Ben Fogle discovers new lives in the wild…

Best on the Box choice for January 4th.

Adventurer Ben Fogle meets people who have turned their back on the rat race and set up home in remote locations, joining a variety of brave individuals who have chosen to venture down a very
alternative path to everyday life, and discovering the reality of leaving it all behind.

Ben journeys to the mountains of central Portugal to live with 39-year-old Alex, a British man who traded in his lucrative retail career for his own mountainside hideaway. He discovers how a near breakdown and personal tragedy forced Alex to rethink his entire lifestyle and leave the UK.

He learns how Alex survived with no heating, electricity or water, and is now turning centuries-old buildings into his perfect farm home. Ben discovers Alex’s new challenges in the hottest part of Portugal and sees how, despite enjoying a solitary lifestyle, he’s ready to socialise again with like-minded people. One such new friend is helping him with plans to open a retreat on his farm, and she comes with her own extraordinary story.

Ben camps in a ‘floating’ tent, lollipops trees to protect them from the ravage of forest fires, goes night-time scorpion hunting, helps Alex put a very special tribute into place, and discovers how this location may have saved not just one, but possibly two people.

Ben Fogle: New Lives In The Wild, Channel 5, 9 pm