42 www.thefield.co.uk THE FIELD INTERVIEW

Robson Green The actor and presenter of Extreme Fishing is happiest participating in some form of fieldsport, though when it comes to cage-fighting he is just an observer. ByCharlotte Reather. Photograph by Giles Park

first bumped into at a cage- eight hours and nothing. The more worried he but I didn’t want to put it back, I wanted to feed fighting event at the Radisson Edwardian got, the more German he became. Then the the whole village but our guide said no. It IHotel, Heathrow, as you do. Through the line snapped and we took another two hours weighed 600lb and was exhausted. When a throng of Kappa-clad meatheads and orange, to retrieve it. I said to him, “Have you got a girl- fish is exhausted it sends out distress signals plastically enhanced strippers, I spied the friend? No? I’m not surprised, this is a bloody that predators pick up, leaving it vulnerable. handsome actor. I knew he was a keen fisher- disaster!’ In the end we did catch something You’ve got to be careful.” man and after preparing a line in my best but it wasn’t my cup of tea.” Robson’s views on catch-and-release have Geordie accent – which went something like Back in British waters, Robson enjoys two sparked controversy in recent months, setting “Show mi yer rod and I’ll show yer mi scampi, miles of single-bank fishing on the River many in the angling community against him. like,” I deftly secured an interview. Coquet. “I fish to wind down. I’ve spent 26 “Apparently, I’m no longer an ambassador for We meet at the Talbot Inn in Ripley, Surrey years of my life putting on make-up in a cara- fishing, which is sad, but it’s fine because I near his home that he shares with his wife van and playing characters and there’s a kind stand by my comments on coarsing. I believe Vanya, son Taylor and stepdaughter Lara. of schizophrenia to it. But when I fish, walk or putting a fish back beyond recovery after Robson orders a light lunch – he’s in training shoot, I’m me, I’m Robson. It’s the only thing having your picture taken is wrong. I don’t get for the role of a male escort in a forthcoming that makes sense. Fishing is very good for you, it. For me fishing is hunting. It’s about food. ITV drama, Trade. “It’s highly sexual so I need psychiatrists recommend it.” “People can romanticise and wax lyrical to be ripped.” He smiles at me; I go all unneces- And it’s something Robson’s son has taken about fishing as much as they like but in no sary. This angler doesn’t need bait to reel in his a shine to. “I took Taylor to a local lake to teach way is this view shared by the fish. When it’s prey – he could just hypnotise it out of water it’s not where it wants with his piercing blue eyes. to be. I never go fishing on a full The 44-year-old actor was ‘Do you want to go round the stomach when we film the show – taught to fish in I want to eat what I catch. That’s by his uncle, Matheson Green, world, try extreme fishing and get my opinion and what I prefer.” when he was a boy. “I’d done a paid lots of money?’ ‘Does Barbara Robson enjoys shooting and lot of trout and salmon fishing has enjoyed days on the Mitford before working on Extreme Fish- Cartland wear make-up?’ Estate in Morpeth as well as vari- ing. I fancied myself as a bit of an ous let days. “I like the experience. expert – how wrong I was!” For me it’s not about the gun or Initially when Robson was asked to present him the basics of fly-fishing. On his second how many birds you shoot, it’s about how you the Five programme he turned the opportu- cast he caught a 10½lb rainbow trout, which feel. I love the connection with nature, the nity down. “I’m an actor, not a presenter. But broke the record for that lake. The elderly lady fresh air and the euphoria of getting your when the producer said, ‘Do you want to go who had previously held the record for 10 quarry. I think it goes back to our forefathers round the world, meet interesting people, try years stared in astonishment at the fish. when if you didn’t go back with a bird or fish, extreme methods of fishing in extreme places Through gritted teeth she congratulated you didn’t eat. Eating what you’ve caught with extreme species of fish and get paid a lot Taylor on his achievement but not long after- tastes better and you appreciate it more.” of money?’ I said, ‘Does Barbara Cartland wards was found sobbing in a heap. It’s abso- Robson is very connected to his native wear make-up? Sign me up!’ lutely true. She was devastated!” Northumbria and, he assures me, is more “I’m rubbish at fishing but I really enjoy it. I Is Robson a salmon or trout man? “I’m not likely to be found at a local point-to-point than think the viewers tap into that – I’m the under- a purist, I’m a fisherman. I enjoy both. But to a cage-fighting do. “My father wanted me to be dog and it’s about the challenge. The show has watch a fly-fisherman is like Yeats, it’s poetry. I a jockey but it didn’t work out that way. I spon- taken me to Costa Rica, South Africa, New get really emotional when I see the most beau- sor local point-to-points and used to own a Zealand and the Philippines and I’ve tried tiful Spey cast or when a guy catches a salmon racehorse, but that’s as close I’ve come to a some seriously strange methods of angling. on a cast that deserves a fish”. I venture his career in racing.” One of the most ridiculous was kite-fishing. favourite film isA River Runs Through It. It is. So we should thank our lucky stars Robson Basically, the bait hangs down from the kite “The best book about fishing is Heming- didn’t become a jump jockey or we might have and can go much farther than you can cast it, way’s The Old Man and the Sea. It’s about this old been robbed of the Nineties pop sensation up to 2km out. We were with a German-Irish- Cuban fisherman’s struggle with a giant Robson and Jerome and their classic remake Kiwi guy who was an expert. We sat there for marlin. In the programme, we caught a marlin of ...

