One of the world’s most renowned adventurer/explorers, Benedict Allen, will be coming to Frome later this month, telling tales from his extraordinary career.
Benedict will reminisce with never-before-seen material from his travels across the globe from deserts to jungles, and even icefields.
Benedict’s visit to Frome will also give him the chance to catch up with his sister, Kate Pestille, who lives in the town.
Last year, Benedict was on a solo expedition to Papua New Guinea, filming his journey to visit a community he had befriended 30 years earlier. He hit the headlines when he failed to turn up to Port Moresby for a scheduled flight to Hong Kong, prompting his friends and family, and eventually the world media, to become concerned for his wellbeing.
Travelling with no mobile phone for contact or GPS, Benedict was eventually located and brought back from the tribal warzone by helicopter, whereupon it was discovered that Benedict had been battling malaria and dengue fever. Benedict plans to show extracts from this astonishing expedition in this brand-new talk, and will be releasing the full film later this year.
Benedict said, “This is a hugely exciting venture for me. I can’t wait to share my experiences of some of the most testing, but also wonderfully inspiring, corners of the globe.”
In this brand new show, Benedict – famous for ingratiating himself with indigenous communities during his journeys – will tell the whole unvarnished truth of his most recent adventure, recalling the highs and lows of this awe-inspiring trip, as well as his life as an explorer using his trademark good humour.
Benedict will talk of his earliest influences, including his father flying a Vulcan bomber as a test pilot, comparing this to his own experiences and discussing the role of the explorer in the 21st Century.
Often cited as the last of the classical explorers, Benedict is the only person known to have crossed the Amazon Basin at its widest. He believes passionately that we all have an inner adventurer and that the Golden Age of exploration lies not behind us, but ahead.
In his latest and most revealing show, Benedict encourages people of all ages to look for adventure near and far from home. He talks passionately about the nature of risk taking – both in our lives and in our own minds, urging us all to take up the most impossible-seeming challenges in our lives.
Regularly filming his intrepid expeditions, Benedict’s most recent television series was Birds Of Paradise: The Ultimate Quest (BBC Two), a two-part series which aired in February 2017, in which Allen was joined by BBC security correspondent and avid birdwatcher Frank Gardner.
His six series for the BBC include Travellers’ Century, Skeleton Coast, Edge of Blue Heaven, Last of the Medicine Men and Ice Dogs. He also recently presented Adventures for Boys: The Lost World of Ryder Haggard and was a contributor for BBC Two’s Extreme Dreams.
Benedict has written two best-selling books amongst his total ten books, which include The Faber Book of Exploration and Into the Abyss. He has written numerous articles for newspapers and magazines and is a hugely popular corporate motivational speaker. In 2010 Benedict became a trustee and member of council of the Royal Geographical Society.
Benedict comes to the Cheese & Grain on Friday 26th October. Tickets can be purchased from the website: www.cheeseand grain.com
Above: Benedict Allen and his sister, Kate Pestille, who lives in Frome.
