What will Ray do next??

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spamel

Banned
Feb 15, 2005
6,833
21
48
Silkstone, Blighty!
Seems fair enough to me. I reckon what he'll probably do, in actual fact, is sign up here and flame or troll the pants off of everybody! Why not, everyone else is at the moment!

:rolleyes:
 

ANDYRAF

Settler
Mar 25, 2008
552
0
66
St Austell Cornwall
Seems fair enough to me. I reckon what he'll probably do, in actual fact, is sign up here and flame or troll the pants off of everybody! Why not, everyone else is at the moment!

:rolleyes:

Yes Spam people do seem a little antsy at the moment must be near the end of the school holidays.

As to what Mr Mears is up to next I think following old expeditions is interesting, perhaps he could do Lewis and Clark across America, he should get a few programs out of that. I like the idea of him teaching a course on the tv, we'd get to see him as he really is and enjoying himself, I think.
Just my opinion.

Andy.
 

Mikey P

Full Member
Nov 22, 2003
2,257
12
53
Glasgow, Scotland
Well, I reckon he'll go down the same lines as Les Hiddins (Bushtucker Man) did - in fact, he's doing that already.

Les started off doing the Bushtucker Man series (2 series if I remember correctly) and then did a couple of series of 'Stories of Survival', which were less about the actual techniques and more about the history of specific incidents and specific people. If Ray's going to do a programme on an explorer, it's starting down the same lines.

In fact, if you look at the last series ('Walkabout') he was already moving a lot towards the human aspects and away from the technique and practical aspects. I'm not sure if that's the path a lot of people on this forum want him to take. I believe, however, that it's a natural progression for someone who's spent a lot of his time teaching people how to do things to now want to be a bit more 'selfish' and look at other areas that are of interest to him. And why not? It's not all about bowdrills and knives. :rolleyes:

I would not want to see any TV programme based on young offenders or a 'bratcamp' type thing :nutkick: . These programmes are rarely about learning and more about conflict - it's cheap, easy, careless and thoughtless TV that merely expounds the idea that everyone is entitled to be a celebrity (Z list or lower) :twak: and get their photo in Zoo/Nuts magazine :buttkick: . Just 'Big Brother in the Woods':

"Day 3 in the Big Bother Woods and the tarp camp is looking untidy. Ray sets a challenge to construct a broom from natural materials only and the winners will be allowed to eat tonight. The losers will have to fight it out using flint weapons they have fashioned themselves.:slap: "

(I know there have been a few angry threads about youth rehabilitation, so please take the above with the humour that was intended and don't start another rant)

There is also the matter of finishing the 'Wild Food' project that was promised (a field guide). :D

If I had to pitch a programme in a selfish way (ie, what would I want to see, and bo!!£@ to the rest of the world), it would be a 'Springwatch' style programme, an hour every night, for a week. One week in sumer, one in Autumn, One in Spring, one in Winter.

It would start off as Ray walking into a wood, somewhere in the UK, and just going about the daily tasks of living comfortably in that environment for a week. The one hour format would spare us the tedium of watching him whittle a spoon for two hours.

I somehow imagine that there isn't a cat's chance in hell of this ever being filmed but I reckon at least to the members of this forum, it would be pretty good watching. :approve:

You could even have Kate Humble and Bill Oddie filming him secretly...or is that a bit too weird? :D

Now, can I fit any more smileys in?..:confused:
 

Toadflax

Native
Mar 26, 2007
1,783
5
64
Oxfordshire
I know I'm being naive in expecting this to work, but I'd like to see a series entitled something like "Realistic and Responsible Bushcrafting in the UK". Too many people (not from this forum) only see the big macho "take it all" aspects of bushcraft, lighting huge fires, hacking vegetation, leaving lots of trace and generally not respecting the wilder environment.

I'd like to see RM looking at what UK bushcrafters can do realistically: giving people ideas of the myriad of other things they can do if they can't get somewhere to camp and light a fire; emphasising what you can do in your back garden; hammering home (like he did to some extent in "Country Tracks") the responsibilities we owe to the natural environment that we use; looking at how to get permission to use private land, and so on.

May not be very exciting TV, and probably wouldn't get through to the "masses", but might show that you don't need to go into the Australian Outback, or the Canadian Wilderness to be able to use responsibly and to appreciate the natural world.


Geoff
 

Peter_t

Native
Oct 13, 2007
1,353
2
East Sussex
i would love to see him on a 'survivorman' type show. it would be cool to see how he compares to les shroud and teddy bear grylls, i think he would be better than both of them (well obviosly better than grylls lol) and i would like to see how he would react in a survival situation.
i wish he would focus more on skills and techniques and maby make a DVD purely about them.
 

drewdunnrespect

On a new journey
Aug 29, 2007
4,788
2
teesside
www.drewdunnrespect.com
well personally i would like him to do a public lessons show were he takes a member of the public into say the Alaskan wilds with just a hand held camera and basic gear and shows them and teaches them how to survive. This would then mean it would be including lessons and each week could be a new lesson and a series could last a year so to include Bushcraft for the different seasons. This would then show true Bushcraft also this would then teach us all more and also he could do one in the UK the same.
 

