Sir Rannulph Fiennes, Eric Newby, Lucy Irvine.

There is a press story telling how Sir Rannulph Fiennes seems to have disappeared. The facts seem to suggest that he is being held in a care home and his friends are discouraged from visiting him. If any friends manage to find him they have to sign an NDA. This seems very odd. Obviously I have no idea where he is. I remember him as a fascinating, engaging and memorable interviewee. In 2019 Sir Rannulph was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease. A few years ago as part of the Cheltenham Literary festival I interviewed Sir Rannulph on stage at the Everyman Theatre about his family history book 'Mad Dogs and Englishmen'. I remember shaking hands  - a non standard formality for him. He told me how he had to adopt a DIY approach to dealing with frost bite in his fingers. He no longer has the standard issue 10. In this episode there's a conversation I had with Sir Rannulph later in a London studio, a chat with the legendary travel writer Eric Newby, and the life of the unforgettable adventurer Lucy Irvine. Lucy had replied to an advertisement in 1980 seeking a woman to spend a year on a desert island with a man she didn't know.  This  adventure became a film starring Oliver Reid. She tells me how she went on to write the story of another island dwelling family in her book Faraway. Memorable stories.