Ben Fogle (born 3 November 1973) is an English television presenter, adventurer and
writerA writer is anyone who creates a written work, though the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, as well as those who have written in many different forms.-Profession:...
.
Biography
The son of actress
Julia FosterJulia Foster is a British actress.Foster's credits include the films Alfie with Michael Caine, Half a Sixpence with Tommy Steele, and Percy with Hywel Bennett...
and broadcasting
veterinarianA veterinarian or a veterinary surgeon , often shortened to vet, is a physician for animals and a practitioner of veterinary medicine. The word comes from the Latin veterinae meaning "working animals"...
Bruce FogleBruce Fogle is a veterinarian and prolific author. Canadian by birth, he has lived and worked in London for many years....
, he attended
Bryanston SchoolBryanston School is a co-educational independent boarding school in Blandford, north Dorset, England, near the village of Bryanston. It was founded in 1928...
in
DorsetDorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town has been Dorchester since at least 1305, situated in the south of the county at . Between its extreme points Dorset measures from east to west and north to south, and has an area of...
. He has two sisters: Emily Fogle, a graphic designer and Tamara Fogle, a London fashion designer.
Early career
He took a year off from school and worked in an orphanage in
EcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador , literally, "Republic of the equator") is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America that...
. Upon his return he read
Latin American StudiesLatin American studies is an academic discipline dealing with the study of Latin America and Latin Americans.-Definition:Latin American studies critically examines the history, culture, politics, and experiences of Latin Americans in Latin America and often also elsewhere .Latin American studies...
at the
University of PortsmouthThe University of Portsmouth is a university in Portsmouth, England.The University is the 5th most popular destination in the UK for EU students and the 10th most popular destination for overseas students...
and the
University of Costa RicaThe University of Costa Rica is a public university in the Republic of Costa Rica, in Central America. Its main campus, Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio, is located in San Pedro, in the province of San José. It is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious institution of higher learning in...
. He worked on the Picture Desk of
TatlerTatler has been the name of several British journals and magazines, each of which has viewed itself as the successor of the original literary and society journal founded by Richard Steele in 1709...
magazine in London before leaving to appear in reality show
Castaway 2000Castaway 2000 was a reality tv programme commissioned by the BBC in 2000.-The Concept:For Castaway 2000 thirty-six men, women and children from the British public were recruited and placed on Taransay, a remote Scottish island in the Outer Hebrides for a year.Billed as a bold experiment for the new...
.
Castaway
Fogle first came to public notice by participating in the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
reality show
Castaway 2000Castaway 2000 was a reality tv programme commissioned by the BBC in 2000.-The Concept:For Castaway 2000 thirty-six men, women and children from the British public were recruited and placed on Taransay, a remote Scottish island in the Outer Hebrides for a year.Billed as a bold experiment for the new...
, which followed a group of thirty-six people marooned on the
ScottishScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
island of
TaransayTaransay is an island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It is famous for being the host of the British television series Castaway 2000. Uninhabited since 1974 except for holidaymakers, Taransay is the largest island in Scotland which lacks a permanent population...
for a year starting 1 January 2000.
The series captured the nation's imagination and attracted an audience of 9 million.
Presenting
Fogle has since become a regular television presenter for the BBC, hosting
CruftsCrufts is an annual international Championship conformation show for dogs organised and hosted by the Kennel Club, currently held every March at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England. It is the largest annual dog show in the world, as declared by Guinness World Records, and lasts...
,
One Man and His DogOne Man and His Dog is a television series in the United Kingdom featuring sheepdog trials, presented by Phil Drabble with commentary by Eric Halsall, and later by Ray Ollerenshaw, Robin Page, and Gus Dermody. At its peak, in the early 1980s, it attracted audiences in excess of eight million...
,
Countryfile
Countryfile is a British magazine style television programme produced by BBC Birmingham, first aired in 1988, which reports on rural and environmental issues within the United Kingdom...
,
Country Tracks,
Extreme Dreams With Ben FogleExtreme Dreams is a reality TV progamme made by the independent British production company Ricochet and hosted by Ben Fogle...
