To think Benedict Allen is an arrogant git?

[Shakirasma]

He comes across as a sulky child, annoyed that his game was spoiled while his family were breaking their hearts with worry.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42062933

[Slartybartfast]

yup, with mid life crisis.
pity his family

[MorrisZapp]

Christ what a fanny.

[DonkeyOaty]

He's a sort of professional explorer (I saw his progs with Frank which were terrific btw) so I do see his pov BUT very unfair on his family.

/conflicted

[Shadow666]

I'm also conflicted. This is his job, it's what he does, but at the same time, he's a husband and father now, so he has a responsibility towards them. He could have used GPS or taken other communications devices. I think less a mid-life crisis, more a need to grow up.

[HouseOfMouse]

The whole thing smacks of drumming up publicity, IMO. The "video will" was probably devised to up the drama in whatever TV show he is hoping to make. I could be wrong - maybe I am being too cynical. But he does have form for exaggeration.

[Bourdic]

Agree OP - he expects to be rescued when things go wrong but what really makes him an arrogant git IMO is that he thinks he has the right to go off looking for people who haven’t said they want to be found. He’s not an explorer at all - he’s just a spoilt entitled idiot

[Slartybartfast]

of course what he said might have been taken out of context.

[Layla8]

He’s a git. How would a GPS have been detrimental to his exploration ?

[HouseOfMouse]

There's a bigger issue too which is why he is attempting to contact "uncontactable" tribes who, as far as I'm aware, haven't asked for this. What's in it for them exactly?

[paganmolloy]

Arrogant but I can kind of get it. It's his job. To keep people like him caged at home is like caging an eagle. I don't mean that to sound wanky but these folk are just different and they NEED to do what they do in the same way most of us NEED to work or they'd go nuts or NEED to run to keep fit or get head space. Agree that some sort of communication is required given that he has a family. That doesn't detract from the adventure itself. In fact had he had a satellite phone then he could've said that he didn't want/need rescued and continued when he was up for it.

[MrsDoyleFallingOutTheWindow]

It's a bit weird isn't it - this concept of 'finding'. I mean, the people in question know where they are and that they exist and would probably dispute that they were 'lost' - because from their perspective, they're not missing at all. Always strikes me as being a limited view.

[IrenetheQuaint]

Men and their NEEDS, eh? There are lots of exotic places he could have gone travelling without a) bothering a remote tribe who were perfectly happy as they were, thanks and b) frightening the life out of his family.

[paganmolloy]

Also meant to add that his wife would have known what he was like before she married him though he still has a responsibility to keep in touch to allay their fears.

[paganmolloy]

Not just men though. Alison Hargreaves was given pelters for being an unfit mother because she was a mountaineer and died climbing K2. It's not the gender, it's the human.

www.theguardian.com/world/2002/aug/28/gender.familyandrelationships

[juneau]

I've been following this, because I used to really like his explorer programmes in the 1990s and I went to hear him talk once and had a nice chat with him afterwards. He's actually a super nice bloke and I think he's come in for a lot of harsh criticism.

As for 'his wife knew what she was marrying', I would ask, did she? She's only 35, she from the Czech Republic and I wonder how many of his programmes she saw or has watched, because if she wasn't here in the UK when he was reasonably well-known for this stuff I wonder if she did know what she was getting into. When I heard he was missing last week I thought to myself 'But this is what he does - he goes off and doesn't really have an agenda and at some point he re-emerges about 30lbs lighter and looking like shit, but with a story to tell'. That's just his thing. I don't blame her for being frantic with worry and I do think that now he's got 3 kids he shouldn't be doing this shit any more, but I can't say I was surprised. He's being doing this stuff since he was a teenager - it's just what he does.

[Mxyzptlk]

Video will?
Has someone in his line of work really not got a will?

[paganmolloy]

Did the tribe want to be 'found'? Well who knows but he did spend time with them 30 years ago and is probably considered a 'friend' of the tribe and he went through a special ceremony with them. We probably all have friends from 30 years ago that we haven't seen for a while because they live at the other end of the country but who would probably be pleased to see us if we popped in for a cuppa! He just does it differently.

[Sensimilla]

I agree totally.
Shouldn't be contacting remote tribes for his own entertainment; and risk introducing lethal disease

Shouldn't worry his family to that extent

Shouldn't be so ungrateful for being rescued

And as someone who's ILs are of a tribe/culture often featured in these 'explorer' tv programmes; I find middle aged middle class white western men 'exploring' and 'living amongst them' totally crass

[HoofWankingSpangleCunt]

Yy to posters commenting on "missing" tribes. That level of arrogance is breathtaking. What an egotistical spunk bucket. He wants to "find" actual real people living remotely from the West yet can't even keep his malaria tablets dry.

[Fekko]

Did I hear in the r4 interview that he tweeted? And had a video recorder if some sort? So why no phone shoved at the bottom of his bag for an emergency? Not just for him - imagine if he came across a plane crash site or someone lost and injured?

"Hooray! Were saved! Please call the emergency services!"
"No phone! Not the 'authentic experience' you see..."

[Sensimilla]

yet can't even keep his malaria tablets dry

[Fadingmemory]

Lots of issues here. Am an adventurous type myself though not remotely in his league. Appreciate his need not to be "caged" and that there are always people who want to push the envelope. If they did not we would still be living in caves...

However, how would the tribe concerned have benefitted from his visit? Yes, he might have increased the sum of human knowledge but what about the risk of introducing diseases to which members of the tribe would not have immunity? There was also a risk they may have objected very strongly to a visit and become violent to, in their terms, defend themselves.

Presumably his wife would have known he would continue to undertake expeditions but what about his children? On the other hand, firefighters face enormous dangers and thank goodness they are willing to do so, despite many having children.

If he had visited the tribe what about the intellectual property rights of anything he and subsequent visitors discovered? (Thinking here of, for example, the possible use of a plant to remedy or cure a particular condition which may also be suffered by people living in "civilisation"). What about the resource implications of such any such expedition and any rescue that might have been required?

Where explorers go, exploiters may follow. Not something he or anyone else could necessarily prevent.

[Fekko]

If that was my husband I'd confiscate his passport and put him on the naughty step.

[Slartybartfast]

he missed 3 flights, no wonder they were worried.