View Full Version : Ray Mears' Next Series?
giancarlo
20-01-2004, 10:22
Just wondering, anyone heard if Ray's doing the next series yet?, is it in production now?
Can't see anything about it on the site really, but I do remember reading "Ray is currently off filming..." a while ago on there, somewhere.
Anyone know anything?
Best to drop Woodlore a quick mail to find out?
cheers :)
Carlo
:-D i`ll answer you in #bushcraftuk :-D :-D
i think it said in the woodlore brochure that ray will not be instructing on courses this year due to filming shcedule
i only put the first reply cos we`re waiting oin cyber forrest for all you other groovy funksters to dive in :-D
I ceraintly hope that it will be soon. It deffenitly did say that Ray wasn't going to be running as many course's this year due to filming though.
bushwackerscott
20-02-2004, 20:38
I recently asked Woodlore if Mears will be doing another series of Extreme Survival and the answer came back 'no he's doing a new series on Bushcraft' which leads to the presumption that it will be called somthing other than Extreme Survival.
It will be screened in Autumn this year and summer 2005.
giancarlo
20-02-2004, 21:13
ahh that's great news...
just about "Bushcraft", that's sounds really good...
Great going Mr Mears... get it out on DVD quick! :You_Rock_
Cheers
Carlo
So something good to look forward to on the box! :-D
It will be screened in Autumn this year and summer 2005.
Fallow Way
21-02-2004, 16:59
there are going to be some very interesting things coming from Mr Mears over the next year, some very interesting research he has been working on for one.
there are going to be some very interesting things coming from Mr Mears over the next year, some very interesting research he has been working on for one.
Tell us more...!!!
I think that those who have been told a fraction of it will be sitting on the info until it gets released.
An email was sent out on the Woodlore mailing list today, not much info, but I'll quote in full:
RAY MEARS NEW TV SERIES
We are pleased to announce that Ray is now well into filming his new series of 10 one-hour programmes. The first five of which will be screened on BBC2 Autumn 2004 and the second five will be screened on BBC2 Spring 2005. A book to accompany the series will be due out Spring 2005. DVDs/VHS will be available at the end of each series. Sorry, we can't give too much away at this stage but if you are enjoying the repeat programmes of Tracks we can guarantee you will not be disappointed in this new series!
Roving Rich
16-03-2004, 16:20
Oh the suspense is toooo much !!!!!
It will be great to see Ray back on bushcraft, I'm all survivalled out.
Rich :-D
I'd heard that the BBC wanted Ray to broaden the "yoof" appeal of his programmes... so it's my understanding that the next series will be called:
Ray Mears World of Extreme SPORTZ!!!
In it Ray will demonstrate bushcrafting and survival skills whilst performing death defying stunts on a skateboard.
Well, Trollkin is a very old nickname of mine...
Did anyone see at the end of the extreme survival series on BBC2 they showed one episode of a ray mears program that isnt part of the extreme survival series 1/2/3 and it isnt the ten minit thing thats running now.
Cause at the time i thought i way the start of a new series but the following week nothing !!
i cant remember the name of it !!
What was it :banghead:
The Real Heros of Telemark?
I would just like to see someone yack about our woodlands.....
We know more about the planes of Africa, & the North Pole than we do about our own countryside.
I would just like to see someone yack about our woodlands.....
I totally agree!
That was one of the things I liked about the early Tracks episodes Ray did. Although i know it's not quite what you mean Jack, they were generally a lot more relevant.
Things such as, how to make cordage out of willow bark, or different uses for fungi other than eating are realisticaly much more useful to me than knowing how to survive in the desert! (although it's nice to know that too!! :rolleyes: )
I agree ... while it's great to see more and understand different cultures and environments, I've felt that it's rapidly becoming a travel programme. Desert survival and Arctic living are interesting but there's plenty that could be done that is UK based. What we want is a Bushtucker Man for the UK ... OK, I loved that show even if most of it was irrelevant to the UK but I'd like to see something like that for the UK.
We know more about the planes of Africa, & the North Pole than we do about our own countryside.
Another update from the Woodlore Mailing list:
"Spring is now here! The sap is rising in the Birch trees and Ray is in the forest filming with the BBC and is unable to write a personal message to you. If you tune in to his new series Bushcraft, in the Autumn, you no doubt will be able to see what he has been up to!"
