Daily Mirror, We Love Telly Magazine
30th October, 2004

Squid fish-ious!

John Lydon may have stormed out of the jungle on last year's I'm A Celebrity... but he couldn't wait to plunge himself back into the limelight to swim with sharks for this week's TV documentary.

The ex-punk rocker was lured back into the wild because of his love of the awesome predators. 'It's like a dream come true,' he says. 'I've been in love with sharks from an early age, much more than music. Fishy types of tales are written throughout all my songs.'

We follow John as he travels to South Africa - and on the day he arrives there's a report of a shark attack in the same waters he's about to swim in. But John insists: 'I'm not frightened. I'm not their main prey. They wouldn't eat me, obviously, because that would be a great mistake! Besides, I'm ready to take the risk because hey are so stunning - the most amazing creatures I've ever seen.'

The one-time Sex Pistol kicks off with a four-day crash course in diving. 'Sod the sharks - that ain't no problem at all,' says John, 48. 'Just breathing is going to be the real dilemma. The instructor says breathe easily and continuously and I thought I did that all my life.

'South Africa amazes me. I can spit all day long and people applaud me - and you see safety pins as decoration on the natives. I've been made for this place!'

Around 100 people are killed each year scuba diving, and a further 1,000 are injured. But that doesn't worry John any more than the sharks. 'Swimming with great whites would be seen by a lot of people as an act of incredible foolishness, but it isn't. It's the thrill of a lifetime - I hope,' he grins. 'I don't feel any fear - just enthusiasm - I can't sleep at night.'

But as a precaution, he designs his own wetsuit with bright yellow nd black stripes. 'Everybody bobs up and down in the ocean in black, and they all look like seals - like shark bait,' he says. 'Dumb move, I reckon. I want to look bright and trendy - but completely inedible!'

As John prepares to dive in the notorious Shark Alley, he gets more and more excited. 'I've dreamed about this for 30 years,' he grins. 'What you're about to see is a proper set of dentures.'

And as he's lowered into the ocean in a metal cage he says: 'The isolation is a strange feeling. I've seen plenty of photos and film - and it doesn't match.'

At one point a huge shark heads straight for him and whacks the side of the cage with his tail before turning round for another stab - with its head.

Afterwards, the cool-as- a-cod singer says: 'Wow, stunning. My adrenaline was really rushing when that big kipper came in. I feel now like I do when I come off stage. This is one of the best things I've ever done!'

Soon, viewers will see John cuddling chimps and visiting mountain gorillas. So could the one-time shock-rocker end up as the new David Attenborough? 'I'm a very serious and earnest person,' he says. 'I have a pride in being alive and I get a sheer joy out of living creatures.' Looks like it's 'Move over, Dave' then!