Benedict Allen

Benedict Allen's after dinner speeches  are full of tales of exploration and adventure, as well as invaluable and inspirational business lessons.

Exploring and adventuring have been on Benedict’s radar since his earliest days. Adventure holidays at school paved the way for his dreams, which eventually came into fruition when he was chosen by the BBC to front their Skeleton Coast series, where he walked the 2000 mile Namibian coast with three camels, and immersed himself in tribes he came across, with no maps or communication equipment, except a camera to document his travels and experiences with remote tribes.

Benedict has trekked through the most remote parts of Siberia, through the Mongolian Steppe and Altai mountains, and has crossed the Gobi desert alone.

He has been close to death on many occasions, including when he was beaten every day for six weeks as part of the Niowra initiation rite in New Guinea, and was slashed with bamboo blades on his chest and back, leaving him with ‘crocodile’ scars.

Reporting his exploits on TV gives Benedict’s adventures a voice and a purpose. In BBC’s Ice Dogs, he had to earn the trust and respect of his ten dogs, from whom he was separated in a blizzard, Benedict narrowly survived crossing the Bering Straits.

Benedict has written a number of books including Into the Abyss, and Into the Crocodile Nest: A Journey Inside New Guinea.