durulz

Need to contact Admin...
Jun 9, 2008
1,755
1
Elsewhere
I love Ray as much as the next person.
But he is, to be totally honest, a little...well...boring.
I imagine his 'secret' is to do yet another bloody series in bloody Australia and say how bloody wonderful the indigenous people are blah blah blah.
That seems to be his default setting.
 

firecrest

Full Member
Mar 16, 2008
2,496
4
uk
Ray, if you read this and you are indeed planning a series on teaching members of the public then PICK ME PICK ME!!!!
 

crazydave

Settler
Aug 25, 2006
858
1
54
Gloucester
wont work the markets are just too small unless he produces something himself. there is no market for bushcraft/survival/whatever out there. plenty of explorer programs out there and I doubt he could produce anything better than the hiddins series. they've nicked enough of everyone elses ideas allready and they wont stay on one area long enough to cover it thoroughly. I've watched loads of bushcraft/survival/whatever films over the years and its not the kind of thing which makes general viewing whilst being informative.

I still think the only format which would keep him going longterm is a countryfile slot as it would allow him to diversify away from bushcraft/survival/whatever. As it stands I dont think pursuing tv projects is doing him much good. there must be enough material out there from unseen footage to produce what you guys are after ten fold otherwise his tracks work remain his best in my view. sticking him in a series with a bear grylls or les stroud setting might upset you once it gets out that he uses local 'experts' or knowledge just like everyone else. thats how things work out in the real world once the cameras are turned off.

Dont get me wrong I like the guy, watch his work and read his books but he isn't the messiah preaching a new faith. he's just a regular guy who got a lucky break and for that I'm happy for him. I could however have happened to one of several hundred others instead as its not restricted knowledge, there's plenty on here can give anyone a run for their money and do just as good a job if given the chance. Chris Caine could do a UK series standing on his head even our very own Ed if he got a haircut would probably be up to the challenge :)

now maybe something simple like ray mears wild woods would suffice if he could use a les hiddins format and walk you around a decent english setting - except for the tracks work and the odd solo slot most of his stuff over the years has involved other people doing the work with him providing commentary and maybe learning a bit as he went along.

bushtuckerman 20 years old but still remains the standard to follow I reckon - its a shame he never went abroad with a series or two as the guy is a natural teacher. I think thats what you lot want - a UK version of that format - but lets face it with the state of this country with all the anti freedom laws its just never going to happen and its allready been done with a cook on the wildside which was probably more 'bushcrafty' than some give it credit for. lots of wild foods caught, foraged or traded and cooked creatively.

the last series of tracks when rm went off doing world of survival they stuck another guy in his place and he had the public trying survival/bushcraft/whatever skills out for themselves and it just didn't take probably losing them the scouty audience which seemed to be its mainstay going by all the leaders and kids I knew during that period. :)
 

rik_uk3

Banned
Jun 10, 2006
13,320
24
69
south wales
I like the way Mr Mears is maturing, he's done the bushcraft stuff, how many time do people see him lighting a fire with a bowdrill for crying out loud. I enjoyed his last series as much as wild tracks, the man is a real educator on many levels, and I look forward to anything the man makes; he may mention an event or person, not perhaps in great detail, but enough detail for you to go and have a google search, maybe buy a book and read, these are not bad things? Go back to basics? Why? He's done that already in past shows

To be honest, without him, I doubt this site would be here, so lets quit the RM bashing and thank the man for opening up a whole new world for some people and members here. I am honestly sick to my boots when I read all the negative stuff aimed at the man, shame on some members here
 

-Switch-

Settler
Jan 16, 2006
845
4
43
Still stuck in Nothingtown...
He's got quite a few interests other than Bushcraft and I can see him persuing one of them next. He did that thing about rocks after all - that's not your typical RM subject.

I reckon something to do with wildlife/outdoor photography. Probably as a co-host.
 

korvin karbon

Native
Jul 12, 2008
1,022
0
Fife
He's got quite a few interests other than Bushcraft and I can see him persuing one of them next. He did that thing about rocks after all - that's not your typical RM subject.

I reckon something to do with wildlife/outdoor photography. Probably as a co-host.

That gives me an idea.

RM following a migrating heard, and using bushcraft to survive most or part of the way. Just like the indians and the buffalo.
 

Mesquite

It is what it is.
Mar 5, 2008
27,937
2,966
62
~Hemel Hempstead~
Sounds very interesting and I'll be looking forward to seeing it.

Got to admit the canoe making and trip were for me the best programes of his bushcraft series so it'll be good to see him getting back to Canada.
 

spamel

Banned
Feb 15, 2005
6,833
21
48
Silkstone, Blighty!
Sounds very interesting and I'll be looking forward to seeing it.

Got to admit the canoe making and trip were for me the best programes of his bushcraft series so it'll be good to see him getting back to Canada.

I concur and would add the pony trek in America too. Great TV! One of the things I would love to do is pony trek through the Rockies or through Yellowstone.
 

crazydave

Settler
Aug 25, 2006
858
1
54
Gloucester
I'm waiting for the Bearcraft book and series to come out :eek:

meanwhile bruce parry does the wilderness stuff best, he's back in a week or two and those two twin doctors are at it again :)
 

dragonferret

Member
Oct 10, 2005
27
0
47
pl9
I would like to see him teaching our armed forces a bit more advanced technics in outdoor crafts or maybe do the sas are you tough enough . I think he would make very good viewing on both counts
 

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