Fogle to follow his heroes on South Pole adventure
THEY were the titans of Antarctic exploration, braving the world’s coldest climate with just dogs, ponies and furs.
Now Ben Fogle will relive the heroic journeys of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, Sir Ernest Shackleton and Roald Amundsen. The TV explorer, 49, will have only Edwardian-era equipment, food and shelter on his journey to the South Pole – once the site of a bitter race.
Norwegian explorer Amundsen won this race in 1911, beating Captain Scott, who arrived 35 days later. On the 800-mile journey back to base camp, all five of Scott’s party died – one of whom, Lawrence Oates, famously said ‘I am just going outside and may be some time’ as he left the tent to meet his death.
Shackleton tried to cross the continent from sea to sea – but his ship, Endurance, was crushed by ice, leading to a famed escape as the crew camped on sea ice for months, floating to safety just before it disintegrated. But for a number of dogs – and the ship’s beloved cat, Mrs Chippy – all lived.
Fogle, a former Countrywise presenter, said: ‘This is a dream project for me. I have held a lifelong fascination with this period of heroic polar exploration and now I get the chance to experience immersive, living history myself by wearing the same clothes, eating the same type of food, pulling the same-style sled and sleeping in the same canvas tent.
‘Having raced to the Pole in 2008 wearing modern equipment, now I get to experience the harsh Antarctic wilderness as they did.’ He is joined by explorer Dwayne Fields in Endurance: Race To The Pole, shown on Channel 5.