If you could be an animal, what would it be and why?

If I could be any animal I'd probably be a wandering albatross, the bird with the largest wing span. Being able to cover huge distances of sea every single day would be wonderful!

If you could be an extinct animal, which animal would you choose to be?

I would be Titanoboa – which is the largest species of snake ever to have existed. It lived in the forests of Latin America, several million years ago, and used to do battle with animals like the largest species of crocodile.

What's the scariest animal you've met?

The scariest animal is without doubt human beings. We are the only species that decimates the very environment that we require to live.

What was the last book that you read?

The last book I read was Cephalopod Intelligence – a book on squid!

Which fictional character would you most like to be?

I would most like to be Tarzan!

Which fictional character could you fall in love with?

I can remember in The Jungle Book when, at the end, Mowgli sees a girl coming down to collect water as he is at the riverside. I can remember as a small child thinking that, even though the description of her is very slight, it was such a beautiful romantic idea that I fell a little bit in love with her.

Which book do you think everybody should read?

I'd recommend Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond which is a book of how the civilised world came to be civilised. I'd also recommend Call of the Wild by Jack London, which was my favourite book when I was a kid.

Where do you most like to read?

I read most often when I am on the road, travelling on my journeys. In cars, on planes, trains… I'm very lucky that I don't get car sick when I am reading and I can spend really long journeys immersed in a book!

Where do you most like to write?

Exactly the same! I take my laptop everywhere with me, and I will write on long journeys. I will write sitting in my hammock in the middle of the rainforest. When everybody else is chilling out after filming, I am usually writing!

If you were a superhero what would your superpower be?

I think maybe it would be time travel. I would love to go back to the golden era of exploration and join people like Alfred Russel Wallace and Charles Darwin on their expeditions.

What one piece of advice would you give to aspiring writers?

I would definitely say that my one piece of advice would be to keep a diary. It allows you to record the little things that otherwise you would forget.

What is the weirdest thing a fan has ever said and/or given to you? 

One child asked: If you could have one animal as a foot stool, in your house, what would it be?!

Can you tell us a joke please?

What do you call two Mexicans under a carpet? Underlay, Underlay!

Did you enjoy writing the book?

Writing Deadly Diaries was surprisingly easy because I'd been keeping a diary while I'd been away filming and most of it was already written!

I found Tiger Wars very hard because I hadn't written fiction before and it was a completely new experience for me. But it was the most rewarding thing I've ever done. I've never been so chuffed to have one of my books printed out and in my hand before.

Where are Saker and Sinter going next?

Saker and Sinter are going to the jungles of Borneo on a quest with the forgotten group of nomadic bushmen called the Penan.

Find out more about Steve at www.stevebackshall.com