,
Animal ParkAnimal Park is a television documentary about the life of keepers and animals at Longleat Safari Park, Wiltshire, England. It also covers the daily life of workers in Longleat House, the estate and the gardens.-Main Series:...
,
Wild on the West Coast and
Wild in Africa. He has also reported for
Inside Out,
Cash In the Attic,
Heaven and Earth, and
What Are We Like with
Jo BrandJosephine "Jo" Grace Brand is a British stand-up comedian.-Career:Brand's mother was a social worker, and Brand herself worked as a psychiatric nurse at the South London Bethlem and Maudsley Hospital until the mid-1980s...
.
Countryfile
Fogle appeared on the rural affairs programme alongside
John CravenJohn Craven OBE is an English journalist and television presenter, best known for presenting the BBC's Newsround and Countryfile.-Early career:...
from 2001 until 2008, during which time he reported on a number of the UK's rural pastimes, including
coracleThe coracle is a small, lightweight boat of the sort traditionally used in Wales but also in parts of Western and South Western England, Ireland , and Scotland ; the word is also used of similar boats found in India, Vietnam, Iraq and Tibet...
racing, the
worm charmingWorm charming, worm grunting, and worm fiddling are methods of attracting earthworms from the ground. The activity is usually performed to collect bait for fishing but can also take the form of a competitive sport...
championships, the
lawn mower racingLawnmower racing is a form of motorsport in which competitors race modified lawnmowers, usually of the ride-on or self-propelled variety. Original mower engines are retained, but blades are removed for safety...
championship, world
stinging nettleStinging nettle or common nettle, Urtica dioica, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant, native to Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and North America, and is the best-known member of the nettle genus Urtica.-Description:...
eating competition in
DorsetDorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town has been Dorchester since at least 1305, situated in the south of the county at . Between its extreme points Dorset measures from east to west and north to south, and has an area of...
,
oysterThe word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
eating championships in
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
,
World Conker ChampionshipsThe World Conker Championships are held annually on the second Sunday in October in the village of Ashton near Oundle in Northamptonshire, England...
in
NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census...
, the alternative Scottish games, world tin bath racing on the
Isle of ManThe Isle of Man , or Mann , is a self-governing British Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Britain and Ireland. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Crown is represented by a Lieutenant Governor...
,
bog snorkellingBog snorkelling is a sporting event that consists of competitors completing two consecutive lengths of a water filled trench cut through a peat bog, in the shortest time possible. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers, and complete the course without using conventional swimming strokes,...
and the Man versus Horse race in
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
, the
Tough Guy CompetitionTough Guy claims to be the world's most demanding one day survival ordeal.The original, held in Perton near Wolverhampton, is organised in England by Mr Mouse, who claims nobody has ever finished all the course according to his extremely demanding rules....
,
cheese rollingThe Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is an annual event held on the Spring Bank Holiday at Cooper's Hill,, near Gloucester in the Cotswolds region of England. It is traditionally by and for the people of Brockworth - the local village, but now people from all over the world take part...
in Gloucestershire, morris dancing, Tar Barrels in
DevonDevon is a large county in England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, although that is an unofficial name, rarely used inside of the county itself and often indicating a traditional or historical context. The county shares borders with Cornwall to the west and Dorset and Somerset to...
, Up Helly Aa in Shetland, the
Furry DanceThe Furry Dance, also known as The Flora , takes place in Helston, Cornwall, and is one of the oldest British customs still practised today...
in
CornwallCornwall is a county of England in the United Kingdom, forming the tip of the south-western peninsula of Great Britain. It is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Taken with the...
and the British Open Crabbing Championships in
Walberswick
Walberswick is a village on the Suffolk coast, across the River Blyth from Southwold. Coastal erosion and the shifting of the mouth of the River Blyth meant that the neighbouring town of Dunwich was lost as a port in the last years of the 13th century...
,
SuffolkSuffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. In 2008 Ben took part in the World Coal Carrying Championships in Gawthorpe, West Yorkshire finishing in 22nd place.
Fogle left
Countryfile after its format revamp in 2008, and is now fronting a new Sunday Morning show
Country Tracks.
