Benedict Allen v RNCM - Royal Northern College of Music
On sale Friday 9 February at 11am
Benedict is recognised as one of the last ‘Great Explorers’ and for being the first to record his arduous and treacherous exploits without a TV crew: he has been making documentaries for the BBC since the 1980s, has 10 published books and his countless tales of his adventures form the basis of his motivational and captivating talks.
Recently, Benedict has attracted global media attention after his latest solo expedition to the heart of Papua New Guinea encountered a string of devastating obstacles. Benedict’s aim had been to reach the remote Yaifo community, who befriended him when he made first ‘outside contact’ with them as a very young man 30 years ago. Having tackled the notorious Central Range, Benedict then found himself trapped in an area of forest where local communities were at war. Already suffering from both malaria and dengue fever, he then faced a series of freak storms. A multi-national search-and-rescue mission was launched – and Benedict at last extracted by helicopter. These days a family man with three young children, Benedict himself believed to the end that he would, as ever, somehow find a way out. See Benedict’s first interview about his venture here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42062933
Benedict’s footage is also being made into a television documentary which we expect to broadcast on our screens next year before the tour.