11 Facts About Ray Mears

Raymond Paul Mears was born on 7 February 1964 and is a British woodsman, instructor, businessman, author and TV presenter.

Ray Mears's ambition was to join the Royal Marines, but he could not meet the eyesight requirements for entry.

In 1983, Ray Mears founded Woodlore, a company that offers bushcraft-related courses and paraphernalia.

In 2009, Ray Mears was approached by ITV to present a planned revival of the nature documentary series Survival.

Ray Mears was a guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs in January 2014.

In July 2010, Ray Mears was asked by Northumbria Police to help them track fugitive killer Raoul Moat, after he fled his temporary tent-based shelter in the village of Rothbury.

Each programme would see Ray Mears visit a different habitat in a different part of the country.

Each episode would see Ray Mears spend day in a location exploring the local wildlife and offering advice on how to find wild food and make the most of natural resources.

Ray Mears then presented six episodes of Wild France, travelling around the country and looking at its wildlife.

Ray Mears returned to Australia in 2017, presenting the seven part-series Australian Wilderness with Ray Mears.

Ray Mears met his first wife, Rachel, in 1992 when she attended one of his five-day survival courses.