Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild

Ben Fogle meets Randilyn, a woman on a perpetual walk across the US. What began as a solitary journey with her dog has grown into a multi-wagon caravan, complete with a menagerie of animals she cares for on the move.

Ben Fogle heads to the island of Tenerife to visit young couple Emma and Edo, whose ambition to rescue a few horses has created a community farm and very different wild sanctuary.

Ben experiences a different kind of wild living - 'continuous cruising' on a narrowboat - staying with his host Dave, whose move to an off-grid life on the canals became a lifeline after personal tragedy.

Ben visits a remarkable homestead perched on one of the region's highest mountains, home to the Bellrose family, who have spent five years battling a brutal climate where daily life can be a matter of survival.

Ben's journey takes him to an off-grid home nestled deep in the forests of Canton, Maine. Here, he meets Arthur, a hunter-gatherer with a PhD in botany, along with his two daughters, Samara (11) and Fera (4), and his girlfriend, Kelly. Arthur has spent the past decade building a community of like-minded individuals inspired by local Native American cultures and the traditions of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. During his stay, Ben witnesses how Arthur's ideology is passed down to his daughters. Ben also discovers Arthur's unique parenting style, treating children of all ages as adults. This approach has fostered extraordinary mental fortitude in his daughters, helping them cope with a tragic personal loss. 

Ben journeys to Spain to meet 50-year-old free spirit Nara, who has spent most of his adult life without modern conveniences like shoes, toothbrushes, and flushing toilets. Nara, a nomadic soul, moves between intentional communities and introduces Ben to his unique lifestyle. As Ben spends time with his eccentric host, it becomes clear that Nara lives by his own set of rules. Through their conversations, Ben learns how Nara's unconventional childhood shaped his distinctive outlook on life. 

Ben heads to the African continent to visit former army officer and TV adventurer Mark. Along with his Argentinian wife Ayelen, he has spent the past 17 years building a stunning home on the Moroccan coast while also raising two young children. Ben learns of the struggles of their build and how they face an everworsening situation with drought. 

Ben ventures to the rugged, desolate beauty of Utah's Canyonlands, where he meets Scott, a man who has built his off-grid home from the ground up. Scott leads a reclusive life, opening his doors to others on his own terms, as he dedicates his time to preparing for an uncertain future. As their friendship deepens, Scott gradually shares fragments of his past with Ben. As the pair fix roads and move rocks, Scott unveils a recent profound personal loss he has been grappling with. Ben witnesses Scott's remarkable resilience and the way he honours the memories of those who have shaped his journey. 

Ben's journey takes him to an off-grid home nestled deep in the forests of Canton, Maine, where he meets Arthur, a hunter-gatherer with a PhD in botany.

In Spain, Ben meets 50-year-old free spirit Nara, who has spent most of his adult life without modern conveniences. Ben learns how Nara's unconventional childhood shaped his distinctive outlook on life.

Ben heads to the African continent to visit former army officer Mark, who, over 17 years, built a stunning home on the Moroccan coast. Ben learns of the struggles as Mark's fmaily face ever-worsening drought.

Ben ventures to the desolate beauty of Utah's Canyonlands, where he meets Scott, who has built his off-grid home, and witnesses Scott's remarkable resilience.

Ben returns to the Suffolk countryside, and a secretive patch of woodland, to reunite with unique character Will Lord (50), a true British caveman.Last time, Ben embraced Will's ‘Stone Age' existence in the forest, immersing himself to help Will complete his caveman home. They prepared and ate dinner using primitive tools, Ben learned a range of skills from fire-starting to coracle boating on the river, and he spent time with Will and his dad, arguably one of the best flint-knappers in the world.Now, almost three years later, Ben discovers how Will's new prehistoric dream is developing and how those closest to him are embracing his new-found passion.

Ben Fogle heads back to the jewel of the Indian Ocean to catch up with British vet Janey, who set up a rescue centre for Sri Lanka’s street-dogs. Five years on, Janey’s centre looks even more impressive. The vet speaks about her new struggles, such as being left alone during the pandemic, and Ben witnesses the impact her charity is having.

