Geography was the lesson I always looked forward to most. It was a form of escapism. It could be bleak midwinter outside but inside you're learning about African farming methods or the Great Lakes. No other lesson had that excitement.Collection: Learning
Where once Lego offered a whimsical form of escapism into the world of the subconscious, encouraging creativity and imagination, it's transformed into a rigid 'box ticking' discipline where children are encouraged to build by conformity.Collection: Imagination
When I was a child, Lego came in brick form, you'd buy boxes of random bricks. You used your imagination and your mind in your build.Collection: Imagination
I'm a bit dyslexic so I found learning to read hard. I muddled up the letters but learnt to power through.Collection: Learning
We as humans, we're not solitary people, we're like dogs, we like to live in packs and know about one another. And, if anything, fame is people trying to attain community on a mass scale, because when you become famous wherever you go people know about what you've done and what you're about to do.Collection: Famous
In some ways, I'm in danger of doing too many things to be able to appreciate and enjoy them. I look forward to thinking back to carrying the Olympic torch, or going to the Royal Wedding, when I'm in the middle of the ocean on my own far from anywhere - that's when I'll relive those moments.Collection: Wedding
I love the ocean. Anywhere near the ocean will do. Preferably the Atlantic Ocean.
Lego for many parents is the antithesis of the high tech world. We are desperate to wean our little ones away from the tablets and into the bricks.
I am very proud of rowing the Atlantic Ocean.
The wilderness rescued me. I have been shaped by my experiences in the great outdoors. Feeling comfortable in the wild gave me the confidence to be who I am, not who others want me to be.
My wife Marina likes salad and fish and I have reduced my meat consumption to just three times a week. It wouldn't take much to go vegetarian and I may well make that decision soon.
I'd quite like to run the Great Wall of China. I've never been to China and there's something about the Great Wall of China that is so iconic and evocative. It's only 3,000 miles. It's not that far.
I would hide behind my parents' legs at social events, I was even shy in front of my sisters. I was a really, really ridiculously shy boy. But the one thing I took from my public school education was confidence.
On the face of it there is a pristine white sandy beach, but within an hour, around 100 of us can collect up to 250-300 kilos of rubbish. It's mostly bits of plastic, fishing line, nylon, bottle caps. We've found everything.
Often, a seemingly clear clean beach has a huge amount of hidden litter.
Some people confuse confidence with arrogance. There's no doubt in the business world there are a few big egos and I think arrogance can get in the way. But if you have the confidence to go to your higher superior and say this is wrong, it can make a difference.
I'd be quite happy if cars were banned from central London. Why are we not using little tuk-tuks rather than big black cabs?
It's not a surprise that the mental health epidemic is affecting so many people because we can't escape this bubble from being on our phones and tablets.
I failed my exams and my driving test. I failed to get into the Foreign Office and drama school. The big F was dominant in my early years.
I remembered reading about a disease called Leishmaniasis, which matched my symptoms. I'd always thought it was an old wives' tale - a sand fly bite that eats your flesh. But when I looked on the internet and saw pictures of people who had it, their lesions looked like mine.
People are being overwhelmed with social issues, political problems and economic problems - and this notion of giving everything up and going to live off-grid and to have a simpler way of life is quite attractive.
You learn so much about how far you can push yourself and what you can do. How an experience like Antarctica helps you, it boosts your confidence.
Michael Palin and Paul Theroux are my travelling icons. I have a soft spot for Joanna Lumley. I'd love to go on an adventure with her.
We experienced a miscarriage at 13 weeks and then a few years later we lost our son Willem at 30 weeks. I held him in my arms and had to organise his funeral.
When I was on Taransay, I loved being part of a community, I loved that everyone knew what I was doing, where I was going. I loved that. I liked knowing that if I wasn't back at a certain time people would start worrying a little bit about me, I loved the whole community thing, sitting for hours and chatting to people.
Without risk you can't experience life. There have to be risks, physically and mentally, taken by everyone.
In the presenting area, there's nothing that really sets me apart from anyone else. It's something I enjoy but I was never going to set the world on fire.
I loathed my first term boarding at Bryanston school in Dorset. I hated being away from home; I think I had my parents in tears every time I spoke to them. I regret being so spoilt because within two terms I loved it.
Although I'm a city boy, I am a rural person at heart - and that comes from school. I'd lived near Marble Arch in London and it was fantastic to be surrounded by fields and trees.
After university, I was desperate to be an ambassador. It went back to geography: I loved the idea of living in exotic and exciting countries, but still driving a Land Rover and having tea. I failed the Foreign Office exams three times.
Whenever I leave home to film, my wife Marina gets terrified that I'm going to come back having bought a tiny plot of land in rural Alaska.
Broadcasters and production companies often don't appreciate the complexities of viewing habits, but Gogglebox has highlighted how in-depth people go when watching TV.
I had a short run as the presenter of 'Cash in the Attic'. It's a very popular show but didn't really suit me.
I find 'EastEnders' so utterly bleak.
I'm the son of a vet and grew up with golden retrievers. Dogs have always loomed large in our lives but labradors have the nicest personalities: kind, loyal and caring.
I'm acutely aware of the environment but I'm far from perfect - I love Land Rovers and fly too much.
I do try to reduce my carbon footprint a little bit by travelling around London on my electric bike. A lot of people raise their eyebrows but I love riding it.
When I reached the summit of Everest, I scooped some ice into my drinking bottle as I'd run out of water and hoped it would melt. After I got back to base camp, I decided to keep it, so I had a special bottle made with an inscription - it's my lucky water.
We're a much more touchy-feely, hands-on generation than our fathers but juggling work, family and social life and trying to be romantic and keep yourself fit is really hard. I want to be the perfect dad but you can't be the perfect dad unless you compromise elsewhere.
London really is my city; I was born within a breath of Marble Arch.
I wouldn't want to go into mainstream, Downing Street politics, though - it's just too cut-throat. I've got quite thin skin.
I'm a very light packer. I don't like checking in luggage. I only like hand luggage.
For anyone, taking yourself out of your natural environment and comfort zone is such a great way to reflect where you've come from and where you are going.
We tend to default to complacency. Stick to the easy option. We all do it. We've tried to create a business model and society around us that is as easy and boxed as possible. We love creating boundaries and borders.
I don't think you can ever get closer to the natural world, than just a man - as in mankind - in an ocean, just you and it. It's not about conquering the ocean, it's about working with it.
I met a Swedish single mum called Annalise who is living in the wilderness. Her dilemma is finding enough wood to make a fire to keep warm.
I think we are becoming more obsessed about getting a certain amount of likes on our Twitter and Instagram accounts rather than actually living a proper, real, honest and organic life.
When suddenly your focus changes, you see the years going by and it's an extra reminder that you don't want to live life with any regrets.
We so love to stereotype people in this country - I can relate to that myself as I've experienced it. By taking on challenges over the years, I've tried to show people I'm not just some 'posh boy' and that there's far more to me.
After all, island living is where I began on Taransay, and I have such fond memories of it.