Extreme Dreams
He presented the BBC 2 series made by
RicochetRicochet, part of the Shed Media Group, is an independent television production company that produces factual and entertainment programmes for broadcast by networks in both the UK and US.Ricochet joined the Shed Media Group in 2005.
...
in 2006 and 2007 in which he selected five members of the public to go on expeditions of a lifetime. Destinations included expeditions to the Kaiteur Falls in Guyana, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mount Baker in Uganda, Mount Roraima in Venezuela, the Black Cat trail in Papua New Guinea, the Inca ruins in Peru, the Sahara Desert of Libya, Across the Arctic tundra of Svalbard in the Arctic Circle and most recently a journey across the Andes of South America from the Equator in Ecuador to the tropic of Capricorn in Chile.
Sport
Fogle was the first to cross the line in the pairs division of the 2005–2006
Atlantic Rowing RaceThe Atlantic Rowing Race is a challenging ocean rowing race from the Canary Islands to the West Indies, a distance of approximately 2,550 nm . The race was founded by Sir Chay Blyth and early races were run by Challenge Business Ltd...
in "Spirit of EDF Energy", partnered by
OlympicThe Olympic Games are a major international event of summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes compete in a wide variety of events. The Games are currently held every two years, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating. Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in...
rower
James CracknellJames Cracknell, OBE is a British rowing champion and double Olympic gold medalist and adventurer. Cracknell is married to TV and radio presenter Beverley Turner; they have two children: a son, Croyde , and a daughter, Kiki . In the New Year Honours List, 2004, he was appointed OBE for services to...
, third overall. Whilst competing in the 3000 mile race, the pair had their boat fully capsized by huge waves. They made landfall in
AntiguaAntigua is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after a church in Spain, Santa Maria La Antigua — St. Mary the Ancient...
at 07:13 GMT on 19 January 2006, a crossing time of 49 days, 19 hours, 8 minutes. After penalties, they were placed second in the pairs and fourth overall. The BBC series that followed the pair,
Through Hell and High Water, won a
RTSThe Royal Television Society is a British-based society for the discussion, analysis and preservation of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the one of the oldest television societies in the world...
award in 2007.
He has also completed the six day
Marathon des SablesThe Marathon des Sables is a six-day, 254 km ultramarathon, which is the equivalent to six regular marathons. The longest single stage is 91 km long....
for the
World Wide Fund for NatureThe World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in the United States and Canada...
across of the Sahara Desert and the Safaricom Marathon in
KenyaThe Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying along the Indian Ocean, at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia , Somalia , Tanzania , Uganda plus Lake Victoria , and Sudan . The capital city is Nairobi. Kenya spans an area about 85% the size of France or Texas...
for the
TUSKTusks are unusually long teeth, usually but not always in pairs, that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canines, as with warthogs, wild boar, and walruses, or, in the case of elephants and narwhals, elongated incisors...
Trust, with
Longleat Safari ParkLongleat Safari Park, in Wiltshire, England was opened in 1966 and was the first drive-through safari park outside of Africa. The park is situated in the grounds of Longleat House, the home of the 7th Marquess of Bath and a tourist attraction in its own right...
keeper Ryan Hockley. Fogle has completed the Bupa great North Run, the London Marathon and the Royal Parks Half marathon. Fogle beat
Eastenders actor
Sid OwenSidwell Owen is an English actor, most famous for playing the role of Ricky Butcher in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders, which he appeared in from 1988 until 2000, 2002 until 2004 and then again from March 2008.Prior to his role in EastEnders he had a small role in the film Revolution in 1985, in...
in a three round charity boxing match for
BBC Sport Relief under the training of
Frank BrunoFranklin Roy Bruno is a British former boxer whose career highlight was winning the WBC Heavyweight championship in 1995. Altogether, he won 40 of his 45 contests...
.
