It has been a hugely successful TV series over four seasons, watched by millions of curious children around the world. When I heard that he was coming to Adelaide with a live show, I jumped at the chance to take along my three children – and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

Well-written and pacey, Deadly 60 Live! travels around the world from caves to swamps, comparing snakes with bats and centipedes.

After talking about how deadly three or four chosen animals in one habitat are, presenter Backshall asks the audience to choose which one is the most deadly. Not surprisingly, the great white shark won the battle of the oceans.

But not all the footage is about animals attacking each other. One of the most fascinating sequences shows Backshall’s encounter with a leopard seal who pirouettes and shows off, while another clip shows him swimming with a giant sperm whale and her newborn calf.

Some of the animals are well known, while others are less so. The choices seem random and make for an eclectic collection. What holds the show together is Backshall’s humour and excellent rapport with his fans. All the animals are fascinating and the young audience’s knowledge of them is impressive.

Backshall cleverly ends the show with two sets of funny footage – one where he is bitten and one where things don’t quite go to plan. It’s a good way to wind up before taking some questions from keen little people in the theatre.

All the youngsters in my test audience thoroughly enjoyed the show and were only upset because we didn’t join the long queue to get our photos taken with the host.

The final performances of Deadly 60 Live! are today (January 12) at 10,30am, 1.30pm and 4.30pm at Her Majesty’s Theatre.