Last night was the first ever 'Wild Audience With...' At the Lyric Theatre on Shaftsbury Avenue, London.

This was an idea I stole from Robin Ince and Brian Cox after seeing 'Uncaged Monkeys' live - a great format of short varied lectures on the subject of science. I was convinced there would be an audience of wildlife enthusiasts out there who would appreciate a similar evening based on natural history.

Jo Sarsby, my extremely talented agent, went out on a limb and secured a theatre, sponsorship (from the wonderful Steppes Travel) and four cracking speakers, namely Doug Allan, Lucy Cooke, Martin Hughes-Games and Steve Backshall.

All of these guys are seasoned orators but this was a format that was very different for all us, especially for me as I was hosting the event. Topics ranged from glorious big cats and sharks to wonderfully entertaining sloths.

Rehearsals were shabby to say the least as trying to get the energy up with an empty auditorium is tough. However, later on with a fantastic crowd giving us the boost we needed, we had a great night.

Here are a few tweeted reviews:

@tuttsweet: Thank you all, it was a wonderful & fascinating evening. x

@SophieDay_23: Absolute best night of the year! Thank you

@adelecarlson: fascinating insights & incredibly engaging #AWildAudienceWith

@missfoggtravels: #awesome

Massive thanks are owed to Jo and her team, the excellent theatre staff and our wonderful audience.

We have one more night available if anyone fancies joining us:

Monday 15th December 2014

http://www.nimaxtheatres.com/mobile/show/a_wild_audience_with

We also hope to make this an annual event with a range of speakers and topics so hopefully see some of you again next year!

Having worked with lots of infant primates in the past...

... I thought 'how hard can it be to rear one of our own?'

Cathy and I are now parents of a lovely daughter, Severn Leonard (named after the River Severn). She arrived a week ago and is already ruling our lives. She is, officially, the most beautiful baby in the world (not just me saying this, my mum thinks so too and she is very fair).
It's an incredible experience to go through watching Cathy's body change and adapt to this amazing task. Understanding the physiology behind it makes it no less special. Mammals are extraordinary parents. No dropping off thousands of babies in the sea and hoping one or two make it, for us. We are hard-wired to nurture and protect this tiny helpless bambino for the rest of our lives (according to my Mum it never goes away). Severn is the most fascinating and captivating creature I have ever met...

...and Bruce seems happy with her too.