SPEAKING OUT: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Foodie Fearnley-Whittingstall (Ingenious Animals, 8pm, BBC1) is a farmer, cook, presenter and campaigner. It’s no wonder he always has plenty to say for himself...

On his childhood ambition to be David Attenborough: ‘I wanted to be whoever it was I was reading about, who was in Africa trying to trap an animal for his zoo or trying to film a tapir being eaten by piranhas in a South American jungle. That just all seemed fantastic.’

On meaty pleasures: ‘Squirrel has been on the menu at River Cottage for over a decade now, and I have killed and cooked them on my TV shows. So I think it is obvious I am comfortable making them part of my diet.’ (Let’s hope there are none on tonight’s show).

On his inclination to cry (quite a lot, apparently): ‘I’m the canary in the coal mine when it comes to movies. I’m the first to go.’

On vegetarianism: ‘We eat too much meat in the West – too much for our own health and far too much for the welfare of the many millions of animals we raise for food. I believe in being a selective omnivore, and understand that in order to eat meat in good conscience, I have to impose limits on my appetite for it.’

On being seen as a privileged ‘posh boy’ (he went to Eton with David Cameron): ‘You can never overcome the prejudices of people who don’t know you and have never met you, so if I get a bit of rough with the smooth, that’s fine by me.’

On his crusading TV shows: ‘I’m not wagging my finger. But in my experience, people who practise self-sufficiency, even on a small scale, enjoy their food more.’