Sports journalist and ultra-athlete Vassos Alexander takes the plunge and explores the delights and rewards of wild and open water swimming in his quest to swim the Channel.
 
  
 
  Vassos Alexander got bitten by the swimming bug during lockdown – heading to his local patch of the Thames to find distraction and solace during that hot summer. And he stuck with it. He now pretty much can't pass a stretch of water without wanting to jump in it, even if just for a few minutes. And, of course, he is one of those people with an ice bath in his back garden.
 
  
 
  Wild and open-water swimming has exploded in popularity in the last few years. The benefits of cold-water swimming are well known and we all know someone (or we are that someone!) who swims outside throughout the year.
 
  
 
  But Vassos doesn't do things by halves. Not content with an occasional invigorating dip, he set his sights on the biggest event he could think of – to swim the Channel. Along the way he works with the best trainers, interviews the great and good of swimming – from Wim Hof to Alison Streeter (the first woman to swim the Channel three ways non-stop) and figures out what makes so many of us want to wade, jump and dive in.
 
  
 
  Join Vassos on his watery journey as he goes from being a relative newbie to taking on his biggest challenge yet.