Besides Tiger King, what was your favourite TV show of the year? Dancing With the Stars has become my favourite show of 2020. I’d never seen it before they called and asked me to participate [Baskin was a contestant on the latest series of the US reality series in September]. Now that I’ve been part of the DWTS family, I just delight in seeing the stars, the pros, and the results of all the people behind the scenes in each new routine. I know how hard each of them worked to entertain us all during this unprecedented time of uncertainty and I love them for it. Did you watch anything over lockdown that caught your attention? I typically work seven days a week from about 7.30am until 7.30 or 8pm. At the end of the day, I may turn on the TV while I exercise, or while I collapse, cat-atonic, on the couch, but five minutes after turning off the TV, I couldn’t tell you what I just watched. I watch TV more for the distraction of the shows to slow the to-do list that is rolling over in my head. You started a podcast this year – do you prefer podcasts to TV? I cycle to work every day, which is about a 10-mile round trip, and I listen to podcasts the entire time. I’ve been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views. If I’m going to share my story, it should be the whole story, so that’s why I began video recording my diary entries and posting them on YouTube. There will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but now everyone has access to my whole life story. My hope is that others will recognise themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet. There were a lot of voices against you in Tiger King and none for you Tiger King was pitched as a feud between two crazy people, and for Joe it was personal – according to those around him he’s never gone a day without cursing my name to anyone who would listen. I’d never even spoken to him and up until the time he was sentenced to 22 years for trying to have me killed, I’d never spoken about him, other than to condemn the practice of buying, breeding, selling and exploiting big cats. If you talk to me for five minutes, you know my mission is to end the exploitation and private possession of exotic cats. They had to make me look like someone Joe had good cause to go after – they made me out to be a “Karen”. What’s next for you? We are working to produce a reality show about Big Cat Rescue. There is the day-to-day work of caring for 50 exotic cats, but our primary mission is to end the suffering at its root – and that’s the focus of the show. • Tiger King is on Netflix