Ben returns to the Arctic circle to revisit old friend, and fellow adventurer, Randi Skaug, who is living on her remote island off Norway’s northern coastline. When Ben last met Randi, he embraced life on the island and discovered how his host was the first Norwegian woman to climb Everest. Now, five years later Ben’s back to find out how the intermittent years have treated Randi.

Ben reconnects with his old British friend Paul Ferber and his family in Thailand. He learns why they left their Cambodian island home since he last saw them, where Paul was raising his own castaway tribe and defending sea-life from the illegal trawler trade. Now, they discuss how his tribe feel about their new jungle home, and whether their long-standing battle with pirates has continued.

Ben revisits nomads Miriam and Peter in the vast forests of the Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria, having previously met the couple in 2016. Ben joins the couple at their off-grid cottage, and hears how the pair had to drastically change their lives when Peter suffered acute kidney failure, and how they have adapted to their new lives as "slomads".

Ben heads back to Sweden to revisit Annalisa, a single mother who was developing a forest hideaway on the fringes of society for her and her young son. Now three years later, Annalisa has a new partner and an enviable homestead, and Ben learns of the extraordinary journey the trio took during the pandemic and how they sustain their thrifty life with such passion and ambition.

Ben heads back to Western Australia to revisit 69-year-old Barbara, a Swiss woman who has lived alone in an isolated Bush camp for 16 years, and he quickly learns that the past eight years have not been easy. He discovers that not only has his friend had to deal with a serious cancer scare, but she came close to losing everything in a devastating fire.

Ben spends a week in Dorset with former paratrooper Chris who, despite losing nearly everything, has spent the last five years walking the UK's coastline. Ben joins Chris and his faithful dog companion, Jet, 27,000 miles into their walk, and also meets Chris' partner and fellow hiker, Kate. Whilst in their company, Ben learns how to desalinate sea water, forage the nature around him and how to charm local fisherman for food.

Ben as he revisits the Watkinson family, who gave up their careers as vets to live a greener existence on a rugged mountainside on the Pembrokeshire coast. Ben learns how the Watkinsons have used their academic backgrounds to come up with ingenious ways to make this life work, and he witnesses the relationship their children are forging with the living world around them.

Ben heads back to the Saharan landscape of Morocco, where he first met Karen, an extraordinary artist who had turned her back on urban life to live in the middle of the desert. Ben uncovers how the local community has been a source of strength to her, learns of the constant battle she faces with the elements, and discovers the looming threat that could change Karen's entire way of life.

Adventurer Ben Fogle returns to meet previous contributors who turned their back on the rat race and set up home in some of the most remote locations on Earth. In this episode, he finds his unique former "Stone Age" host Lynx living on a different continent than on his last visit, as she has now set up home deep in the Norwegian forest.

Ben travels to the deserts of Arizona to meet Dee, a modern-day nomad travelling across the United States in a former military transport vehicle which she has turned into a cosy mobile home. Ben experiences first-hand how challenging it is to live out of a small vehicle in the arid surroundings of the inhospitable desert, travelling side-by-side with his host in his own tiny car.

Ben travels to a unique, tiny island in the Scottish Hebrides where he meets ex-social care worker Philip, who has embraced a new way of life in this small, alternative community. In his company, Ben spends the week cut off from the outside world, in an old lighthouse keeper's cottage, where he experiences the unusual routines of the island's community.

Ben journeys to the Suffolk countryside and a secretive patch of woodland, to spend the week with unique character Will, 50, who could be described as a true British caveman. Ben embraces Will's Stone Age-style existence in the forest and discovers how a childhood passion carved Will's future, the price he paid for following his dream, and how he is steering it back around as Ben meets him at a new stage in his prehistoric life.

The presenter meets the Powell family who are living an off-grid existence in a hidden valley in the Black Mountains in Wales. Whilst in their company, Ben climbs into a ravine to maintain the family's hydro electrics, explores the forest with the spirited children, and helps plant the biggest new woodland in Wales for a generation.

The presenter ventures deep into the Scottish Highlands to meet Iona and her young family on the near-10,000-acre wilderness estate that she grew up on. Whilst in their company, Ben drives cattle on horseback, digs out a dam to ensure the family's hydro-electricity supply and gets to grips with the annual deer cull, and hears how Iona's past prepared her for this extraordinary life in the wilderness.

