Benjamin Myer FogleFRGS(born 3 November 1973[3]) is an English broadcaster, writer and adventurer, best known for his presenting roles with British television channelsChannel 5,BBCandITV.
Ben Fogle | |
|---|---|
 Fogle in Antarctica (2023) | |
| Born | Benjamin Myer Fogle[1] 3 November 1973 Westminster,London,England |
| Alma mater | University of Portsmouth University of Costa Rica |
| Occupation(s) | Television presenter and writer |
| Spouse |
Marina Fogle (m.2006) |
| Children | 2[2] |
| Parent(s) | Julia Foster Bruce Fogle |
| Website | www |
Early life
editFogle is the son of English actressJulia Fosterand CanadianveterinarianBruce Fogle.He was educated at two independent schools: TheHall School,Hampstead,in London, andBryanston SchoolinBlandford Forum,Dorset.
Fogle went toEcuadorfor a gap year, working in an orphanage teaching English. He then took a second year working on a turtle conservation project on the Mosquito Coast ofHondurasandNicaragua.
Fogle studied for a degree in Latin American studies at theUniversity of Portsmouth,before studying for a year at theUniversity of Costa Rica.[4]
During this time, Fogle was a member of theUniversity Royal Naval Unit(URNU). He became aMidshipmanin theRoyal Naval Reserve,serving as an officer onHMSBlazerand delivering aid to war-tornBosniaandCroatia.[5]
Career
editMagazines
editFogle's initial jobs included picture editor atTatlermagazine.[4]
Television
editFogle first came to public notice when he participated in theBBCreality showCastaway 2000,which followed a group of thirty-six people marooned on the Scottish island ofTaransayfor a year, starting 1 January 2000. This was a social experiment aimed at creating a fully self-sufficient community within a year.
Fogle is a television presenter who has worked for theBBC,ITV,Channel 5,Sky,Discoveryand theNational Geographicchannels in the UK. He has hostedCrufts,One Man and His Dog,Countryfile,Country Tracks,Extreme Dreams with Ben Fogle,Animal Park,Wild on the West Coast,Wild in Africa,"Ben Fogle – African Migration" andBen Fogle's Escape in Time.
In 2010, Fogle made a film about the facial deforming diseasenomafor aBBC TwodocumentaryMake Me A New Facewhich followed the work of the charity Facing Africa andGreat Ormond Street Hospital.[6]
Fogle has produced films about naval history and theRoyal National Lifeboat Institution(RNLI) for the History Channel and followed Princes William and Harry on their first joint Royal Tour inBotswanaand made an exclusive documentary calledPrince William's Africa.He marked the centenary of CaptainScott'sexpedition to theSouth PolewithThe Secrets of Scott's Hut.Fogle is popular on the motivational and corporate speaking circuit. His two-part documentary,Swimming with Crocodilesaired on BBC Two in 2012.[7]Production commenced in 2011 forStorm Cityin 3D on Sky One and National Geographic.[8]Fogle was hired for two years as a special correspondent forNBC Newsin the United States, in 2011. Their purpose was to cover the April royal wedding ofPrince WilliamandCatherine Middletonand the 2012,London Olympics.[9]
Fogle appeared on the programmeCountryfilewithJohn Cravenfrom 2001 to 2008, during which he reported on a number of UK rural pastimes. He rejoined the programme in 2014.
Since 2013, Fogle has presented two series ofHarbour Lives,a documentary series onITV.In 2014, Fogle joined the presenting team onITVseriesCountrywisewithLiz BonninandPaul Heiney,which covers aspects of the British coast and country.
Since 2013, Fogle has presented his show forChannel 5calledBen Fogle: New Lives in the Wild,that sees him follow the stories of people living "off grid" in the wild and isolated from society.[10]In 2024, he interviewed musicianVanessa Foreroin her Colombian cabin about the kidnapping of her motherMarina Chapman,and has expressed his hope to make a film about Chapman's life story.[11]
Fogle took over as the host of recommissioned and re-titled, 'Ben Fogle'sAnimal Clinic'on Channel 5, replacing disgraced presenter,Rolf Harris.