YAY!!!!! :-D
Pity it doesn't involve a skateboard...
Pity it doesn't involve a skateboard...
:shock:
the teeny-tiny writing I thought appropriate considering the poorness of the joke.
the teeny-tiny writing I thought appropriate considering the poorness of the joke. :rolmao: :biggthump
Well I for one will be looking forward to Rays new seris :-)
Ed
larry the spark
25-03-2004, 15:45
Me too. With the title 'Bushcraft' it conjurs up all sorts of hopes and fingers crossed it ventures into topics Ray hasn't covered on film before, or maybe only touched on in his tracks segments.
Autumn seems very far away...... but the woodlore mailshot mentioned Heroes of the Telemark is repeated sometime at the end of the month, specific date not stated.
donkeyporge
25-03-2004, 16:21
Don't want to hijack this thread but does anyone have a copy of RM in the Jungle with Ewan McGregor? either Vid or even better a digital copy (VCD) i've been waiting for an aeon to see this again.
bigjackbrass
25-03-2004, 19:14
With the title 'Bushcraft' it conjurs up all sorts of hopes and fingers crossed it ventures into topics Ray hasn't covered on film before, or maybe only touched on in his tracks segments.
It's to be hoped that it's not a series about topiary, then, or you'll be gutted.
larry the spark
25-03-2004, 20:12
Haha, you're right there mate! I guess another disappointment of sorts would be the x-rated interpretation of Bushcraft........
We know more about the planes of Africa, & the North Pole than we do about our own countryside.
A sad but true fact Jack....
:-(
Ed
Suspect that from the message on raymears.com and the 'Tracks' stuff that has been on, new series will be skills based. Again, I hope the majority will be based on UK woodlands as I agree that it's about time we found out a bit more about what is on our doorstep than how to make a solar still.
I will be SO pleased if there is stuff on plant recognition - I am pants at this.
bigjackbrass
07-06-2004, 19:54
I'm in the same boat as you there, Mikey. My plant recognition skills amount to this:
If it's rooted to the spot, it's probably a plant.
If it's head down and charging across the field at me, foam flying from parted lips... it's not.
bushwacker bob
08-06-2004, 23:41
you met my missus then! :oops:
SquirrelBoy
09-06-2004, 17:59
Im really excited to see a new series coming along and that it will be on DVD - media I like as you get to view just the tips on how to do stuff.
What I would really like to see is all of Rays Tracks programs brought out on DVD. I wrote to the BBC a long time ago about doing this but didnt get much joy at the time.
Perhaps his next series will be more like his 5min slot on Tracks. Can only hope :-D
It would be nice if he were to spend some time covering skills and subjects much closer to our hearts but I think you all miss the point - TV isn't abut bushcraft TV is about about Audience viewing figures.
We are only a small portion of the viewing public and a travel programme even one such as 'world of survival' will attract better figures if its set in some far off land than a bushcraft programme set in Fred's back garden.
This is weighed against production cost and in many cases it is cheaper to hire a hotel for the presenter and film crew and to rent the San bushmen for three days filming in a third world country (with the expected viewing figures) than it is hire a hotel and a patch of woodland here (with less viewing figures) - the BBC arent a charity!
Having said all that I too hope its a more Track like series set in the UK as I think the whole 'World of survival' thing has been done to death now (as good as it was) Especially as you can now watch programmes on National Geographic which plainly show you the set up the San Bushmen or the Inuit now use to bring in TV dollars. In many cases their traditional skills are keep alive soley for hire by TV companies - they will be your friend too if you grease their palms in green backs.
This in itself is a good thing as otherwise the skills might be lost forever which is something that happened to our own skills base once we all got a dose of technology.
We definately need more prog's set here - Tracks was good, but anything to re-awaken awareness in our own country side would be just as welcome - shame old Jack Hargreaves isnt still about - now that was a good programme!
anything to re-awaken awareness in our own country side would be just as welcome - shame old Jack Hargreaves isnt still about - now that was a good programme!
Am I showing my age (or lack of it) by not knowing who Jack Hargreaves is?
Lack of it Stew - he had a series on TV when I was a kid and it was all about the countryside, everything from fly fishing to bodging.