www.thefield.co.uk 43 ‘The countryside Countryside interview is in my DNA’

Actor Robson Green talks to Charlotte Reather about his lifelong love of fishing and rural life

oumightrememberRobson Greenfromhisdaysasonehalfof Charlotte Reather 90’spopduo‘RobsonandJerome’ Charlotte is a freelance writer Y(apartofhiscareerhetermsas‘his and comedienne who is always Vietnam’),youmighthavecaughthim on the lookout for adventure actinginpopularTVshowssuchas‘Soldier Soldier’or‘WireintheBlood’,butmore travelingtheworldonhiseponymousTV recentlyyouwillhaveprobablyseenhim show,togetherwithourshared presentingthehugelysuccessfulChannel5 philosophiesofpeople,hunter-gathering series,‘ExtremeFishing’. andthenaturalworld. MyownexperienceofRobsonhasa FromicefishinginSiberia,miningeggs strangegenesis.Itwasbackin2008when onthesideofanactivevolcanoinPapua Iwasstilldrinkinghardliquorandhada NewGuineaandstrugglingwiththe tasteforoldermen.I’dbeenforcedalongto mekonggiantcatfishinThailand;to acagefightattheRadissonEdwardian, survivingaForce-10hurricaneona HeathrowandIwasn’thappyaboutit.In Canadiantrawler,catching30lbking fact,whenIarrivedandsawtheseaof salmoninPatagoniaanddancingtheSalsa meatheadsandstrippersinbum-bras inHavana,thebookchartshis who’dallbeenviciouslyattackedbyspray extraordinarymodern-dayfishingodyssey tanandperoxide,Iwantedtogohome. withtalesofvictory,defeat,struggle,joy Well,thesensiblehalfofmedid,the and,mostofall,laughter. maniacside(I’mGemini)relishedsuch ItisRobson’sfinelytunedsenseof uncharteredterritoryandsoughttocreate humour,alongwithhisknowledgeand mischief.Bythemiddleoftheeveningthe passionforthecountrysidethatbroughtus maniacandvodkahadwonand,notonly togetherartistically.‘Thecountrysideis wasIrelishingtheviolenceinthecage, justsoimportanttome.Isupposeit’smy Iwasjoininginwiththetestosterone- antidotetomodernlife,especiallycage addledaddledcrowdshouting‘switchhimoff’,as crowd shouting ‘switch him off’, as fights!’hesays.‘OnceI’mthere,fights!’ he says. ‘Once I’m there, menmeninleotardsbeat,bitandtoreateach in leotards beat, bit and tore at each particularlywhenI’minparticularly when I’m in other’sother’shair.(Idon’tthinkQueensbury hair. (I don’t think Queensbury Northumberland, rulesrulesapplied). applied). Ifeelatpeace.TheI feel at peace. The AndAndthat’swhen,acrossthesweaty that’s when, across the sweaty solitude,freshair,solitude, fresh air, throng,throng,IspiedRobsonGreen,amanwith I spied Robson Green, a man with senseofspace,thesense of space, the countrycountrysensibilities sensibilities landscapeandlandscape and lostlostinthemêlée.Like in the mêlée. Like riversallgivemearivers all give me a me,me,hetoowas he too was senseofselfsense of self puttingputtingonabrave on a brave face,face,pretendingto pretending to enjoyenjoyhimselfatthis himself at this PeterPeterGreenaway-esque Greenaway-esque cockcockfight(orsoIthought, fight (or so I thought, IIlaterfoundouthis later found out his favouritefavouritemovieis‘Warrior’!). movie is ‘Warrior’!). ‘I‘Imustgotohimandtalk must go to him and talk aboutaboutfishing,’Ithought.Andso, fishing,’ I thought. And so, TheThecountryside countryside emboldenedemboldenedbyalcoholandgratuitous by alcohol and gratuitous IT WAS THIS violence,violence,Iapproachedtheactortoseeif I approached the actor to see if BIG! Robson isisjustsoimportant just so important IImightwriteanarticleabouthimfora might write an article about him for a laments one of countrycountrymagazine.AmusedthatIwanted magazine. Amused that I wanted his big catches to mme.Isupposeitise. I suppose it is tototalkaboutSpeycastsamidstthefray,he talk about Spey casts amidst the fray, he that got away HOOK, LINE AND SINKER: agreedagreedtoaninterviewand,well,fouryears to an interview and, well, four years my aantidotentidote to Robson loves the later,later,dearreader,Iwroteabookwithhim. dear reader, I wrote a book with him. challenge that extreme ‘Extreme‘ExtremeFishing’bringstogether Fishing’ brings together modernmodernlife life Robson’sRobson’sexperiencesoffishingand experiences of fishing and fishing gives him