Sport
editAtlantic Rowing Race
edit
Fogle was the first to cross the line in the pairs division of the 2005–2006Atlantic Rowing Racein "Spirit of EDF Energy", partnered by Olympic rowerJames Cracknell.While competing in the 3,000-mile race, the pair had their boat fully capsized by huge waves. They made landfall inAntiguaat 07.13GMTon 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. In 2007, the BBC series that followed the pair,Through Hell and High Water,won aRoyal Television Societyaward.
Marathon des Sables
editHe has also completed the six-dayMarathon des Sablesfor theWorld Wide Fund for Natureacross 160 miles (260 km) of theSahara Desertand the Safaricom Marathon inKenyafor theTusk Trust,withLongleat Safari Parkkeeper Ryan Hockley. Fogle has completed theBupaGreat North Runin 1 hour 33 minutes, theLondon Marathonand the Royal Parks Half Marathon. He beatEastEndersactorSid Owenin a three-round charitybo xingmatch forBBC Sport Reliefunder the training ofFrank Brunoand he recently re-ran the Safaricom marathon in Kenya with the injured Battleback Soldiers.
Amundsen Omega 3 South Pole Race
editFogle teamed up with Cracknell once again, together with Ed Coats, a Bristol-based doctor,[12]as TeamQinetiQto take part in the inaugural "Amundsen Omega 3 South Pole Race". Six teams set out to race across theAntarctic Plateauto commemorate the historicrace of 1911betweenRoald AmundsenandRobert Falcon Scott.Having led the race for much of the time,[13]the team took 18 days, 5 hours and 10 minutes to complete the 770-kilometre (480 mi) race, coming second overall, 20 hours[14][15]behind the Norwegian team, who commended them on making it "a fantastic race",[16]and over two days ahead of the next placed team.[17]Fogle sufferedhypothermiaandfrostbiteto his nose and the team experienced temperatures as low as −40 °C (−40 °F). The race was filmed by the BBC for the seriesOn Thin Iceand was aired in Summer 2009. Five episodes ofOn Thin Icewere broadcast onBBC TwoSunday evenings[18]receiving a peak record of 3.7 million viewers. Macmillan published an account of their journey,Race to The Pole,which became a top-10 best-seller in the UK.
In October 2009, Fogle and Cracknell cycled arickshaw423 miles fromEdinburghto London non-stop. They took 60 hours to reach the capital, raising money forSSAFA(Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association). The event was filmed as part of ThePride of Britain Awards.[citation needed]Fogle and Cracknell planned to take part in theTour Dividerace in 2010, a 3,000-mile mountain-bike race across theRocky Mountains,fromBanffin Canada to the border ofMexico.The world record is held by American Matthew Lee and stands at 17 days. The race was put on hold after Cracknell received life-threatening injuries after being knocked from his bicycle in America while training.[citation needed] In 2013, Fogle and Cracknell teamed up again for their third and final expedition across theEmpty-quarterofOmanfor a new BBC Two series.[citation needed]
Mount Everest
editOn 16 May2018, Fogle summited Mount Everest,completing the climb over a six-week period whilst accompanied by two sherpa guides andKenton Cool.[19] His trek also included former Olympic cyclistVictoria Pendleton,who abandoned her attempt due to severe altitude sickness. A filmOur Mount Everest Challenge(The Challenge: Everest) documented by CNN, aired in June 2018, to highlight environmental issues around mountains in his new role as UN patron of the wilderness. The whole project was made possible by Fogle's good friend,Princess Haya Bint Al Husseinof Jordan, in memory of her father alongside raising awareness and money forThe Red Cross.[20][21]
Writing
editFogle has written ten books;The Teatime Islands(2004) in search of the remaining islands in theBritish Empirein which he travels toSaint Helena,Ascension Island,theFalkland Islands,theBritish Indian Ocean TerritoriesandTristan da Cunha.He also tried to visitPitcairn Islandby private yacht, but when the inhabitants learned that he was a journalist they refused to let him land. Fogle claims that they suspected that he was a spy, and after six hours of interrogation he was refused permission to visit and deported. He was also accused of attempting to smuggle abreadfruiton to the island.[22]The book was short-listed for theWHSmith's people's award for Best Travel Book.
