TV star Ben heads outon a new adventure

When he was a child, adventurer Ben Fogle dreamed of becoming an actor.

So it is something of a wish fulfilment that he is now appearing on stage in his own theatre show Call of the Wild.

Ben’s dreams of becoming an actor are perhaps not unsurprising as his mother is 60s starlet Julia Foster, who will be starring in the Hollywood version of Dad’s Army, out next year.

He said: “I grew up around TV studios. It was a fundamental part of my childhood.

“I always wanted to tread the boards as a child and aspired to be an actor. That didn’t work as I was rejected by all the drama schools, so finally aged 41 I am going to do my theatre tour.

“Whenever life becomes too comfortable for me, I need to shake it up,” he said. “I have done talks before but this is going to be a little more theatrical. It is the story of where I got to where I am today and how someone who grew up in London ended up working in the furthest, wildest corners of the world.”

Ben will be at Buxton Opera House on Wednesday, October 14. He said: “It will be really nice to actually go and meet people and hopefully leave them feeling inspired.

“I love the Peak District National Park area and have filmed extensively in the limestone caves for both BBC Countryfile and ITV Countrywise.”

It is clear that Ben is enthused and excited about his latest project as he always is about every challenge thrown his way. Whether it’s rowing across the Atlantic with former Olympic oarsman James Cracknell, running across the Sahara or crossing the Antarctica on foot, he is a gung-ho modern day action man.

Ben is also one of the most in-demand TV presenters around and has presented numerous shows on the BBC, ITV and Channel 5 including, New Lives in the Wild, Extreme Dreams and Through Hell and High Water.

He admits what he would love to do most is tackle another big adventure with James Cracknell. He says, “I’ve been doing lots of exciting jobs over the last few years but they have all been for work. I think James and I might be ready to team up and try something else.”

As well as writing a new book Labradors - he has been filming six different television shows this year, one of which New Lives in the Wild, focuses on extraordinary people who have swapped the rat race for a simpler life in remote parts of the British Isles.

His other project, a BBC2 series called The Big Fish is described as the fishing version of the Great British Bake-Off.

Ben Fogle will be appearing at Buxton Opera House on Wednesday 14 October.

Tickets are priced at £24 and discounts are available. For more information or to buy tickets call the box office on 01298 72190.