I need to have my buttons tweaked and my preconceptions affected, definitely. That’s a really important part of the programmes. So, research goes on beforehand, sometimes for many months, but the interactions with people aren’t scripted. We just have to try and get the best we can out of every situation, so nobody’s time is wasted, least of all the viewers.’ I’d recommend also watching his relevant travel documentaries afterwards to fully place the scenarios and places he talks about. It is a nice accompaniment to visualise these landscapes for yourself.

Journeys to Impossible Places - Linghams Booksellers Journeys to Impossible Places - Linghams Booksellers

Reading more about the subject saw my frustration turn to anger – fertility is on a downward spiral and we’re being poisoned by the modern world. Some experts believe the sperm counts of western men have fallen by more than 50% over recent decades and that their defectiveness is on the rise. Meanwhile, others believe the number of miscarriages is increasing and that egg quality is in steep decline. Myself, and Jonathan, a cameraman I work with a lot, have literally pinched each other at times because we cannot believe we get to do this. What a privilege it is. We’ve lived several lives and that’s an incredible thing when lots of people feel tied to a certain life. Women used to give birth vertically (using gravity to help them) until male doctors changed the practice for their own comfort About the Author: Simon Reeve is an author and adventurer who has travelled to more than 130 countries, making multiple award-winning TV series exploring and explaining the world.

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I’m a mission-oriented, goal-focussed person. Often the projects I work on are complex and overwhelming and it’s my job to make sure problems are overcome. As I listened to her prognosis I felt powerless, our future slipping out of my hands. Receiving this information, I was totally unequipped. He was rebellious, drinking too much and failing exams, and by the age of 17 found himself standing on a bridge staring “into the final abyss”, but he struggled on and slowly began to transform his life. He got a job in the post room of a newspaper where a curious mindset and can-do attitude was soon noticed, and he was promoted to researcher, and then writer, specialising in organised crime and terrorism. Laos developed into an LA in the jungle by China - wildlife & human rights abuses. Littered with bombs from Vietnam war I still beat myself up about how much of an idiot I was over so many years. I’d always seen having children as a key part of my purpose on this planet, believing that creating new life was part of my biological destiny. It was fundamental to how I navigated the world.

Simon Reeve explores the Lake District in his new series

Borneo: Dayak people; highest biodiversity on the planet; deforestation dominos effect (drilling for oil/gold, loggers exploit abandoned new roads to chop down trees for wood, farmers exploit deforested land to grow palm oil) During the series, Simon meets an array of people living and working in the Lake District and wider Cumbria. He visits Barrow-in-Furness, an industrial town struggling with under investment and poverty, and Sellafield, the world’s largest nuclear processing facility that overlooks one of the biggest offshore wind farms in Europe.

Simon admits he has genuine moments of disbelief that he’s managed to carve a life of adventure and exploration, going so far as to claim: ‘I still feel I don’t deserve this life’.

Journeys to Impossible Places by Simon Reeve - Signed Edition Journeys to Impossible Places by Simon Reeve - Signed Edition

I won’t make any bones about it,” the specialist informed us, “you are basically infertile.” Conceiving, she said, would be impossible. We had no chance of having children. It was the starkest of messages and I could hardly take it in.Simon’s latest tome, Journeys to Impossible Places, is a follow-up to Step by Step, and equally candid, including more tales from the road, as well as his personal struggles, such as the fertility problems he and Anya experienced before Jake arrived. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local community. Brilliantly vivid and passionately written. Lots of genuine jaw dropping moments, perhaps even more so than when watching the documentaries.