He has also writtenOffshore(2006), published byPenguin Books,in which he travelled around Britain in search of an island of his own.[23]He visited thePrincipality of Sealandand attempted to land onRockallin the North Atlantic.[citation needed]In 2006 he publishedThe Crossing,published by Atlantic books and co-written with Cracknell followed their Transatlantic rowing bid.[citation needed]In 2009,The Race to the Polewas published by Macmillan and spent ten weeks in the best-seller list.[citation needed]His seventh bookLabradorwas released in 2015. In it, he explores the origin, characteristics and exploits of the breed.
In 2016,Land Rover:The Story of the Car that Conquered the Worldwas published.[24]English: A Story of Marmite, Queuing and Weather,which was published in 2017, examines the English national character.[25]He published his tenth book,Up,in October 2018. Co-written with his wife, Marina,Updocuments his planning, training and eventual summit of Mount Everest.[26]
In 2019 Fogle launched a children's book series, co-written by best-selling children's authorSteve Cole (author)and illustrated by Nikolas Ilic. Inspired by Fogle's real-life encounters with animals, the series follows the character of Mr Dog and his many sidekicks and friends.[27]Between March 2019 and January 2020, four Mr Dog books were published, with two more billed for late 2020.[28]
Fogle writes a weekly Country Diary for theSunday Telegraphand is a regular columnist forThe Daily Telegraphand travel writer forThe Independentand has contributed to theEvening Standard,The New York Times,theSunday TimesandGlamourmagazine. He has interviewedGordon Brownand Prince William for theMail on Sunday'sLIVEmagazine. He is guest director of Cheltenham Literary Festival and a regular at theHay-on-Wyefestival.
Activism
edit
Fogle is the UN Patron of the Wilderness, a role that sees him highlight the pressure and impact on the Earth's wildest corners. His aim is to focus more attention on the conservation cause and inspire greater global action to ensure our actions do not damage the environment.[29]
He is the President of theCampaign for National Parks.[30]Fogle is also: an ambassador for theWorld Wildlife Fund(WWF) and Tusk; a supporter of theDuke of Edinburgh awardscheme, andHearing Dogs for Deaf People.He is a fellow of theRoyal Geographical Society.[31]He is also a patron for the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, the Prince's Trust, the Royal Parks Foundation, Child Bereavement UK andShelterBox.
Alongside the historianPhilippa Gregory,Fogle is a patron of the UK Chagos Supporters Association, fighting for the islanders' rights to return to theBritish Indian Ocean Territory.He has described "the story of the Chagos islanders' treatment at the hands of the UK government" as "one for which I am ashamed to be British [...] a story of deceit [... which has] shaken my very principles on conservation and democracy".[32]
In August 2014, Fogle was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter toThe Guardianexpressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September'sreferendum on that issue.[33]
On 11 May 2020 Fogle announced that his Twitter account would henceforth be donated to a different charity on a rolling, weekly basis.[34]The first charity selected was WECare, a UK and Sri Lankan registered veterinary charity. The repurposing of Fogle's Twitter account followed an incident of widespreadtrollingof Fogle following his suggestion of a nationwide sing-along to mark the 94th birthday ofQueen Elizabeth IIon Tuesday 21 April 2020.[35]
