More parasites, less preaching

Inside Base Camp; National Geographic Channel; Weekdays, 6:30 a.m.

Interview shows the world over rise and fall on the quality of their guests. Those rules apply to “Inside Base Camp,” on the National Geographic Channel, but I would add an accompanying creed: Stay True to Your Title.

“Inside Base Camp” succeeds best when host Tom Foreman interviews camera-shy foot soldiers from National Geographic’s vast network of photojournalists and outdoor adventurers. Photographer Joel Sartore gets across the grunt work involved in documenting wild animals -- including knife surgery inside a hut to remove an egg-laying parasitic worm from his backside. The show can be gripping and touching, as in a recent episode when climber Erik Weihenmayer described how it felt to climb and stand atop Mt. Everest -- the first blind person to do so.

But the “you are there” feeling isn’t on every episode. Stars such as Jane Goodall or Ted Koppel are polished on camera, but their message -- save the chimps and Rwandan children, respectively -- should be on another show.

-- Emmett Berg