Before he was the presenter on New Lives in the Wild, Ben Fogle first appeared on our TV screens 25 years ago as one of the contestants on the BBC reality show, Castaway 2000. The series followed 36 men, women and children as they worked to build a new community from scratch on the Scottish island of Taransay.
Now, 25 years on, an unearthed photo of Ben from his time on the show has resurfaced. The picture shows the then 27-year-old wearing a red parka and playing with his beloved dog, Inca on the island of Taransay. The black Labrador and Ben were inseparable with the TV presenter bringing her to photoshoots with Vogue and even on The Graham Norton Show.
Reflecting on his furry friend in an op-ed written for The Telegraph, Ben said: “In 1999 I had been selected to be part of a ground-breaking social experiment that would see 36 people marooned on a deserted island in the Outer Hebrides for a year, beginning in January 2000,” he explained.
“Each of us had been asked to choose a luxury item. One couple had chosen a bed; another asked for a piano. Someone even opted for a home-brewing kit. I’d settled on a puppy.”
Inca sadly passed away in 2012, with Ben writing: “I didn’t sleep. I felt sick with panic and in the morning my pillow was stained with tears.”
Ben’s career move
The 51-year-old presenter, who has hosted New Lives in the Wild since 2013, has now revealed that he has intentions to “slow down” and curb his frequent trips for work, instead turning to other business ventures that will allow him to stay closer to home. Ben, who lives in Oxfordshire with his wife Marina Fogle and their two children, Ludo and Iona, announced he’s ready for the next chapter in his life – branching out into business.
© ShutterstockBen shared: “Adventure doesn’t have to be physical, but a journey that challenge us, and I am about to begin a whole new journey, wildly out of my comfort zone. Travel is starting to wear me down and I’ve been wanting to slow down and spend more time in the UK. So……I have bought Buffalo. Not a Buffalo THE Buffalo @buffalosystems.
“The famous Sheffield outdoor brand started by the late Hamish Hamilton in 1979. In the words of Remington Steel, I loved the company so much, I bought the factory.”
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