Filmography
edit- Television
| Year | Title | Role | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–2001 | Castaway 2000 | Participant | BBC One |
| 2001–2009, 2014–2015, 2017–2018 | Countryfile | Co-presenter | |
| 2001–2009, 2016–present | Animal Park | Co-presenter | BBC One/BBC Two |
| 2002–2007 | One Man and His Dog | Presenter | BBC Two |
| 2003 | Big Screen Britain | Presenter | |
| 2003 | Death by Pets | Presenter | |
| 2004 | The Sand Marathon | Presenter | BBC Two |
| 2005–2006 | Animal Park: Wild in Africa | Co-presenter | |
| 2006 | Through Hell and High Water | Co-presenter | BBC One |
| 2006, 2007–2008 | Crufts | Co-presenter | BBC Two |
| Cash in the Attic | Co-presenter | BBC One | |
| 2007 | Animal Park: Wild on the West Coast | Co-presenter | BBC Two |
| 2007–2009 | Extreme Dreams with Ben Fogle | Presenter | |
| 2009 | On Thin Ice | Co-presenter | |
| 2009–2010 | Country Tracks | Co-presenter | BBC One |
| 2010 | Ben Fogle's Escape in Time | Presenter | BBC Two |
| 2010 | Make Me A New Face: Hope For Africa's Hidden Children | Presenter | |
| 2010 | Prince William's Africa | Presenter | Sky1 |
| 2011 | The Secrets of Scott's Hut | Presenter | BBC Two |
| 2011 | The World's Most Dangerous Roads[36] | Co-presenter | |
| 2012 | Swimming with Crocodiles | Presenter | |
| 2012 | Lonely Planet's Year of Adventures | Presenter | Travel Channel |
| 2013— | Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild | Presenter | Channel 5 |
| 2013–2016 | Countrywise | Co-presenter | ITV |
| 2013 | Ben Fogle's Animal Clinic | Presenter | Channel 5 |
| 2013–2014 | Harbour Lives | Presenter | ITV |
| 2014 | Trawlermen's Lives | Presenter | |
| 2015 | Ben Fogle: The Great African Migration | Presenter | Channel 5 |
| 2016 | Coastal Walks with My Dog | Co-presenter | Channel 4 |
| 2016 | Taskmaster | Cameo | Dave |
| 2017, 2018 | Walks with My Dog | Co-presenter | More4 |
| 2018 | Britain's Favourite Dogs: Top 100 | Co-presenter | ITV |
| 2018 | Our Everest Challenge | Presenter | ITV |
| 2020, 2022 | New Lives in the Country[37](previously known asBen Fogle: Make A New Life In The Country)[38] | Presenter | Channel 5 |
| 2020–2021 | For The Love Of Britain[39] | Co-presenter | ITV |
| 2021 | Inside Chernobyl with Ben Fogle[40] | Presenter | Channel 5 |
| 2021, 2023 | Scotland’s Sacred Islands With Ben Fogle[41] | Presenter | BBC One |
| 2022 | Falklands War: The Forgotten Battle[42] | Presenter | ITV |
| Ben Fogle & the Lost City[43] | Presenter | Channel 5 | |
| Lost Worlds with Ben Fogle[44] | Presenter | ||
| 2023 | Ben Fogle and the Buried City[45] | Presenter | |
| Endurance: Race to the Pole[46] | Himself | ||
| 2024 | Into the Congo with Ben Fogle[47] | Himself | |
| 2025 | Expedition: Search For The Nile[48] | Himself |
Personal life
editIn 2006, Fogle married Marina Hunt,[49]daughter of Jonathan Hunt. Their first child, a boy named Ludovic Herbert Richard Fogle, was born in 2009.[50]Their second child, a girl named Iona, was born in 2011. In 2014, they had a stillborn son, Willem; Marina also nearly died after suffering an acute placental abruption at 33 weeks.[51][52]
While filming a series ofExtreme DreamsinPeruin 2008, Fogle contractedleishmaniasis,which left him bedridden for three weeks on his return home. He was treated at London'sHospital for Tropical Diseases.[53]Fogle went on to make a documentary,Make Me a New Face,about children in Ethiopia suffering from flesh-eating bacteria callednoma.The documentary was broadcast on BBC Two in 2010.[6]
Fogle has had an acting cameo on the television programmeHotel Babylon.
