1. Fire

Available for over a year

We are living in turbulent times and it is easy to feel anxious about the state of the world. The pace of change is fast, and the future often seems uncertain and out of our control. Given our reliance on technology, any sort of outage could be catastrophic. Could you survive - and thrive - in a world without global supply chains, the internet and 24-hour energy? In this series the writer Dan Richards seeks the tradition bearers and carriers of ancient knowledge who actively choose to live in close connection with the natural world around them. A return to first principles of what it means to be human and the kind of people you would like to be around if things fell apart. In Episode 1 - Fire, Dan meets Zeki Basan, a Traditional Skills and Survival Instructor based in the Cairngorms of Scotland. According to Zeki, fire is at the very centre of human evolution. Not only for warmth and a place to cook, but for preserving food and materials for clothing and crafts. Zeki shows Dan the bow drill method of creating fire, one of the most ancient techniques. Along the way, Dan discovers that it's not only the knowledge of how to make fire that is essential, but a particular mindset that will ensure survival in the outdoors. This episode was recorded before the fire ban came into effect in the Cairngorms National Park. Presented by Dan Richards Produced by Helen Needham Mixed by Ron McCaskill Original Music by Anthony Cowie A BBC Audio Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4