HE’S been chased by pirates, hounded by the Mafia and bombed by Columbian barons. Journalist Simon Reeve has travelled through 120 countries and his BBC documentaries have sold to more than 60 countries.

But the adventurer who visits Poole Lighthouse on Friday, October 26, will happily tell you that his life hasn’t always been so exciting. In fact he even considered taking his own life when he was in his teens and he felt he had no future.

“Everyone seems to think that to be on TV you need to have got straight As at public school,” he says. “But I don’t come from a media family or a wealthy, travelling background, and I left my local comprehensive with basically nothing and went on the dole. I started work in a mail room. I never went to university,” he says.

Now his first tour, An Audience with Simon Reeve which features exclusive footage and a 20 minute question and answer session, is proving so popular that it has already sold out at many venues including the Lighthouse.

“There’s a lot that I see and film that never makes it into the programmes, so there’s also behind-the-scenes stories to tell and footage to show.”

He admits that he will find walking out on stage scarier than some of the experiences he’s had on his travels.

“Imminent death doesn’t bother us as much a social embarrassment!”

But he says it will be worth it as his main aim is to inspire his audience.

“I hope the show might prompt them to go on their own adventures and encourage them to get out of their comfort zone in life. I want to remind people that starting from nothing doesn’t need to stop you from achieving your dreams.”