the bite of a sand fly. Ben contracted the parasite while filming in
Peru in autumn 2008. He now has a deep lesion an inch in diameter
on his arm however Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis produces
destructive and disfiguring lesions of the face and left untreated can
lead to death.
It was quite an achievement that you came second in the race
having just come out of hospital before you left. How are getting
over the infection?
Well we thought it had been cured before I left for the South Pole
but after I returned I discovered that I still had the problem, I am
currently undergoing treatment for six hours every day which
involves a poison being fed into my blood which is strong enough to
cause the parasite to be killed but hopefully not enough to kill me.
It’s quite nasty but I suppose if you do go mucking around in jungles
then it’s something to be expected.
As of 25th April 2009 Bens long course of treatment for Leishmaniasis
has finally come to an end and doctors have given him the all-clear
(for the second time).
Across Europe, after shorter, milder winters that have led to year-
round insect activity, there has been a significant rise in the number
of pets, and other animals, exposed to infectious diseases spread
by ticks, fleas and flies. According to the Veterinary Pathology
magazine there is a significant “pool” of dogs in southern Britain
infected with canine Leishmaniasis, acquired from travelling to the
Mediterranean areas of southern Europe. Scientists are concerned
that if climate change allows the sandfly to colonise the UK, there is
a very real risk that the disease could spread throughout the UK and
eventually become endemic.
How much are you able to decide what you do now?
I tend to initiate the ideas, I am not someone who just sits back and
wait for something to come to me because if you do that more often
than not it doesn’t happen. I am lucky to have found a market or a
niche that I enjoy doing and they are mostly things that I would be
doing anyway whether we were making a programme about them or
not. Basically I signed up for the South Pole trek and then invited
the BBC along to film it.
You have already had three books out, do you have plans for
any more?
Yes, we have already written one which will be published in June
called ‘Race to the Pole’ which basically coincides with the T.V.
programme. That would be my fourth book which is good for me
because I never excelled in English.
Do you work on that as you go along?
No I am terrible, I wait until I can see the deadline and the pressure
is mounting and then I do it. It’s been a very hectic last few weeks
getting it finished and contrary to a lot of people I actually write my
own books, it’s a big effort but it is something that I am very proud
Have you thought about trying to break into the American market with
of.
some presenting work?
Anything else coming up this year?
It would be nice to think that I could do that but I am not going to be so bold
Country Tracks takes me through the whole year as it is an hour
as to say that I could do that, it’s a tough one to get into. If we move there
every week of programming. I am also doing a Royal geographical
and it happened then great, but it is not something that I would expect to
society lecture tour around the U.K which is coming up at the end
achieve.
of the year so I am looking forward to seeing everyone around the
Could you tell us about your new show ‘Country Tracks?’
country and talking about my adventures.
It’s a new Sunday morning show which takes over from ‘Country File’ on
You have worked with lots of different presenters and
BBC1 and I revisit different parts of the country which I had previously
personalities is there anyone you would still like to work with?
visited over the last ten years on Country File. Last week I was in Derbyshire
The person who I would love to do a little project with one day
in the Peak District and the week before that in Cornwall so we revisit old
would be Joanna Lumley. She did a beautiful film about going to see
locations and update them. I think it will be a really lovely series. I also have
the Northern lights which I remember seeing on a plane once, I was
a programme coming out mid May called ‘On Thin Ice’ on BBC2 which is
so moved by it that I thought ‘I would love to go on holiday with her’
about my race to the South Pole. I am as excited as anyone to see this as I
but I don’t know if she would have me.
haven’t seen any of it. It’s very strange to think there are going to be six one
hour episodes following my life over eighteen months and I have no idea
what it is going to look like.
Thank You Ben
At the time of this interview Ben Fogle was still receiving treatment for
Leishmaniasis Vianna, a rather unpleasant skin eating parasite passed by
See www.benfogle.com
May34.indd 3 26/04/2009 22:06:49
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