Fogle is an ocean yachtmaster with a sailing world record for the Portsmouth-Cork route. Fogle joined the
Ecover Sailing TeamThe Ecover Sailing team is competing in the iShares Cup 2009, showcasing world class racing around Europe. The races take place in Venice, Hyères, Cowes, Kiel, Amsterdam and Almeria.-Sponsors:...
in August as part of an
Extreme 40The Extreme 40 is a class of sailing catamaran created by TornadoSport and designed by Yves Loday. 40 feet long and constructed of carbon fibre. They have a top speed of about 40 knots . The first extreme 40 was launched in 2005. They are sailed in the iShares Cup sponsored by iShares. Extreme...
event. He was the 5th man on their boat on Monday 3rd August, racing catamarans around Egypt Point in
Cowes WeekCowes Week is the longest-running regular regatta in the world. Having started in 1826, the Event is held on the Solent , and is run by Cowes Week Limited in the small town of Cowes on the Isle of Wight.-Description:Cowes Week is held at the beginning of August, set after...
2009.
South Pole
Fogle teamed up with
James CracknellJames Cracknell, OBE is a British rowing champion and double Olympic gold medalist and adventurer. Cracknell is married to TV and radio presenter Beverley Turner; they have two children: a son, Croyde , and a daughter, Kiki . In the New Year Honours List, 2004, he was appointed OBE for services to...
once again, together with Ed Coats, a Bristol based doctor , as
Team QinetiQ to take part in the inaugural South Pole Race.
The team took 18 days, 5 hours and 10 minutes to complete the 770km race, coming second overall, behind the Norwegian Team, who commended them on making it "a fantastic race".
Ben suffered hypothermia and frostbite to his nose and the team experienced temperatures as low as minus 40 °C.
The race was filmed by the BBC for the series
On Thin Ice and was aired in Summer 2009. Macmillan published an account of their journey, Race to The Pole which became a top-10 bestseller in the UK.
Writing
Fogle has written three books;
The Teatime Islands in search of the remaining islands in the
British EmpireThe British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom, that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height it was...
in which he travels to
Saint HelenaSaint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha.The island...
,
Ascension IslandAscension Island is an isolated island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa, and from the coast of South America. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Saint Helena, which is to...
, the
Falkland IslandsThe Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located approximately from the coast of mainland South America, from mainland Antarctica, and from Africa. There are two main islands, East Falkland and West Falkland, as well as 776 smaller islands...
, the British Indian Ocean Territories and
Tristan da CunhaTristan da Cunha is a remote volcanic group of islands in the south Atlantic Ocean. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying from the nearest land, South Africa, and from South America. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da...
. He also attempted to travel to Pitcairn Island but when the inhabitants learned that he was a journalist, they refused to let him land. It was short listed for the
W H SmithWH Smith plc is a British retailer, headquartered in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. It is best known for its chain of high street, railway station, airport, hospital and motorway service station shops selling books, stationery, magazines, newspapers, and entertainment products...
's people's award for Best Travel Book.
He has also written
OffshoreOffshore is a novel by Penelope Fitzgerald. It won the Booker Prize for that year. It recalls her time spent on boats in Battersea by the Thames. The novel centralizes around the idea of liminality, expanding upon it to include the notion: 'liminal people,' people who do not belong to the land or...
published by
PenguinPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Allen Lane. Lane's idea was to provide quality writing cheaply, for the same price as a packet of cigarettes. He also wanted them to be sold not only in bookshops but in railway stations, general stores and corner shops. Its most emblematic products...
in 2006 in which he travelled around Britain in search of an island of his own. He visited the Kingdom of Sealand and attempted to invade
RockallRockall is a small, uninhabited, rocky islet in the north Atlantic Ocean. It gives its name to one of the sea areas named in the shipping forecast, provided by the British Meteorological Office...
in the North Atlantic. In 2006 he published the hit
Crossing, published by Atlantic books and co-written with Cracknell followed their Transatlantic rowing bid.
Fogle writes a weekly Country Diary for the Sunday Telegraph and is a regular columnist for
The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Colonel Arthur B. Sleigh in June 1855 as the Daily Telegraph and Courier...
and travel writer for
The IndependentThe Independent is a British newspaper published by Tony O'Reilly's Independent News & Media. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily newspapers. The daily edition was named National...
