THE WORLD IS QUITE ANGRY RIGHT NOW ISN'T IT? obsolescence – this whole idea that everything is made to only last for a year. So Apple only produce a phone that lasts for one year and then they will upgrade it. “Planned obsolescence is symbolic of why the
Ben Fogle’s dreams of escaping ‘civilisation’, are on hold – for now. He tells GEMMA DUNN why he envies those who can live off-the-grid
‘HOW many of us fulfil our dreams?” asks Ben Fogle, pointedly. “I’ve always lived my life to have no regrets, and when I die, I’d like to think, ‘you know what, I made a difference and I did everything I wanted to do’,” he says.
We’re discussing the premise behind his hit Channel 5 show, New Lives In The Wild, in which he travels the globe to meet people who have turned their backs on the daily grind.
“The world is quite angry right now, isn’t it?” Ben, 43, continues. “We’re reading it all the time; it’s never been so divided [and] this kind of simmering anger that manifests itself on the internet, in social media, it’s so unhealthy.
“For me, the wilderness on one hand is very black and white: it’s going to either be rainy or it’s going to be dry, you’re either going to be cold or you’re going to be hot,” he observes.
“Sometimes it’s easy to interpret it, but it also just has an honesty to it that I think society has lost and that’s what’s really appealing.”
Six seasons in and Ben, whose TV career stemmed from his stint on the BBC reality show Castaway in 2000, is clearly thrilled about the series’ success. His long list of exploits includes the six-day Marathon des Sables, swimming from Alcatraz to San Francisco and a 49-day, 3,000-mile rowing race with James Cracknell.
During this series he will join another set of brave individuals who have chosen to venture down an alternative path, from Egyptian farms on the edge of the Sahara Desert and the vast wilderness of Australia; to the foothills of the Spanish mountains and even a floating island off the Canadian coast.
“The more places I go, the more I understand and the more I want to ask,” says Ben, who sharpened his broadcasting skills on shows like Countryfile and Animal Clinic,
Above all else, the unifying trait, he notes, is the supreme happiness of everyone he meets.
“I think so many of us dream of breaking free from the manic expectation in society,” he begins, passionately. “Now, more than ever, people are trying to earn enough money to be able to pay their mortgage or pay their rent and then have enough money to pay for the latest technology.”
He adds: “I’ve got this real problem with planned
The wilderness... it has an honesty to it that I think society has lost...
because I get to do it through my work,” he says.
“We’re becoming more aware, especially in London, of the impact of the pollution all around us,” he says. “I fear that within the next few years we’ll all have to wear masks, and that does worry me.
“I’m almost being hypocritical if I’m extolling virtues of the wilderness and the simplicity of life and I’m still living in the city,” he points out, adding: “I’ve been institutionalised myself, so I’ve got an error in that I can see through it, yet I’m still tied to it if that makes sense, which is very confusing.”
His big dream is one day to embark on an “expedition” with his children – but not before they’re ready. He’s clear that the choice is up to them.
But Ben is keen to stress that children should be encouraged to be both adventurous and independent – in fact, he’s previously received a backlash for admitting his two are familiar with hunting knives and fire.
“I lacked confidence as a child, mainly because I was so hopeless at academia,” he admits. “So for me, all those failings led to a massive feeling of inferiority. What gave me my confidence was independence when my parents sent me to boarding school.
“The health and safety obsessed mollycoddling society we live in now is ridiculous,” he insists. “We have to let children get out, get messy and bruise their knees.
“It’s synonymous with this obsession with control – the state wants to control everything, and parents want to control everything,” Ben adds. “It’s so unhealthy for everyone involved and if we just let go a little bit and if we just relaxed, a bit, we’d be in a much healthier place.”
Ben Fogle: New Lives In The Wild starts on Channel 5, Tuesday at 9pm.