Benedict Allen

One of Britain’s leading adventurers, Benedict Allen, is particularly known for his television programmes – occasionally made with the help of a film crew but more typically without. He paved the way for a new generation of TV adventurers.

Uniquely in television his philosophy is to genuinely immerse himself in extreme or alien environments, going alone and learning from indigenous people. As The Sunday Times put it: “Filming whatever actually happens, without all the hidden paraphernalia of a film crew, and whether in danger or lonely or undergoing various exotic rituals, he has effectively taken the viewers’ experience of adventure as far as it can go.”

However, most of his more challenging journeys – depicted in his first five books – in fact took place before he began filming his exploits. “I belonged to the last generation that might pass through a wilderness for months on end and not encounter a single person of my own culture. It was a privileged time: never in all those years can I remember coming across a single other foreigner, whilst out on a trek.” Such isolation seems inconceivable today.

Twenty five years on, Benedict Allen has narrowly escaped death six times; arguably, no one has more experience of living continuously isolated in as many remote environments.

Ben’s talks range from light-hearted, after-dinner speeches (such as given for Deutsche Bank clients in Frankfurt) to a keynote speech for an international conference (such as one to Intel, in Paris.)

“We were enthralled by Benedict’s keynote presentation at our conference… Benedict scored by far the highest marks of all the presenters. He was described as “inspirational,” “an excellent spirit lifter,” and just “superb”.
UK Marketing Manager, Progress Software Ltd, UK summit.

“Your amazing Amazon adventures kept our audience spellbound. Although I am sure most would find the prospect of such a journey daunting, they will never-the-less have taken on board your lesson on the ability of men and women to overcome extreme adversity and succeed in the end.”
IBM Ltd, South of France conference.

“Your speech was just what was needed at the end of a long day. Amusing and truly extraordinary! Everyone was recounting your stories afterwards. You have a very unusual – and special – life.”
Global Leadership Summit, London Business School.

“The points you made on teamwork and the “power” of the individual, plus your enthusiasm, gave a perfect motivation and start to our conference.”
Chief Executive, Sericol Ltd, Madrid conference.