If you have children aged 6 to 12 then you'll be well aware of CBBC and the great programme that is Deadly 60 presented by Steve Backshall.
My daughter Amber and I are very big fans of Deadly 60. The programme sees Steve Backshall and his camera crew travel the world trying to find the 60 'most deadly' animals in the world.
Amber and Steve on our exclusive Safari Tour
We have watched Steve get into some hairy situations. One of them was while kayaking on a river in South Africa, he was trapped by two hippos, luckily his crew manage to save him.
He has travelled to some amazing places. Australia, Malaysia, India, Brazil and Madagascar are among many of the places Steve has searched for the Deadly 60 animals.
Amber and I were lucky enough to meet Steve Backshall at Longleat Safari & Adventure Park in Wiltshire.
The 9000 acre Longleat Estate is home to over 100 different species of animal which live within the Safari Park and other animals areas. Although famous for it's lions, Longleat is home to tigers, wolves, rhino, giraffe, camel and the hugely popular monkey drive-through to name a few.
BBC Worldwide and Longleat have joined forces to create a spectacular new series of Deadly-themed features at the world-famous attraction.
From Easter 2013 visitors to the park will be invited to go on a Deadly Safari discovering some of Longleat's deadliest creatures. Presenter Steve Backshall has voiced a brand new guide to the safari which incorporates fascinating facts and experiences from his on-screen adventures. Visitors will be given a special Safari Activity Book full of information and tasks to test their spotter skills as they explore the park, learning about vital predator prey relationships that exist in the wild and encountering some of Longleat's most famous deadly residents including lions, tigers and wolves.
We caught up with Steve on our own personal tour, where we got a sneak peek of what's to come on the Deadly Safari.
As we waited nervously at the gates to the Safari park, Steve tells my daughter Amber and me, it's the exciting calm before the storm. It's like pulling up at the gates of Jurassic Park.
As we drive into the enclosure, we became very aware that there was only a metal truck between us and 4 tigers!
It was fascinating hearing Steve talk enthusiastically about the animals, he has such a passion for them.
Steve tells us about the tigers from their size, what they eat, and we listen with interest.
I don't know which Amber is more stunned at, that we are so close to the tigers, or that Steve Backshall is in the front seat telling us about them!
As we drive through to the Lions, we learn about how they first came to Longleat in 1967.
We were lucky enough to see 8 cubs running around playing with each other and pestering their mums! There's no rest, even for a lion mum!
As we continued our adventure, Steve told us all about the pride of 21 lions.
We then drove into the cheetah enclosure, these are Ambers favourite animal and she was so pleased to see them, and so close up.
We then moved on and joined the wolves. It was interesting to hear Steve tell us that some of the most important best known naturalists of his youth, people like Terry Nutkins and Johnny Morris, gained their knowledge from zoos and safari parks.
He thinks zoos and safari parks have a really important role to play for young people because not everyone has the privileges that he's had being able to go to Africa.
Nothing beats seeing an animal up close, seeing it move, you don't get that from a book or TV programme. It's the kind of thing that's going to stay in a young persons mind.
Steve grew up on a small farm and his parents took in animals, it's always been his passion. He was a writer and came up with the idea for a TV programme, he got himself a camera and went to Columbia for five weeks on his own, and the rest is history.
We were very lucky to get this personal tour from Steve, and it's great listening to his enthusiasm.
If you would like to see Steve in person, why not visit Longleat on Sunday 31st March and Monday 1st April 2013.
He will be presenting live animal shows throughout both days* along with Longleat's Hunters of the Sky team! Then try out your tracking skills on the Deadly Safari and become a Deadly Explorer just like Steve.
To reserve your place call our dedicated ticket hotline on 01985 845544. Lines are open 8am-6pm, 7 days a week.
Also coming in 2013 is a Deadly Challenge zone which will see aspiring Deadly Adventurers pitch their skills against those of some of the world's most lethal creatures! Can you climb like a macaque monkey, match the strength of a polar bear and dodge a vipers strike?
Most important of all, how many animals on the Deadly List can you find in a race against the clock? Check points along the way will feature quizzes and challenges from Steve Backshall who will want to see what each Adventurer has learned about the Deadly creatures they're
With so many amazing animals at Longleat the new 'Deadly Adventure' experiences will give our visitors the chance to experience first hand all the exciting elements of the TV programme right in the wilds of Wiltshire!
Deadly Adventure at Longleat will open from 31st March 2013. To find out more please visit: www.longleat.co.uk/deadly
Amber, Steve and Imber
Deadly 60 at Longleat Safari Park
By Amber Jennings, age 9
At Longleat, when we first arrived me and my mum went to a stadium type place called the 'Hunters of the Sky'. We met some beautiful owls and big birds of prey. Then there were lots of people taking photos of Steve Backshall from CBBC's Deadly 60, so I took loads of photos too! I was even lucky enough to speak to Steve and he showed me a Bald Eagle call Imber!
Afterwards, me and my mum went to explore Longleat. First stop, we went into the small rainbow lorikeet cage. One just came by and flew onto my shoulder! They drink nectar direct your hand.
Second stop, was the jungle kingdom where we saw lots of animals including a Red Panda, some Otters and Meerkats, one of which tried to escape!
Then we went into the butterfly house and the butterflies were flying everywhere one landed on my mums red bag! I saw one which was much bigger than the rest called a Blue Morpho which was quite impressive!
After that I had a play at the adventure castle where you have to be at a certain height to enter. There was either a monkey, tiger or a rhino, to gauge what size you were. I was a tiger.
Next was the batcave! There were bats flying everywhere, the thing that me and my mum didn't like about the batcave was that they weren't in a cage and they flew past our heads!
Me and my mum went to Longleat house and people believed that there was a ghost that lived there called the grey lady. The house belongs to lord Bath.
The best part of the day was going on a Deadly 60 safari tour with Steve Backshall how cool is that! We saw some cheetahs, lions, cubs and tigers.
The last thing before I went home was the jungle cruise there were loads of sea lions we had a chance to feed them! We saw gorillas, pelicans on their cove and 2 hippos.
I had such a fantastic day.
Visit: www.longleat.co.uk
Longleat, Warminster, Wiltshire, BA12 7NW
Tel: 01985 844400
Twitter: @longleat.co.uk
Deadly Safari at Longleat *subject to availability
