Wildlife film-maker Gordon Buchanan will bring his show Lions and Tigers and Bears to Dorking Halls on January 26 at 7.30pm.

Join Gordon as he recounts thrilling encounters with pandas, grizzlies, tigers, jaguars and more - while learning about the heart-stopping moments, the mud, sweat and tears, and the tender interactions that shaped his career.

Gordon has dedicated his life to exploring the untamed beauty of the natural world, from the bamboo forests of China to the snowy landscapes of Russia, the towering Himalayas and the depths of the Amazon.

His mission is to capture majestic big cats and bears on film and reveal their secrets to a global audience. He is best known for appearances on television shows including Big Cat Diary and the Lost Land Of The… series.

Gordon said: “I’m really excited about doing the tour again - 2025 has been a crazy year, starting with the first outing of the tour, and I’ve rounded it off with filming again in Botswana, then also in Kenya, and now I can count down to the first show back on tour.

“I’m very spoilt seeing lions and tigers and bears in the wild, so it’s exciting to have the opportunity to tour the country and share these stories with thousands of people, being able to give them a sense of what it is like to get up close to polars in the Arctic, how fast you need to run to escape a sloth bear and what it’s like to bottle feed grizzlies.

“Knowing that the show has been a success, and that audiences had a great time, makes it easier to prepare and look forward to going back out there. One of the joys of a live tour is seeing people leaving with a smile on their face, having had a fun, inspiring and uplifting evening, and I can’t wait to experience that again.”

Gordon has a theory why big cats and bears fascinate people.

He said: “These iconic creatures are seen as these predators who are out to get us, and with that comes a primal fear which dates back to the caveman - when our biggest fears weren’t job security and mortgage repayments, but actually surviving those big animals with teeth and claws.

“Going back into pre-history, humans lived alongside lions and bears - using knowledge and fear to stay safe.

“But funnily, these animals are also welcomed into our homes. Go into any family home and there will be a number of bears. We still have a big box of teddies from when the kids were small, and there are lions and tigers among them as well.

“Bears have infiltrated our lives - think Paddington, Rupert, Fozzie. Even Gentle Ben way back on television – not that that featured the job as such, but I remember watching and thinking that’s what I want to be, up close with the bear, and it represented wild parts of the world for me.”

For tickets, priced £34 (seniors, children, Friends £32), call 01306 881717 or visit [email protected]