. He has a column in Sky magazine and has contributed to the
Evening StandardThe London Evening Standard is a free local daily newspaper, published in tabloid format in London, England. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the southeast of England, with coverage of national and international news and a strong emphasis on City of London finance...
,
New York Times,
The Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
and
GlamourGlamour is a women's magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. Glamour is a very successful magazine. Founded in 1939 in the United States, it was originally called Glamour of Hollywood....
magazine.
Personal life
In 2006 he married Marina Hunt, co-founder of Kasimira party organisers whom he met whilst walking his black
Labrador RetrieverThe Labrador Retriever is one of several kinds of retriever, a type of gun dog. The Labrador, once known as the Lesser Newfoundland, is the most popular breed of dog in the world, and is by a large margin the most popular breed by registration in Canada, the United States ,and the United Kingdom.It...
, Inca. The Fogles are currently expecting their first child, due in December 2009.
While filming the latest series of
Extreme Dreams in
PeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico...
, Fogle caught
leishmaniasisLeishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites that belong to the genus Leishmania and is transmitted by the bite of certain species of sand fly...
. The illness left him bedridden for three weeks on his return home. Fogle was treated at London's
Hospital for Tropical DiseasesThe Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London is part of the University College Hospitals London NHS Trust, and associated with University College London...
.
Fogle is the President of the Campaign for National Parks, in which role he backs the Youth Hostels Association and National Parks
Mosaic campaign to open up England's national parks to ethnic minorities. Fogle is also: an ambassador for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Tusk; a supporter of the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, and
Hearing Dogs for Deaf PeopleHearing Dogs for Deaf People is a British charitable organisation founded in 1982. The Charity's patron is HRH The Princess RoyalHearing Dogs for Deaf People is a United Kingdom-based charity formally established in 1982.The Charity was created from an idea by veterinarian Bruce Fogle, who...
; and a fellow of the
Royal Geographical SocietyThe Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 with the name Geographical Society of London for the advancement of geographical sciences, under the patronage of King William IV...
.
Fogle was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters by the
University of PortsmouthThe University of Portsmouth is a university in Portsmouth, England.The University is the 5th most popular destination in the UK for EU students and the 10th most popular destination for overseas students...
in 2007.
Television presenting credits
- Crufts
Crufts is an annual international Championship conformation show for dogs organised and hosted by the Kennel Club, currently held every March at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England. It is the largest annual dog show in the world, as declared by Guinness World Records, and lasts...
(2006, 2007 & 2008)
- The Sand Marathon (2004]
- Wild on the West Coast (2007)
- Wild in Africa (2005 & 2006)
- One Man and His Dog
One Man and His Dog is a television series in the United Kingdom featuring sheepdog trials, presented by Phil Drabble with commentary by Eric Halsall, and later by Ray Ollerenshaw, Robin Page, and Gus Dermody. At its peak, in the early 1980s, it attracted audiences in excess of eight million...
- Countryfile
Countryfile is a British magazine style television programme produced by BBC Birmingham, first aired in 1988, which reports on rural and environmental issues within the United Kingdom...
(2001-2009)
- Animal Park
Animal Park is a television documentary about the life of keepers and animals at Longleat Safari Park, Wiltshire, England. It also covers the daily life of workers in Longleat House, the estate and the gardens.-Main Series:...
(2002-)
- Big Screen Britain (2003)
- Death by Pets (2003)
- Spot Relief 2004 (2004)
- Through Hell and High Water
Through Hell and High Water was a BBC television programme produced by Twofour that aired in the United Kingdom on 13–17 February 2006. Five half-hour morning programmes on BBC1 followed James Cracknell and Ben Fogle in their attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean in "Spirit of EDF Energy", a...
(2006)
- Cash in the Attic
Cash in the Attic also Cash in the Celebrity Attic is a UK television show on the BBC. The show, made by , premiered in 2002 and has run for fourteen series...
- Extreme Dreams With Ben Fogle
Extreme Dreams is a reality TV progamme made by the independent British production company Ricochet and hosted by Ben Fogle...
(2007-)
- Country Tracks (2009-)
- On Thin Ice (2009)
External links