Ben revisits Emma, who lives a completely organic and off-grid life in an overgrown Welsh woodland, and has managed to make herself completely independent from the outside world. Emma reveals how she has needed to adapt her lifestyle as she has got older, and introduces the others who have joined her. Ben helps them to construct a communal mud hut and learns about the building's spiritual purpose.

Ben Fogle meets an author in Co Galway on Ireland's west coast who has turned his back on both money and technology, experimenting with living using only what he can source from the land. His frugal lifestyle involves collecting water, sparse winter foraging, fishing, sheep-wrangling and writing by candle-light.

Ben meets Jake Williams, a 70-year-old hermit living on the edge of a forest in the Cairngorms, who has made a home on the site of an ancient settlement and enjoys a diet of roadkill stir fry. Ben helps him with some wild gardening and gets a taste of his musical talents and mischievous sense of humour.

Ben ventures off the wild coast of Northern Ireland to the tiny, remote and rugged island of Rathlin. He stays with 41-year-old Rauri Morgan, a former HR executive who turned his back on corporate life to move into an ancient family heirloom. Ben embraces modern-day foraging, ancient myths and legends, and eccentric property maintenance, and discovers that Rauri's paradise has been found in the most unlikely of places, but that there is more than meets the eye to both him and his place on the island.

Tonight it’s all wood and white water, as he returns to Canada to relive a memorable stay in bear country, with former war journalist Julius Strauss and his partner Kristin. And with such spectacular scenery, not to mention a cosy wood cabin to kip in, you can see why he fancied coming back. The big question is, will they spot any grizzlies this time? SUMMARY Ben Fogle revisits former war correspondent Julius Strauss and his wife Kristin, who live in British Columbia. Their home is in the middle of a mountainous region that is home to grizzly bears, and on his first visit, Ben was shocked to discover the impact hunting had on the animals. Years later, the couple's campaigning has helped introduce new protections, but now a new problem has arisen - wildfires during the dry summer months. They must engage in constant fire drills to be prepared in the event of a blaze.

Ben Fogle is reunited with seafarer Rick, who has moved on to pastures new since their original encounter. When Rick last appeared on the series, he was living off the coast of French Polynesia, but he has since made a fresh start on the Pacific island of Fiji. In the intervening years, Rick has acquired a new boat and is now travelling alone - but remains as enthusiastic as ever about his unusual lifestyle and believes that anyone can follow in his wake and gain a newfound sense of freedom - if they have the right attitude.

Ben Fogle reunites with a former medical student living in the woodlands of Arkansas. Ben discovers the impact a series of injuries have had on his physically demanding wild lifestyle, including a simple lapse in concentration that nearly cost him everything. However, none of this has prevented him honing his talents as a craftsman and embracing a life surrounded by nature.

A life-threatening parachuting accident was the catalyst that persuaded Jim Alston to pursue his "Robinson Crusoe" dream, while his partner Kim Nguyen also had a near-death experience in a horrific car crash. In 2017 Ben Fogle went to visit the pair on the aptly named Wilderness Island off Australia’s north-western cape, where he got a lesson in the art of mud-crabbing and the necessity for fresh water (which the island was without). Ben now returns to find Kim and Jim have now built an eco-resort and gained an extended family. "This island has served as therapy for both of them," he concludes. SUMMARY Ben reunites with a couple living off the west coast of Australia, and discovers the logistical nightmares they have overcome to make a home for themselves on a desert island, as well as enduring the extremes of the Australian climate. While they have recently had cause to celebrate, their lives are becoming increasingly difficult, which may result in them moving on.

Ben visits an ex-photographer who lives an isolated life in the wilds of Oregon, harvesting weeds for nutrition. There, Ben experiences a Native American-inspired sweat lodge.

As one of the world's most in-demand sporting coaches, 43-year-old Nikola Boric once travelled the world, welcomed everywhere he went. Now, he lives in a wooden cabin without electricity, water or heating, with just some pigs and goats for company. Experiencing Nikola's new life in the woods above the village of Kokocak on the edge of Papuk Nature Park, Ben tries to understand what drove Nikola to make a sudden decision to quit everything and retire to such a forgotten corner of the world, finding a new life of purity and self-sufficiency away from mainstream society.

