Benedict Allen : Mini Biography

International Motivational Speaker, Explorer, Film Maker, TV Presenter & Author

One of Britain's most prominent explorers, Benedict Allen has been dubbed “television’s most fearless man” by the Radio Times. By not using a film-crew, he’s allowed millions around the world to witness for the first time adventures unfolding genuinely in inhospitable terrain.

Benedict’s technique is not to use a satellite phone, GPS or the usual backup, but instead trust to the skills of indigenous people. He believes in doing “whatever it takes” to achieve his objective of investigating other worlds: in New Guinea, he became the first to undergo the harrowing “crocodile” initiation ceremony, and was given extensive scars up and down his chest and back - and beaten for six weeks. Elsewhere, he’s been shot at by hitmen, hunted down by gold miners, abandoned and left to die by guides. He’s even had to stitch up his own chest – without anaesthetic, using his boot-mending kit!

He’s now published 10 books, and made 6 BBC television series, usually travelling alone, and narrowly escaped death six times; few Westerners have spent so long continuously isolated in so many remote environments.

His motive over 25 years has always remained the same: to report things never witnessed before, and share other people’s perspective on the world.

PUBLIC SPEAKING: When addressing audiences, Benedict generally uses his great sense of humour to help share with the audience his thrilling life, giving an insight as to how an adventurer stays alive when he goes without companions or any of the usual backup, and is therefore genuinely exposed as he immerses himself in seemingly hostile terrain.