BEAR GRYLLS // SEC ARMADILLO, GLASGOW
Never give up, just grit your teeth and Bear it!
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5)
It was strange day. The sun was out, yet, if you stepped outside then it was raining; quite typical of a nice day in Scotland. Not so typical was the Clydesdale appearance of TV star outdoor adventurer Bear Grylls who was bringing his Never Give Up tour to Glasgow. It was family show and large number of kids attended and it would have been a very big night for many coming to see their first of the scale speaking event.
So, who is Bear Grylls and how did he become the man he is today? That was the question the evening and it presented a problem. The question really became that of how do you keep something so biographical entertaining for such a mixed age range.
Edward Michael "Bear" Grylls certainly has lot of strings to his bow. Though known for his variety of TV shows, books and expeditions, Grylls also has an indoor and outdoor activity centre at in Birmingham. He is avid fundraiser and ambassador for many organisations around the world in the aid of humanity and the natural world. Grylls was appointed Chief Scout in 2009 and has worked closely with The Scout Association.
His own personal story is somewhat overlooked by the media who focus on the wilderness action man persona that fills the viewers with adrenalin cradled by the comfort of Grylls’s assured confidence. He is quite the role model and it’s important that kids are exposed the kind attitude that Grylls encapsulates through all his work as well learning something that might one day save your life.
Doing a nationwide tour is a great way to reach a generation who are often not given the credit as being capable enough to take in big ideas and Grylls absolutely has a motivating story to tell. Grylls started the showing by running through the auditorium and taking to the stage, but then shyness fell over him as he addressed the crowd and kicked things off.
Though Grylls’s is easy to warm to with his onstage jitters, it is clear that he is nervous. The night is introduced as combination of a clip show punctuating a Q and A style talk, a blend that is well suited to the mix of ages in the room. The show began with Grylls’s story of growing up, serving in the Territorial Army with the SAS as a trooper in his twenties and then breaking his back in parachuting accident. Grylls made conscious effort to highlight his unsuccessful endeavours, including many failed TV shows, in attempt to show that even he gets it wrong, sometimes.
A relief break gave the audience a chance to stretch. Though there were thills, there had been something lacking in the first section of the show and Grylls had promised some hair-raising antics to come.
Grylls retakes the stage and the atmosphere lightens as the guests from the audience join him on-stage and carry out tasks of pull up challenges and critter eating. The mood is fun and, though not exactly high octane, cherished moments for the children invited on stage. Grylls drinks a mysterious, yellow liquid, obviously implied to urine, and then the night is wraps up the night with candid speech about the power of motivation and hard work. His work with Scouting Association is very prominent throughout the evening and passion for it is evident.
Through the night may have been slightly underwhelming for anyone past the scouting age; the frank look at some highs and lows of what has been incredible life to date was very moving. It is far heart stopping, but Grylls’s Never Give Up show did spread the message of its name and was worthwhile for the sake of the children.