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UNCONDITIONAL ADVENTURE Survival filmmaker Danny Etheridge is the go-to action man for some of the most challenging and fast-paced shoots
IF A PRODUCTION needs someone to be shooting from a helicopter just 500ft from where an airliner will be crashed into the desert, be on a 4000-mile journey across the Pacific in a small open boat, keep up with Bear Grylls in some of the world’s toughest environments, or join Special Forces in action, Danny Etheridge is often first to get the call. “Well, I’m certainly one of them!” he says, fighting back the jet lag upon arriving back in his London home after a three-day trip from Hanoi. “There’s a few of us out there and my name is in those circles.” While sweating in jungles, freezing in Arctic conditions, being dangled from high buildings or shooting underwater might strike fear into most, Etheridge loves what he does; it’s his childhood dream come true. “Growing up, I always imagined myself going out on big adventures somewhere. It was a bit of a pipe dream – I never really thought it would happen.” After university, he followed the more conventional route of getting into TV in the UK, working on sketch shows with Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, Holby City , Countryfile , Gardeners’ World and even Doctor Who . LIVING ON THE EDGE “I like the comedy, but drama is not my bag,” Etheridge continues. “I prefer the madness, the moving around, and can’t stand doing things over and over again. Most of all, I like the uncertainty of documentary, where anything could happen at any moment. It’s much more exciting.
ON THE HUNT Hunted is high-octane for most, but a slower pace for Etheridge
“I had it fixed in my head to do crazy adventures, and every decision turned me in that direction”
Of course, that has involved Etheridge facing hardship and taking risks many times. Such as when he was filming The Plane Crash for Channel 4 and Discovery. “I was in a helicopter waiting for an airliner to come in and purposefully crash in the middle of the desert. No one had ever been close to a plane crashing like that, so you didn’t know if loads of little bits of debris were going to be flying around. “The helicopter pilot said to me: ‘If you see stuff coming up towards us then scream, and we’ll get out quick.’ So I’m sat there in the blistering sun. My eyes were killing me because the difference between the viewfinder and the desert was intense. And that was a moment where I wondered how I ever found myself in that situation.” Other memorably tough shoots include an expedition exploring what was thought to be the world’s biggest cave. “You could fly an airliner through that cave. And
“So I had it fixed in my head that I wanted to do crazy adventures, and every decision I made was turning me toward that direction. I don’t think a lot of people necessarily want to put themselves through a lot of pain when it comes to that sort of thing – but I wanted it. “I always thought, if ever I got the opportunity to do something absolutely crazy, I would snap it up in a heartbeat. When I was younger, I was thinking about war zones. Then, as I hit my twenties, I mellowed out a bit and thought maybe I don’t necessarily want to die for it. And I wasn’t interested enough in current affairs or news or anything. “So I was lucky enough to be in the room when they were coming up with some pretty crazy ideas for TV shows – and I jumped at it. When I ended up on the shoots, it meant everything to me, so I put a lot of effort into it.”
HEATED Etheridge’s hardy Canon kit follows him almost everywhere – including sizzling desert climes
25. MAY 2023
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