The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Getting to know you
Wildlife presenter and cameraman Gordon Buchanan gives us a snapshot of his life, ahead of his show at Rothes Halls in Glenrothes on November 22
Q Which writers, alive or dead, inspire you?
A I read all of Ernest Hemingway’s books as a teenager. They encouraged my thirst for travel. I love Charles Bukowski’s style and simplicity. He was the first writer who made me think that I could write too.
Q What was your plan B, careerwise?
A At 17, my first job was an assistant to a wildlife cameraman who was building 150-foot towers into the rainforest canopy. I remember thinking that if filming didn’t work out I’d be a very good scaffolder. I was quick!
Q What keeps you awake at night?
A Squirrels and thinking but especially thinking about squirrels.
Q Your house is on fire, what one item do you save?
A Hard drives are the modern equivalent of photograph albums so I’d grab them. Beyond that, I have a huge box of letters and diaries that I haven’t looked at for years.
Q Theme song for your life?
A Welcome To The Jungle.
Q Last meal on earth?
A A goat curry with rice and roti.
Q Dream dinner party guests?
A I see so little of my best friends that my dream guest list would be with the boys I grew up with and with whom there is no pressure. Other than them, it would be interesting to have dinner with a family of neanderthals or the hobbit people of Flores.
Q First thing you’d do if you won £1 million?
A I’d pay someone to wash our dog. It’s always left to me and though I don’t mind it, the dog holds it against me.
Q If you could rule for a day, what would be the first thing you would do?
A Ensure that care of the environment is made the number one priority for every country on earth.
Q Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know?
A I’ve recently lost my sense of smell.
Q What was the last book you read?
A Set The Boy Free by Johnny Marr.
Q Favourite holiday destination?
A We had an amazing November holiday in northern Norway, inside the Arctic Circle a few years back. The whole family loved it.
Q If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
A Tins of condensed milk. It’s like cat nip.
Q Describe yourself as if you were a fine wine?
A Dry, slightly corked and best stored upright.
Q What makes you happy?
A Simple times playing games around a table with my wife, Wendy, and our two children, Lola and Harris.
Q What makes you sad?
A Old trees cut down for no reason.
Q Do you believe in aliens?
A Not ones that walk among us or pay us a visit but there has to be alien life out there somewhere!
Q Have you ever had a paranormal encounter?
A I don’t believe in ghosts any more but years back I thought I’d been cursed after I picked up some human bones that had been unearthed by rabbits in an old graveyard. For months after I had a string of accidents.
Q What was the first album you ever bought?
A A Best Of Elvis album from the Hydro shop in Tobermory on Mull. The only other album they had was Abba’s Greatest Hits.
Q If you could go back to any point in history, what would it be?
A The point in time before humans started impacting on the world. I’d love to see our world in a pristine state.
Q What is the best advice you ever received, and who did it come from?
A Be yourself; from my wife when I started standing in front of camera.
Q What do you do to unwind?
A I love free diving. It’s consuming in mind, body and spirit.
Gordon Buchanan: Animal Families and Me. See www.onfife.com and www.scottishbooktrust.com