REVIEW: Simon Reeve – To The Ends Of The Earth
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Aberdeen Music Hall was the latest destination for TV adventurer Simon Reeve whose new show detailed his fascinating experiences travelling to the world's most remote places.
Reeve has been closer to home over the past few weeks bringing his tour To The Ends Of The Earth to cities across the UK.
His latest stop was in the Granite City and he treated the north-east audience to a behind the scenes look of the expeditions he has been on to make his various TV programmes and also a preview of the adventures he has been on this past year for his upcoming series.
Having such an extensive list of destinations he has travelled to he has split his latest theatre show into four distinct sections hot, cold wet and dry.
Hot looked at his time in the jungles of the world including in South America and the Congo, while there was a drastic change in temperature going to the Arctic and places like Siberia, Greenland and Patagonia.
He talked about one of his favourites activities scuba diving which has taken him to the Pacific Ocean to explore the Coral Triangle which he said was just as important as Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
The final part took the audience to the searing heat of the Kalahari Desert where he spent time with a brilliant tracker who has to hunt to keep his people alive.
In each section he talked about the highlights during his travels, the indigenous people he met, spending time with local tribes and funny moments filming with his dedicated TV crew.
This was interspersed with unseen footage and images from his expeditions which were projected onto a large screen.
He also showed what he takes in his kit bag and the essentials he needs for travelling to the most remote destinations across the world.
Reeve was engaging throughout as he transported the audience to the various destinations and told stories of what happened at each.
Throughout the show he also spoke about his life which saw him start off as a newspaper post boy at the Sunday Times before he moved into the newsroom and learned the ropes from the journalists there.
He then took on his own investigations which saw him trailing arms dealers and looking into Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda.
Following this he made the defining move to start making travel documentaries which has been doing for the past 20 years.
He also talked about his family. How he met his wife Anya, who was a camera operator, and their struggles to start a family before welcoming their son Jake into the world.
Furthermore he was open about his health struggles – both physical and mental – and how they have affected his body and family.
He was close to death when he contracted malaria and when he had an extremely rare infection in his leg.
He struggled with his mental health as a teenager, which spiralled into depression and it got to the point where he was suicidal. He managed to overcome it but said it had been a fight as it had returned in his adult life.
He inspired the audience to find their remote parts whether it be on their travels or closer to home which will give them new experiences and memories to help fulfil their lives.
He encouraged people to not get lost in the digital world of screens and get out an explore nature and the world.
Reeve presented a captivating look into his years of expeditions which has made his TV programmes over the past two decades so popular and translated superbly to the stage.
Visit www.aberdeenperformingarts.com/music-hall for the full programme of shows coming to Aberdeen's Music Hall.