Ben meets Lucy, who left Britain to start a new life with her husband Tim on New Zealand's north island. They now live with their two daughters in a yurt beside a river in the middle of 25 acres of woodland they have transformed into a farm. Ben discovers how the forest provides the family with everything they need, getting a taste of their daily routine of chopping wood and foraging for wild foods. He also discovers how the couple are providing their children with an alternative education and the campaign of activism Lucy has embarked on from their wilderness home.

Ben meets a scientist in Siberia, who gave up his urban life to work in the Russian Arctic on finding ways to reduce the impact of climate change on the permafrost. His project makes use of steam machines and monster trucks, but away from his environmental work, he is working on the idea of bringing the woolly mammoth back from extinction.

In Sri Lanka, Ben meets a vet who has swapped Tyneside for the south coast of Sri Lanka where she has opened a clinic and also runs a charity that care for some of the island's many stray dogs.

Ben meets Jaimie, an inventor who has built a unique home for his family on a remote island off the coast of Panama. Ben gets a taste of the unconventional family's daily routine, which includes scrubbing boat hulls, getting some exercise in a pedalo, hacking through the island's vegetation, and home schooling for the children. He also discovers the unusual family dynamics in the household and takes a look at some of his host's inventions, which include a computer game depicting his unusual life.

Ben meets a Glaswegian retired teacher who relocated to the mountains of Ethiopia, and leads an active life in her new home as she approaches her 70th birthday. She has made significant contributions to the local community, including setting up a school and building a restaurant on an isolated mountain top over the course of three years.

Ben travels to the coastal forests of southern Sweden to meet 24-year-old single mother Annalisa, a native Italian who left everything in her home country behind when she was a teenager, and is now developing a forest hideaway on the fringes of society for her and her toddler. Ben helps her chop wood and make her home baby-proof, while Annalisa goes busking to make a small living. They also go dumpster-diving in search of rubbish that can be put to good use to counter the amount of waste thrown away.

In Sri Lanka, Ben meets a vet who has swapped Tyneside for the south coast of Sri Lanka, where she has opened a clinic and also runs a charity that cares for some of the island's many stray dogs.

Ben travels to highlands of Panama to meet a couple who turned their backs on a comfortable lifestyle in the US to try their hand at coffee producing. During the busy harvest season, Ben learns the finer details of how to craft his favourite drink.

Former festival director Karen has set up an artists' retreat in the heart of the Sahara. The impressive project required that she learn centuries-old techniques - and the art of patience.

After six years of globetrotting, Scott and Casey gambled their life savings on a kite-surfing school in a remote stretch of the Peruvian coast. As Ben lives their day-to-day life, he learns what led them both to this decision.

Adventurer Ben Fogle travels to Brazil to meet Chris, a Scotsman who has chosen to make his home in one of the most remote areas of the jungle near the Amazon River. He discovers how Chris’s love affair with the rainforest began when he had a near-death experience, and how he fought for almost three decades to protect this part of the world. Ben also has a close encounter with a tarantula.

Ben Fogle travels to Ireland’s rugged Atlantic coastline in the bleak midwinter. He stays with Judith, an 80-year-old who rejected a modern lifestyle for one closer to nature. Ben learns how she and her late husband created a unique utopia and discovers how, even at an advanced age, she is determined to remain alone in her solitary cottage nestled in a remote hillside.

Ben visits the vast wilderness of North West Canada to meet Jeff and Rose and their five daughters, a family of adventurous off-gridders who rely on hunting big-game animals to survive.

Ben travels to the vast forests of the Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria to join Miriam and Peter, a couple who have chosen to live as nomads, hiking through some of the world's most striking wildernesses. The couple have decided to live without a permanent home, carrying their only possessions on their backs. Ben helps them forage and hunt for food and even undertakes some unusual washing techniques.

Ben travels to Cambodia to live with a fellow Brit who is raising his own castaway tribe on a tropical island. Ben sleeps in a hammock, drinks rainwater and experiences how fragile life is for this family on their tiny island.

Ben travels to the Ozark Plateau in Missouri to live with a wilderness expert, Bo, who gave up life on the road with his bluegrass band to teach survival skills.

