Packham tells of Nepal knife attack

The Springwatch host, 49, said the man, who was holding a home-made weapon, was wrestled to the ground by passers-by.

Packham, who sparked controversy last year when he said giant pandas should be allowed to die out, told Lonely Planet Magazine: "I was in a place called Nepalgunj in Nepal, taking photos, when a man attacked me with a knife.

"He was mentally unstable and had a horrible home-made knife. I was getting a really close view of this knife and thinking: 'I don't want to be stabbed, but I particularly don't want to be stabbed by that.'

"So, I did what I was taught to do in these situations, which was make a lot of noise. He was rapidly wrestled to the ground by passers-by and I made good my escape."