NATURALIST and TV presenter Nick Baker is a regular on our screens, whether it’s presenting his own wildlife shows or joining the presenters on the BBC’s Springwatch and Autumnwatch.

He also fronts his own blues band known as Skinny Dog.

A keen supporter of charities, he is vice president of Butterfly Conservation, vice president (youth) of the RSPB, vice president of the Wildlife Trusts and Buglife and a patron of Save The Rhino.

For more on Nick visit www.nickbaker.tv or follow him on Twitter @bugboybaker

What was your first car?

It was a Vauxhall Chevette - in terracotta, which is car sales rep speak for a kind of brown. It was given to me by my brother as a ‘thank you’ for being there for him during a difficult period of our lives - big car accident as it happens. I immediately got it fitted with a Blaupunkt stereo and some Hella fogs - I like my music and driving on narrow Devon lanes at night! I loved that car - it symbolised my independence and as long as I didn’t go over 60 it did OK - although the wing mirrors rotated with the vibration anything over this speed. It all ended one winter when I hit some black ice and rear-ended another car. Nobody was hurt and I still remember looking through the cloud of steam seeing the crumpled hood, with my Blaupunkt ironically - on two counts - still playing Chuck Berry’s ‘Riding Along in my Automobile’.

How many times did it take to pass your test?

I’m smugly proud to say I did it in one. I believe that’s supposed to make me a bad driver right? I did learn late though which puts things back in my favour a little I think. My Dad tried to teach me but it was the uncle of my girlfriend at the time. I think it was a Nissan Micra and my Mum’s old Astra.

Who would be your ideal fantasy passenger and where would you go?

The clean answer would be British naturalist and explorer Alfred Russel (CORRECT) Wallace and I’d take him on the Rubicon Trail in the USA. I don’t know why other than the conversation would be amazing, he’d be pretty handy to have around too.

What is your dream car?

My Dad’s been restoring a 1930’s MG J2 since he was 18, he’s now 70, and it’s still not finished. My dream with a car in it would be that - with my Dad at the wheel and maybe me in the passenger seat. My brother and I have been surrounded by bits of that car since before we could remember!

My dream car, rather hypocritically for an environmentalist, would be either a Willy’s Jeep, A 1967 Mustang or a late 1980’s Aston Martin V8 Vantage. But maybe I should answer anything that runs on a hydrogen cell?

How would you describe your driving style?

Like me, it reflects what mood I’m in - I’m pretty safe although I can be fast. Depends on whether I’m listening to JJ Cale or Rival Sons!

Tell me one driving anecdote from your past?

I once had to stop on the hard shoulder of the M4 to wrestle three very large, three to four metre, Indian Pythons back into their respective boxes! It’s a wonder the scene didn’t cause an accident!

What are you listening to?

Right now, I’m listening to John Neméth’s ‘Memphis Grease’, ‘cos it’s happy, Ruby Freidman, ‘cos it’s mellow and I’m loving her voice, and Doug Seegers for the same reason.

What do you drive now?

I still have my ’97 Jeep Wrangler - I loved it when I bought it new and I still love it now. It’s a cute looking, tough little car that still regularly gets me and other road users out of trouble when the weather gets tough on Dartmoor. I use the excuse that it’s also useful for some of my work - one of my other jobs has been working as a bird surveyor for the RSPB on Dartmoor and I regularly have to get my car to the highest points of the moor and along some pretty rough MOD tracks - but the reality is it’s the last bastion of my bachelorhood. Family life and responsibilities have forced me to get rid of everything else frivolous in my life, and I’ve have some great times and got some good memories in that car.

My sensible car is a double-cab Hilux Invincible - it simply does everything and goes anywhere with space to spare.