Ben Fogle meets people who have given up the rat race for an alternative lifestyle. In South America, Ben discovers why Mike Merrill, a former sound engineer from Texas, decided to build a backpackers hostel deep in the Guatemalan jungle. He also gets stuck into building projects, machete fishing and tubing a dangerous river to transport vital supplies, and sees how Mike interacts with the local Mayan people.

Ben Fogle meets people who have given up the rat race for an alternative lifestyle. In a remote part of Andalucia in Spain, Ben meets a couple from Brighton who gave up their careers to breed alpacas.

Ben Fogle travels to Cambodia to live with a fellow Brit who is raising his own castaway tribe on a tropical island. He joins his renegade host as he tries to defend the precious sea-life around him by warding off poachers and protecting the local ecosystem. Ben sleeps in a hammock, drinks rainwater and experiences how fragile life is for this family on their tiny island.

Ben Fogle travels to the Ozark Plateau in Missouri to live with wilderness expert, Bo Brown. Bo gave up life on the road with his band to teach Stone Age skills to modern day man. Ben discovers how his host bridges a primitive life with the need to survive in the present. He becomes the student to Bo's teacher and learns how to make a spear, eat wilderness foods and build a shelter.

Ben Fogle ventures deep into the jungles of Guatemala, once home to an ancient Mayan civilization. Mike Merrill, a former sound engineer from Texas, is building a backpacker’s hostel in this land of rivers, waterfalls and active volcanoes. Reality of life in the jungle hits hard, Ben gets stuck into building projects, machete fishing and tubing a dangerous river to transport vital supplies.

Adventure fan Ben Fogle travels to Spain's remote Andalucía Mountains and meets British couple Alan Parks and Lorna Penfold. The couple left their careers for a lifestyle they knew nothing about and the dream of becoming successful alpaca farmers. Life is busy at their 150-year-old 'Olive Mill' home with dogs, chickens and the nine alpacas that need to be sheared regularly.

Ben is in the Moroccan countryside, near the Atlas Mountains, staying with Dina and Mostafa, who shunned the American dream to live a simple lifestyle in a mud house. In this revealing travel documentary, Ben meets them at breaking point, as they have no money left and the land they’ve purchased can’t sustain them. Ben tries to play a part in improving their chances of surviving.

Ben heads to a secret location in the USA's Appalachian Mountains to live with forest dweller, Tod and his own wild community. In this engrossing travel documentary, Ben finds out why his host stripped away all the complications of modernity for a life in the woods following his own rules. Ben embraces the forest lifestyle life, making fires, digging clay for pots, processing bear and foraging.

Ben ventures deep into the freezing tundra of Mongolia on the longest adventure he's experienced. In this intriguing travel documentary, he meets Micky and Trina, who left behind American comforts for a new lifestyle as missionaries in a country they knew nothing about. Despite freezing conditions and near-death experiences, Ben discovers they have made a huge impact in this remote area.

In the secluded Ibizan countryside, Ben Fogle visits a commune, the brainchild of ex-navy officer Chris. For 30 years, he has lived in the untamed heart of this Spanish island. In this revealing travel documentary, Ben discovers why this self-confessed playboy has shunned a life of excess for a back-to-basics lifestyle and why he's built a commune from the rubbish that partygoers leave behind.

Adventurer Ben Fogle joins Nic and Ady, who uprooted themselves from a comfortable life to live on the island of Rum in Scotland’s Inner Hebrides. In this inspiring travel documentary, Ben learns how they survive such a challenging lifestyle, helps them tend their animals, farm their vegetable patch and dig the foundations for what they hope will be their future home in the remote countryside.

Ben Fogle heads to French Polynesia and spends time with Brit Rick and his girlfriend Jasna, who live a nomadic life on their yacht, sailing around the waters of the archipelago they have made their home. In this rugged travel documentary, Ben builds hammocks, rigs sails, spears fish for dinner, experiences rough seas and learns how the couple use the islands to support their transient lifestyle.

Adventurer Ben Fogle ventures deep into the Appalachian Mountains to spend time with Justin, who rejected the trappings of a privileged lifestyle to live in the remote countryside. In this revealing travel documentary, he discovers how Justin's life in the wild began with a grueling 2,000-mile trek to his home, where he has no electricity or running water and all his meals are fresh roadkill.

