JEREMY Wade, the presenter of the hit series River Monsters, is to visit Basingstoke.

The biology teacher and angler turned seat-of-the-pants explorer will appear at The Haymarket on Thursday, March 13 at 7.30pm.

What do you do when something grabs your hand in a pitch-dark underwater cave or when your aircraft engine fails above the Amazon jungle or when a doctor tells you about fish that leave gunshot-like wounds in their victims? And why is it all worthwhile?

Man-sized piranhas, fish that electrocute, nine-foot river sharks (yes, river sharks) … You’ve seen the programmes; now find out what it takes to deliver these outlandish creatures to the TV screen, with video footage, tall stories and on-stage demonstrations.

There will also be a chance for audiences to put their own questions to Jeremy.

The fifth series of River Monsters is currently showing on ITV. This season, audiences can watch Jeremy Wade tracking down legendary mutant fish in the nuclear wastelands of Russia’s Chernobyl, and on a quest for perhaps the most famous freshwater cryptid ever — Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster.

This is a rare opportunity to see Jeremy live for an evening of mystery, mayhem and monster wrangling.

Tickets are available from the box office on 01256 844244 or online at anvilarts.org.uk.