On 20 February 2013, BBC Newsbeat published an article stating that he had claimed that his drink had been spiked at a pub inGloucestershire.He described the effects as making him try to jump out of a window, and he subsequently spent a night inhospital.[54]
Honours
editIn 2010,Madame Tussaudsmodelled him as a waxwork.[55][56]He was awarded theFreedom of the City of Londonin 2013.[57]
Fogle was awarded an honoraryDoctor of Letters(DLitt) degree by theUniversity of Portsmouthin 2007.[58]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^[full citation needed]"England & Wales Births 1837–2006".
- ^abStaff (n.d.)."Ben Fogle: Biography".benfogle.Retrieved9 July2012.
- ^"findmypast.co.uk".Search.findmypast.co.uk. Archived fromthe originalon 26 July 2014.Retrieved26 August2014.
- ^abVallely, Paul (14 January 2006)."Ben Fogle: Action man".The Independent.Retrieved17 April2020.
- ^"Chat with Ben Fogle! | Mayhem! Magazine".Archived fromthe originalon 9 September 2013.Retrieved10 August2013.
- ^ab"BBC Two - Make Me a New Face: Hope for Africa's Hidden Children".BBC.Retrieved7 January2024.
- ^"BBC Two - Swimming with Crocodiles, Australia".BBC.Retrieved8 January2024.
- ^"Sky's Storm City".Tees Barrage International White Water Centre.Retrieved8 January2024.
- ^"Ben Fogle lands US TV role to highlight UK".The Independent.3 February 2011.Retrieved8 January2024.
- ^"New Lives in the Wild".channel5.Retrieved7 January2024.
- ^Ben Fogle's 'New Lives In The Wild' & The People He's Met Living Off The Grid | Good Morning Britain,4 January 2024,retrieved7 January2024
- ^Bryony Gordon(8 October 2008)."James Cracknell's Race to the South Pole – James Cracknell Should Probably Be Spending This Christmas at Home with His Wife, Beverley Turner, Who Will Be Six Months Pregnant with Their Second Child by Then".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved 9 July 2012.
- ^"On Thin Ice".BBC.April–May 2011.Retrieved8 July2013.
- ^[dead link][1][permanent dead link].Sparks.
- ^"Team QinetiQ conquer the South Pole".QinetiQ Group plc. Archived fromthe originalon 9 November 2013.Retrieved8 July2008.
- ^Rouse, Beverley; Fentiman, Paula (23 January 2009)."Pole race Brits beaten by Norwegians - again".The Independent.Retrieved11 November2020.
- ^"Cornishman completes gruelling endurance race to South Pole".This Is Cornwall. Archived fromthe originalon 8 July 2013.Retrieved8 July2013.
- ^"Network TV BBC Week 26: Unplaced".BBC Press Office. 29 October 2014.Retrieved5 July2015.
- ^Fogle, Ben (2018).Up: My life journey to the top of Everest.William Collins.ISBN978-0008319182.
- ^Cohen, Claire (11 December 2017)."Exclusive: Victoria Pendleton and Ben Fogle on why they have joined forces to conquer Mount Everest".The Telegraph– via telegraph.co.uk.
- ^"Adventurer Ben Fogle completes Mount Everest climb".The Guardian.Press Association. 16 May 2018.
- ^Would I Lie To You?,Series 4 Episode 4
- ^Fogle, Ben (12 June 2008)."Joseph Haschka's review of Offshore: In Search of an Island of My Own".Amazon.co.uk.Retrieved7 April2014.
- ^Land Rover: The Story of the Car that Conquered the World; Fogle, Ben;William Collins;2016; 336 pages;ISBN978-0008194222
- ^Hirsch, Afua (19 October 2017)."English by Ben Fogle review – Marmite, queuing and weather".The Guardian.Retrieved15 July2018.
- ^Fogle, Ben (2018).Up: My life journey to the top of Everest.William Collins.ISBN978-0008319182.