Adventurer Ben Fogle heads to Australia to meet 61-year-old Barbara Walker, a widow who has lived alone in an isolated Bush camp for eight years. In this intriguing travel documentary, he discovers how this former photographer adopted a new lifestyle in one of the world's most challenging environments, managing 63 wild horses and hand-rearing rescued animals in the remote countryside.

Ben meets a 40-year-old Brit Gaynor who gave up her old lifestyle as a communications manager for a life of adventure, training huskies inside the Arctic Circle. In this intriguing travel documentary, he joins Gaynor in her hand-built cabin, which has neither electricity nor running water, and meets her 40 Alaskan huskies. They then embark on a tough trek, driving dogs through the icy wilderness.

Ben Fogle travels to the countryside of Utah to meet 72-year-old twins Bill and Bob Stone, who fled their adrenaline-junkie pasts for a tough subsistence lifestyle. In this fascinating travel documentary, he joins the brothers as they go cattle-wrangling, rock climbing and skydiving, while Ben also discovers why these former bounty hunters decided to cut themselves off from civilization.

Adventurer Ben Fogle journeys to the wilderness of Alaska and spends time with Mike and Fran in their simple, self-built log cabin. In this eye-opening travel documentary, Ben discovers how the couple have created a self-sufficient lifestyle by working the land and trapping animals. He also gets stuck into forest survival, battling mosquitoes, adapting to 24-hour daylight and hunting prey.

Adventure guru Ben Fogle travels to the Namibian desert and spends time with Gideon, who quit his career to live in the largest conservation area in Africa. In this revealing travel documentary, Ben embraces the harsh work of farm life in temperatures pushing 40C, tending to more than 150 animals, repairing baboon damage to water pipes and learning how to castrate sheep with his teeth.

Ben Fogle travels to Panama where he meets Brits Ian and Vanessa, in their small, off-grid Caribbean Island home. As this astonishing travel documentary reveals, Ian listed his 'whole life' for sale on eBay, then set off on a two-year adventure to achieve his bucket list, sold the story of his life to Disney and spent the money building a new home in the remote Panamanian countryside.

Ben Fogle travels to a remote part of the Philippines countryside to meet Neil, a complex man who gave up on the American Dream for a new lifestyle with his adopted family in a very alien culture. In this revealing travel documentary, he meets Neil's family, living in a bamboo house on a hillside, where he helps kill a chicken and a pig, and learns about the school run, native transport style.

Adventurer Ben Fogle travels deep into the foothills of the Himalayas in the Indian countryside to meet Steve, a former fighter pilot who decided he could not live in an organized society. In his remote mountain property, Ben helps Steve chase off intruders, plough the fields with a team of buffalo, tends to Steve's future grave plot, and meditates naked with him.

Adventurer Ben Fogle ventures into the swampland countryside of southern Georgia to spend time with Colbert, a former financier who now lives in his hand-built wooden cabin. In this remarkable travel documentary Ben learns some of the vital skills needed to survive in this dangerous backwater, including skinning roadkill, spearing frogs and drinking swamp water.

Adventurer Ben Fogle visits John, a former fashion photographer who gave up his opulent lifestyle to move to the remote Texas countryside. In this intriguing travel documentary, John shows Ben the building made from scrap wood and iron that serves as his bedroom, as well as luxuries including a phone and freezer run from electricity generated by solar panels.

Adventurer Ben Fogle travels to New Zealand's South Island to meet Robert and Catherine, who left a privileged lifestyle to survive as hunter-gatherers. As this intriguing travel documentary reveals, they live in an area of countryside that’s two days from the nearest road. Ben helps Robert hunt for rock lobsters and joins Catherine to climb a waterfall to fix the family's gravity-fed water pipe.

Adventurer Ben Fogle travels to Alaska to visit a couple who hiked 4,000 miles to find a new home and lifestyle. As this incredible travel documentary reveals, they spend half the year in a mountainside yurt, then hike in the region's countryside for the next six months. Ben joins the family and learns some essential survival skills including grizzly bear protection and navigating Alaskan storms.

Adventurer Ben Fogle travels to Restoration Island on Australia's Great Barrier Reef to visit former businessman David. As this intriguing travel documentary reveals, David lost $10million in the stock market crash of 1987, as well as his marriage and his home. Now he lives alone on an island in a house made of recycled material and makes beer to trade with local fishermen for food.