Benedict Allen, a modern day explorer.
Benedict Allen, author, explorer, public speaker and presenter, is one of Britain’s best known explorers. He has published nine books, two of them bestsellers, and his pioneering films of his expeditions – occasionally with a film crew but more typically without – have paved the way for the current generation of TV adventurers. Uniquely in television, his philosophy is to immerse himself in extreme or alien environments, relying not on satellite phones and other “backup” but to go alone and learn from indigenous people.
His approach to exploration is exemplified by his decision to undergo the harrowing “crocodile” initiation ceremony in New Guinea – he was given extensive crocodile scars and beaten for six weeks. It was an attempt not just to report back about things never before witnessed at the frontiers of our knowledge but to understand a different perspective on the world.
“To me exploration isn’t about conquering natural obstacles, planting flags… It’s not about going where no one’s gone before in order to leave your mark, but about the opposite of that - about making yourself vulnerable, opening yourself up to whatever’s there and letting the place leave its mark on you.” - Benedict Allen.
His belief in leaving the back-up systems often employed by adventurers – satellite phones, GPS navigation etc – at home make his solo expeditions particularly precarious; likewise, his technique of not bringing along camera-crews continues to ensure he is the only “adventurer” on TV often in very real and constant jeopardy; arguably, he has the most dangerous job seen on television. [Read more →]
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