Ben Fogle 'compromised' with his family over dream of living off-grid

Ben Fogle has the best of both worlds: he lives at a beautiful home in Oxfordshire with his family, and he also jets all over the world to film adventures with people living off the grid for Channel 5 show New Lives in the Wild.

The 50-year-old adventurer has spoken in the past about his dream to live in a remote location in the wild but now admits that his wife Marina — and their young children — don't have the same ambitions.

Talking to Yahoo, Fogle said: "I feel extremely comfortable with alternative people living alternative lives. I think it is because I can relate, having spent a year living off-grid on an island myself. I have often dreamed of living that life myself but my family don’t share my dream so we have compromised."

This year Fogle has candidly spoken about his own "mental health storm", revealing feelings of anxiety and an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. The NHS said people with ADHD struggle with their concentration, feel restless and have difficulty paying attention. Stripping the complexities of life back to film New Lives in the Wild, Fogle said he learned "simplicity is the answer to all our ills" .

He explained of living off-grid: "The appeal is in the simplicity. Most of us are living increasingly complicated lives, but living off-grid is the antithesis of that. It reduces stress and anxiety and strips you down to the very basics of shelter, food and security."

Adventurous by nature, the telly star found fame 24 years ago on reality show Castaway which saw a group of people fending for themselves in a remote spot in the Outer Hebrides for a year in 2000. Since then, Fogle has since built a presenting career in the spotlight and he has achieved some incredible feats: from summiting Mount Everest to rowing across the Atlantic, and racing across Antarctica to the South Pole.

"I have always loved travel and the outdoors," he said. "Dad is Canadian and Canadians know all about respect and love for the outdoors. As soon as I was old enough I set off to travel the world. I was 18 armed with a rucksack and a heart full of excitement and enthusiasm."

Ben Fogle's family life

Fogle has revisited some of the people who live in the most remote parts of the world for his latest show New Lives in the Wild Revisits on Channel 5. While he has travelled to all corners of the world, he said: "Home with my family is our favourite place."

Filming the show has changed the way the adventurer lives at home too as it has become a big part of his life. He said: "We try to live a greener life. We have a heat exchange system and drive an electric car. I try to embrace a simpler life but the reality is that I am very privileged and we live a comfortable life in Oxfordshire."

His family are never far from his mind whether he's away filming for seven days or two weeks for the show and Fogle stays connected with them. "WhatsApp has reached the remotest of locations," he said. "It is a rare occasion that someone doesn’t have some access to the internet."

Filming New Lives in the Wild

With every visit, Fogle throws himself into living exactly as the individuals do in the wild to get the full experience. He said of filming: "The days are long. They often start at 5.30am and rarely finish before 8pm. And then it continues for me as I stay on location."

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This closeness leads to lifelong friendships and Fogle stays in touch with everyone and later revisits people where possible to film updates on their extraordinary lives. "I stay in touch with everyone," Fogle said. "They become real friends. It is an intense friendship formed in a very short time."

"New Lives in the Wild is a diverse mix of characters spanning the world from Australia to Morocco," he added. "It’s what I love most about the series, the mixture of places and people."

What links all of the people who choose to live this way is their courage, the presenter revealed. "They are all brave. Brave enough to have abandoned safe secure lives for wilder more tenuous ones. In return there is a commonality in their happiness. They are all content having followed their dreams."

Vulnerability and challenges

People trust the presenter with their life story because he is honest and vulnerable himself. He said: "I have always valued authenticity. I have always worn my heart on my sleeve. The show is about them. It makes sure they trust me. We aren’t there to stitch anyone up. So much TV is ‘gotcha’ television. Trying to catch people out or criticise. I have never done that. I am not there to judge, but [for them] to share their unique story."

Fogle does worry about the path taken by some of those he has visited, in particular two women he visited for last year's series: Marina Chapman's daughter Vanessa Forero who says she was raised by apes and now lives in the Colombian jungle, as well as actor Rhona Mitra who left behind her life in Los Angeles for a derelict farm in Uruguay after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.

He said: "I often feel there is a vulnerability to some of the people I visit. I worry about Vanessa in the Colombian jungle and Rhona in Uruguay. There is a vulnerability to many of the lives of those I visit."

The toughest challenge for Fogle personally — and the filming crew — is the secluded way in which the individuals choose to live their lives. "Often the locations can be extremely remote," he explained. "Some of them like Mongolia, Siberia or the Amazon can take nearly a week to reach. Often there is no power and nowhere for the crew to stay. We are very adaptable. I have spent nearly two whole years of my life with my NLITW film crew. They are the best."

There is a little preparation he can do in advance though, other than vaccinations and visas when required for the country he is visiting. He said: "I go in with no prior knowledge about those I am visiting. The beauty is in the natural revelations. I don’t think there are many programmes that do this. There are no scripts. Things happen naturally."

Summarising the formula for New Lives in the Wild that makes the show a winner with viewers, Fogle said: "We try to find a perfect mix of location, story and character. If we can combine all three then we have a winner."

Teasing what is to come, Fogle warned viewers at home will be left in tears. He said: "The standout of this new series is the family who moved to Bulgaria. They bought a house, sight unseen, for £2000 and moved there. Prepare to be moved to tears at their incredible story."

Ben Fogle's New Lives in the Wild Revisits returns to Channel 5 on Tuesday.