Peek into the slithery, slimy world of TV presenter Nick Baker as he unpacks his box of frogs and other wee beasties in Weird Creatures, the live version of his Channel Five show at The Alban Arena.

Having been armed with a pair of binoculars and a net since childhood, Nick is the perfect person to discuss anything and everything that squeaks and squawks. He previously fronted BBC One’s The Really Wild Show and CBBC’s Spring Watch. He has also written books and articles as well as giving talks on the delights of nature.

Nick’s enthusiasm for his subject was fuelled by the animal books of Gerald Durrell and by spending time collecting and observing the flora and fauna in his back yard in Sussex. Not to mention bringing them back to his room.

“My haunts were the fields, woods, ponds and ditches surrounding my home,“ recalls Nick. “My parents never knew the half of it... after the stick insect episode where they all got out and nibbled my mums plants, animals in the house were not allowed, but I kept them anyway, secretly. I bred tarantulas under the bed and giant silk moths in the wardrobe.“

I shudder to think about his family’s reaction to those guests had they ever got loose but without such a tolerant upbringing, perhaps his passion for nature might not have reaped such great rewards.

“I guess it was really my family who inspired my interest in nature, while they didn’t let me keep animals in my room, they gave me loads of opportunities to be outside and that is all a young naturalist needs to be happy and inspired.“

Now married with a five-year-old daughter, Nick also has room for a number of other house guests.

“We have a small collection of snakes (about 15), some axolotls and quite a few invertebrates – scorpions, beetles, snails, cockroaches and stick insects and a bunch of weird fish too.

“My wife is into nature in a big way and my daughter, like all five-year-olds, is an excellent observer and explorer of nature – a natural you might say. I don’t force the subject but she gets involved anyway.“

So what can people do to encourage wildlife into their gardens?

“A pond is a sure fire way of embellishing the value of any wildlife garden, nest boxes and feeders can help too but I’m a big fan of low effort, more long-term gardening - a native tree or hedge can really help and so can a pile of logs in a sunny corner.

"It’s about creating as big a diversity of habitats as you can squeeze in. The more habitats the more species you’ll attract – but a pond is good for starters – it’s a real wildlife magnet.“

Audiences can also follow Nick on a personal journey that has seen him face up to some of the harshest and most extreme locations. As well as some candid and revealing behind the scenes incidents, the live show will also reveal why animals appear weird to us and how their strange looks and habits are actually born of an evolutionary need to tackle some unique habitats and situations.

Studying animals is obviously a fascinating and rewarding pursuit for Nick, but I can’t help thinking that you need a lot of patience to cope with the unpredictable antics of his creaturely co-hosts.

“I guess I always expect to be disappointed, so when things go to plan then they are the sweetest moments,“ admits Nick. “Especially when I’m in pursuit of a species that has been giving me the slip for some time – the best wildlife moment of them all was finally getting to swim with a basking shark off Cornwall.“

I can’t resist asking Nick what his favourite creatures are – living or extinct.

“I’m rather fond of anything without a backbone and pink fairy armadillos,“ he says wistfully. “When it comes to extinct creatures I’d have dodos, elephant birds, golden frogs and yanghtzee dolphin. And which boy wouldn’t love to see a real, live dinosaur?“

Weird Creatures comes to The Alban Arena, Civic Centre, St Albans on Tuesday, April 10. Details: 01727 861078