18 |June2013 Coouunnttrryyssiidde Countryside June2013 | 19 Countryside interview

andbelongingand,forme,fishingisan drivenbyanotherverydifferent extensionofthat. IsupposeI’ve compulsion:theneedtoact,coupledwith ‘It’sfunnybutIfindinggoingforawalk incredibleambition.Thesediverse orfishingsonormalbutIhavefriendsin beenawaywidening activitiescreatethetwoextreme L.A.whojustdon’tgetit.ButthenIdon’t counterweightsinhislifethatheis getcitylife,’hesays.‘It’slikeIwasdesigned myhorizons,butthe constantlystrivingtobalance. tobeinthecountryside.It’sinmyDNA.’ However,Robsonthinkshemaybe ManyofRobson’sancestorswere,in widerthey’vegot beginningtoeventhescales.‘IsupposeI’ve fact,farmers,particularlyintheareaof beenawaywideningmyhorizons,butthe ,wherehestillfisheswithhis themoreIyearned widerthey’vegotthemoreIyearnedtobe uncle,Matheson,today.‘Mythirdgreat- backhome. grandfatherwasafarmerandhisfather tobebackhome ‘ItrulybelievethatI’vebeenpiningfor beforehim. Northumberlandfortwodecadesbutwas ‘Beforetheindustrialrevolutiontook mines.Mathesonisagoodshot,hefishes, scaredthatpeoplewouldthinkIwas myfamilydowntheminestheGreens all andheknowsaboutplantlifeandbirdlife. somehowregressingintothepastinan livedofftheland.’ Whathedoesn’tknowaboutthe unhealthyway,wheninfactit’smyroots, Robson,likethebrowntrouthe countrysideisn’tworthknowing. myfamily,myhome,myidentity,where pursues,hasaspecificimprintofplaceon ‘Andheneverstopssurprisingme,’he IbelonganditdefineswhoIam.I’mso hisgenome,downtotheexacttributary,in adds.‘Healwayshasnewtipsaboutflies, happytolivetherenowandknowthatis hiscasetheRiverCoquet. feedingbehaviorandthelifecycleofthe whereIshalldwellforyearstocome.’ Someofhisforebears’ruralskillshave mayfly.Heknowsaboutweatherpatterns, Sowhenitcomestoclinchingthe trickleddownthegenerations.‘Myfather, watertemperature,allthethingsthateffect secondbookI’llknowwheretofindhim – Robson,wasachampionhorticulturalist. fish–honestly,hethinkslikeafish,which ontheCoquetand,thankfully,notatthe Hewonfridgesandlawnmowerswithhis iswhyheissuchagreatflyfisherman.’ RadissonEdwardian,Heathrow. prize-winningvegetablesandflowers!And Robsonbelieveshiscountryidentity Mathesonstillhasanallotmentwherehe wasforgedonboyhoodoutingswithhis growsfantasticleeksandcarrotsinbarrels, uncle.‘Hetaughtmesomuch,likeallthe ‘Extreme Fishing’ by whichareenormous,likethey’vebeen collectivenouns.Istillremembera Robson Green and geneticallyenhanced.’ parliamentofowls,amurderofcrowsand Charlotte Reather RobsonsaysMatheson,whotaughthim myfavourite,apreponderanceofprawns. (published by Simon tofishasaboy,isthetruecountrymanof ‘And,at48,IfindI’mstilltryingtorevisit and Schuster) is out thefamily.‘Hedoesitall,’hesays.‘Hewas thosedays,agedseven,fishingwithhim. on 23 May 2013 and ebles anamateurjockeyandwestilllovegoingto It’slikeasubconsciousgoal.Itwasa available online or at pe thelocalpoint-to-points.Infact,myDad perfecttimeformewhenIwastrulycalm all good bookshops. alan

: andhebothlovedhorses,fromracingto andhappy.’ What a great Father’s es lookingafterthepitponies,whichmy Fishingisasortoftherapyforthestar, Day present! ur ct fatherdidwhenheworkeddownthe whichhesaysheneedstodo,butheisalso pi

IT’S A WHOPPER: Robson with one of his big catches made during Channel 5’s ‘Extreme Fishing’

20 |June 2013 Countryside