Wildlife TV presenter Steve Backshall had a chat with First News to tell us all about his new show and what his dream pet would be…

Hi Steve. Tell us all about your new show Deadly 360!

The show is a chance to go a little bit deeper and try to analyse more about the animals and their behaviour. We’ve used a lot of really modern technology to analyse these animals and to get under their skin. It’s not like anything I have done before!

What was the most interesting thing you discovered when doing Deadly 360?

I’m really passionate about animal skulls and skeletons. It gave me the chance to go through a lot of old museum specimens which had been gathering dust for hundreds of years and actually see them.

What’s it like filming in the Deadly HQ studio?

It’s very different for me because all of my work is usually done out in the jungle and, at the end of the day, you usually curl up with all the bugs around you. Using the green screen like they do in the Hollywood movies, the stuff isn’t actually there around you, you’re reacting to a blank background and the animals are put in later on. That was quite difficult because I am not an actor and I’ve never done anything like this before.

What advice would you give to First News readers who would like to be animal wildlife TV presenters?

The most important thing is knowledge – you have to know your subject and the field of natural history is vast. You could spend 100 lifetimes researching it and you still wouldn’t know everything. Get started early and be determined. Volunteer in local wildlife and conservation groups too. Keep animals yourself as well.

What’s your favourite animal?

It is the wolf. I was quite surprised to discover this myself. But, the first time I saw a wolf in the wild, it was almost a spiritual experience and no other animal in the world has affected me as much as a wolf has.

Why the wolf?

First of all I am quite a ‘doggy’ person, but there is something about the wolf that says wilderness to me. They have incredible, fixating eyes. They’re ice blue as puppies and more amber as they get older. I just love everything about them!

Do you have any pets?

I almost always do have pets but, right now, I live on my own and I am almost always away and I don’t have anyone to care for them.

What’s your dream pet?

I would just love to have a dog. If you don’t have a dog in your life there is a massive gaping hole. Just to come home and have this snuffly face waiting for you – it’s probably the only thing I really miss in my life.