Mankind has come a long way since the days of hunters and gatherers - but the modern British man's survival gene could be in danger of becoming extinct.
According to a new television survey, ready meals and toiletries are the luxuries more than a quarter of UK men couldn't live without on a remote island, above taking a hunting knife or fishing line.
Some 26 percent named toiletries as a must-have item and 29 percent said they couldn't do without their pre-prepared tucker, the Channel 4 survey of 2000 British men found.
And 62 percent said they wouldn't be able to start a fire without the aid of a lighter - so they may have trouble heating up their TV dinner anyway.
When asked to rate their practical DIY skills, Welsh men were the least-educated in the UK, with 83 per cent claiming they were never taught the skills.
The survey found just one in 10 spend their spare time playing sport, only 9 percent pursue outdoor activities and 15 percent tend to their house or car.
The top recreation was lazing around and watching TV, with more than a third admitting to spending their free time in this way.
The survey findings come as Channel 4 launches the five-part series, The Island with Bear Grylls, featuring the real-life experiences of a group of men struggling to survive on a remote island.
Grylls said: "What happens when you strip man of all the luxury and conveniences of modern living and then force them to fight for their very existence?
"When pushed to the extreme do they still have what it takes to survive? I believe the spirit is still there and in us all.
"It's not until it's squeezed and put under pressure that we find that spirit of resourcefulness and courage again."
AFP
source: newshub archive
