In 2017 Watson found himself taking part in the Channel 4 programme Celebrity Island With Bear Grylls, as part of a group of 'celebrities' left to survive on a remote island. Whilst I'm not disputing that Mark himself deserved the epithet, he gave us a few of the other names who were with him and only Sharron Davies met with much recognition. Mind you, not many of us had watched the programme either. Or heard of it.
It should really have been "Without Bear Grylls", because the eponymous survival expert was off after about half an hour, possibly to spend more time with his money. Watson gives away a few trade secrets, and something of the personalities of the people he was stranded with. And tells of the lessons the experience taught him.
He takes a while to get into this story, after a period of audience interaction, and explanations of why this is unlike any of his previous shows, and just how bad he is at Powerpoint (there's a presentation throughout the show that backs up his claim...). Watson has always been open about his own weaknesses, his mental health struggles and anxiety, and he carries that candour into describing his island travails. The strong phobia he had to deal with for nights in a row, his own physical state and lack of supposed leadership skills, the effects on his body and mind of going for days without food, water and sleep. It might sound grim, but he's able to raise a laugh from every situation, however unpromising, but still reveal something of what the group had to endure.
It changed his attitude to his own everyday existence, and gave him a strong revulsion for the "I'm winning at life" mentality we see so often nowadays. There's a moral to the story certainly, but delivered with Watson's usual diffidence preventing any hint of sententiousness.
A different kind of 'self help' perspective, and a very, very funny one. Highly recommended.
Mark Watson : How You Can Almost Win is on at the George Square Studios until 11 August (but appears to be fully sold out).
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