SURVIVAL expert Ray Mears and comedian Alexei Sayle have been signed up for the University of Liverpool’s annual lecture series.

They will be joined by Eden Project founder Tim Smit, Scrapheap Challenge presenter Dick Strawbridge and charity founder Jonathon Porritt.

The programme of talks will tie into the city’s Year of the Environment, and will take place monthly from April 21 to October.

University of Liverpool vice chancellor, Prof Sir Howard Newby, said: “The aim of Liverpool’s Year of the Environment is to demonstrate green and sustainable living and how our activities impact on the rest of the world.

“Our programme of lectures welcomes international experts, writers and performers to speak about their experiences of culture, nature and survival and they will make a great contribution to the city’s celebration of the global environment.”

The first lecture will be held by Liverpool comic Alexei Sayle, best known for Alexei Sayle’s Stuff, for the BBC, and playing the whole Balowski family in The Young Ones, as well as several films in The Comic Strip Presents series. Alexei Sayle’s Liverpool, a television series exploring the city’s unique identity, was one of the highlights of European Capital of Culture 2008.

On April 21, Sayle will talk about his experiences of growing up in post-war Liverpool.

Television presenter Ray Mears is a world-renowned expert in “wilderness bushcraft” and survival skills. He became a household name through series including Tracks, Extreme Survival and Trips Money Can’t Buy, with actor Ewan McGregor.

His talk, on May 27,will cover global cultures and surviving in some of the most remote places in the world.