- ^"Ben Fogle bookshop".Retrieved19 June2020.
- ^"toppsta".Retrieved19 June2020.
- ^"UN Environment announces Ben Fogle as new United Nations Patron of the Wilderness".4 October 2017.
- ^"Ben Fogle to fight National Park cause".Campaign for National Parks.17 July 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 1 February 2009.
- ^"Our Members".The Royal Geographical Society. Archived fromthe originalon 13 May 2012.Retrieved29 August2012.
- ^"The Chagos islanders' plight makes me ashamed to be British: The exiled islanders are desperate for the right to return to their homeland – but Britain seems determined to stop them".The Guardian.21 May 2012.Retrieved21 May2012.
- ^"Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories".The Guardian.London. 7 August 2014.Retrieved26 August2014.
- ^[2].Ben Fogle (via Twitter).
- ^"Ben Fogle hits back at 'mean' responses to royal birthday song suggestion".BBC News.London. 16 April 2020.Retrieved21 May2020.
- ^"BBC Two – World's Most Dangerous Roads, Series 1, Peru".Bbc.co.uk. 19 July 2012.Retrieved7 April2014.
- ^"New Lives in the Country".channel5.Retrieved31 August2022.
- ^"Ben Fogle: Make A New Life In The Country".radiotimes.Retrieved31 August2022.
- ^"For The Love Of Britain".itv.Retrieved13 December2020.
- ^"Inside Chernobyl with Ben Fogle".channel5.Retrieved24 February2021.
- ^"Scotlands Sacred Islands With Ben Fogle" aims to focus on the power of the islands themselves to nurture and nourish religion and spirituality "".bbc.co.uk/mediacentre.Retrieved18 October2023.
- ^"Falklands War: The Forgotten Battle".itv /presscentre.Retrieved29 March2022.
- ^"Ben Fogle & the Lost City".radiotimes.Retrieved17 April2022.
- ^"Lost Worlds with Ben Fogle".radiotimes.Retrieved20 October2022.
- ^"Ben Fogle and the Buried City".radiotimes.Retrieved17 May2023.
- ^"Ben Fogle recreates 1900s Antarctica expedition in 'Endurance: Race to the Pole'".britishperioddramas.Retrieved10 August2023.
- ^"Into the Congo with Ben Fogle".radiotimes.Retrieved11 February2024.
- ^"Endurance: Race For The Nile 2 X 60'".viacomcbs-mediahub.co.uk/press-releases.Retrieved27 August2024.
- ^"Marina Charlotte Elisabeth FOGLE - Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)".beta panieshouse.gov.uk.Retrieved9 July2019.
- ^[3].Ben Fogle (via Twitter).
- ^Fogle, Marina (7 August 2018)."Marina Fogle: I took up running to deal with the death of my stillborn son".The Telegraph.Retrieved15 September2019.
- ^Fogle, Marina (23 January 2015)."Marina Fogle: 'I never saw my son open his eyes or smile, but at least I told him how much he was loved'".The Telegraph.Retrieved15 September2019.
- ^Staff (30 October 2008)."Fogle Catches a Flesh-Eating Bug".BBC News.Retrieved 9 July 2012.
- ^Gladwell, Amy (20 February 2013)."Newsbeat – TV presenter Ben Fogle claims drink was spiked with drug".BBC.Retrieved7 April2014.
- ^Bashforth, Emily (9 January 2022)."Ben Fogle's waxwork is absolute jokes".Metro.Retrieved7 June2024.
- ^"Ben Fogle Admits His Children Are Not Exactly Convinced By His Questionable Waxwork".HuffPost UK.10 January 2022.Retrieved7 June2024.
- ^"Snow-Camp Receives the Freedom of the City of London".News Powered by Cision.29 March 2013.Retrieved7 June2024.
- ^Communicator – The newsletter of the University of Portsmouth – Issue 19 – Autumn 2007Archived5 February 2009 at theWayback Machine(PDF format).
External links
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