One of Britain's most prominent explorers, he travels alone using the skills of remote, so-called "tribal" people.

A born survivor, it's said that Benedict is a cat who's used up "six of his nine lives." At the age of just 23 in the Amazon he was attacked by gold miners, and, fleeing through the forest was forced to eat his dog to survive; two years later he underwent a harrowing crocodile initiation ceremony in New Guinea, he was given extensive crocodile scars up and down his chest and back, and beaten for six weeks; since then he has been shot at, poisoned, and more recently almost died when separated from his dog team in Siberia, in what turned out to be the worst winter in living memory.

His belief in leaving the back-up systems often employed by adventurers - satellite phones, GPS navigation etc - at home make his solo expeditions particularly precarious; likewise, his technique of not bringing along camera-crews continues to ensure he is the only adventurer on TV often in very real and constant jeopardy; arguably, he has the most dangerous job seen on television.