Steve Backshall's Deadly 60

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Thurlton Primary School celebrate World Book Day 2019. Photo: Thurlton Primary School (Image: Thurlton Primary School)

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He is realistic about the destruction of ocean life. There are half the number of fish swimming in our seas today than when he was born. During his lifetime alone we have taken at least 5bn sharks from the oceans, most so that their fins end up in soup. But he finds hope in the young people he meets through his work. “It would be totally wrong for me just to say, ‘Oh leave it to the youngsters, they’ll sort it out,’ but I don’t think that is what’s happening,” he says. Cousins dressed as Alice and the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland on World Book Day. Photo: Kirstie Daniels (Image: Kirstie Daniels) Mulbarton Primary School children celebrate World Book Day 2019. Photo: Mulbarton Primary School (Image: Mulbarton Primary School)Next, Steve joined the Natural History Unit’s fledgling expedition team, making the first ascent of a jungle peak and dropping into a vast sinkhole in the Mulu mountains in ‘Expedition Borneo’. In ‘Lost Land of the Jaguar’he made the first ascent of Mount Upuigma in Venezuela, slept on the vertical cliff face and found unknown species of animals on the summit. He also abseiled to the bottom of the Kaiteur Falls in Guyana to the soaked wonderland below. He’s poured some of his recent learning into Deep Blue, a beguiling mix of anecdotes from his animal encounters and an accessible scientific explanation of the importance of our seas. They are the source of 97% of the world’s water and yet we know vanishingly little about their depths: 90% of the world’s fish live in the twilight zone from 200m to 1,000m and yet, astonishingly, three-quarters of the world’s water is below this depth. There are still blooms of life beyond the midnight zone. When a dead whale sinks to the bottom, specialised feeders, such as flame-haired zombie worms, devour the skeleton. Some “whale falls” support 45,000 worms per square metre, the highest concentration of life in our oceans. Children at Norwich Primary Academy dress up for World Book Day 2019. Photo: Norwich Primary Academy (Image: Norwich Primary Academy) Emilie-Rose Pamment as the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland. Photo: Victoria Pamment (Image: Victoria Pamment)

Deadly 60 | BBC Earth Deadly 60 | BBC Earth

Phoebe as Gangsta Granny and Sophia as Wenda on World Book Day 2019. Photo: Charlotte Jones (Image: Charlotte Jones) Staff and students and Beccles Free School celebrate World Book Day 2019. Photo: Beccles Free School (Image: Beccles Free School) Year 2 students celebrating World Book Day 2019 at Dell Primary School. Photo: Dell Primary School (Image: Dell Primary School) Steve is one of the busiest presenters on television, mainly working for the BBC’s Natural History Unit. He has had his own season of programmes on Eden television channel alongside legends David Attenborough and Bruce Parry. Before that, he was ‘Adventurer in Residence’ at the National Geographic Channel. Kaitlyn Summer Hope Richards, aged 5, dressed as the Queen of Hearts on World Book Day 2019. Photo: Gemma Richards (Image: Archant)

Elisha Coe, aged 8, from Scarning, as Mary Poppins on World Book Day 2019. Photo: Tammy Coe (Image: Tammy Coe) He meets fifteen year old Sinter, a spoiled rich girl, who is running away from an arranged marriage and their uneasy friendship will eventually form an unshakeable bond, as together they face adventure and danger as two young eco-warriors in a truly threatening world. Dressed as the Hungry Little Caterpillar for World Book Day 2019. Photo: Carrie Parker (Image: Carrie Parker) Catfield Primary School celebrate World Book Day 2019. Photo: Catfield Primary School (Image: Catfield Primary School)