Jack looked like Colonel Sanders and puffed on a pipe as he chuckled over some earthy anicdote - it was the first thing that ever inspired me to venture into the forest.
Old world magic. lost now I fear!
Cant remember what it was called though! - anybody?
SquirrelBoy
09-06-2004, 21:33
Jack Hargreaves Rules !!!
Absolutly loved that program and so did my old dad - It was called `Out Of Town`
I only have one of his programs on tape, he`s just as you say Gary. The one I have is on cider making. He used to live in the New Forest - lucky begger :-D
Jack also did a series of programmes called the old country which was the same format as out of town and also a programme in 78 called if i remember rightly called Country Boy where he took a very young Simon King into the countryside and showed him aspects of nature. Simon King's father was a cameraman/producer at that time working with Jack.
Jacks books are still available, some years back a video of out of town programmes was released. I have a copy but wished I could get copies of other programmes.
His first TV programme was called a six parter called Gone fishing.
Then Out of Town ran till 1981 and was then revived by C4 as The Old Country.And of course he also was a presenter on How?.
Like Gary he was a major influence on myself.
Jack died from cancer in March 1994
Thats a sad fact that he died.
Anyone know the titles of his books? Or have then?
They should re-run all those old programmes - we have enough channels these day!
Lets start the Bring Back Jack campaign!
All you young whipper-snappers dont know what you missed that was proper TV!
I agree with Gary.
These old programmes could be re run if the tapes are still available - and should also be released on DVD.
Maybe we should petition the TV companies to release them on DVD - Jacks programmes as well as Ray's Tracks.
JFW
Gary, they are called The Old Country, Out Of Town, and The New Forest,
all available on Amazon. If you have a way of copying video give me a pm.
I take Bear's point about the TV being about audience figures and that the BBC is not a charity. However, I would also say that the BBC is a public service which we all (should) pay for. In their charter, it states that they can't spend all of their time chasing ratings (otherwise it'll end up like ITV). I still firmly believe that the BBC is the best television company in the world and, when you look at programmes like 'Life on Earth', doesn't it give you a warm feeling that not all television is total garbage? Big Brother, anyone?
Mind you, if we've already had 3 series of Ray Mears, plus 'Country Tracks', does that show that there's someone out there rooting for us? And what about 'Heroes of Telemark'? That was a 'minority' programme, if ever there was one. In my opinion, anyway....
Perhaps we need to give the BBC some gentle encouragement by lauding their efforts when the next RM series comes out? We could write/email/phone and say how much we enjoyed the programme - all of these favourable comments would have to be logged.
What do you reckon?
Of course your right Mike - the BBC has its charter and is still one of the best entertainment/information services in the world.
However as pointed out by Jack and others the RM series arent pertinant to the UK.
They are entertaining - yes and they are vaguely linked to bushcraft (some more than others) but that is all. As with the Hero's of Telemark (which had little to do with Bushcraft - and if anything more to do with military Survival) they arent going to teach you the best woods for feather sticks or how to I.D native fungi.
The short segments he had on tracks did this and were bloody brilliant. It is my belief that these made not only the series but inspired many of us to go out and explore the woods further.
But whether we are wrong or right doesnt matter to the BEEB they will do what they will do.
At the end of the day I, like most people on here, hope that the series is more 'Tracks' like and less World of survival.
Roving Rich
13-06-2004, 23:23
Jack Hargreaves - I NEVER got to see him on the telly. Gutted. :cry:
I only discovered him recently, got a copy of The Old Country on audio tape out of the library. Fantastic - since then i have got 2 books -the old country and out of town. And a copy of out of town on Video. Got all of them from Coch Y Bondu books in Machynlleth (top bookshop)
Gary - you are welcome to borrow em, i can bring em to the Thames Valley meetup if you like.
I also heard (was it here ?) That the original recordings were accidentaly binned by the production company. So if anyone has them on video them and I would love a copy.
Cheers
Rich
Rich, you Sir, are a star!
And not only for the beer on the tracking course BTW!
I will try to get myself them via some book searchs mate but if I cant I would greatly appreiciate the loan.
Many thanks.
Gary,
I agree - more like 'Tracks' and less like 'World of Suvival'. Can't wait now....