Twenty years after starring in the hit TV show Castaway 2000, Ben Fogle is to return to Scotland’s remote islands for a new documentary.
The new series, Sacred Islands will begin production later this spring and will air on BBC Scotland and BBC One Daytime.
The award-winning broadcaster, author and adventurer will explore the Western and Northern Isles to the Inner Hebrides.
Fogle’s “personal pilgrimage” will see him delve into the culture of each of the islands and what they mean to him. The islands that Fogle will visit are yet to be revealed.
“I’m still fascinated by Scotland’s islands”
Talking about his new series, he said: “Castaway changed me in so many ways.
“I was not the star of Castaway, the island of Taransay was, the Outer Hebrides was, Scotland was.
. The remoteness, the peace, the wonder – I even named my daughter Iona after one.”
He added: “I’m lucky to have been to a lot of places but to me these islands are the most beautiful on Earth.
“This is where my roots really are, where I feel spiritually at home. This is my dream series. It’s like a personal pilgrimage.”
Production will begin in the Spring and be subject to strict COVID-19 protocols and restrictions. The series will broadcast later in the year.
Steve Allen commissioned the series for BBC Scotland, he adds: “We are delighted to welcome Ben back to BBC Scotland’s screens with this new series.
“It’s hard to believe 20 years has passed since Ben captured the hearts of the nation in Castaway where we watched him fall in love with the island and the whole island experience.
“This series will be an authored piece which will give audiences an insight in to the profound effect Ben’s 20 year love affair with Scotland’s islands has had on him and what it is that draws him back.”
Daisy Scalchi, BBC Commissioning Editor for Specialist Factual commissioned the series for BBC One, added: “It’s fantastic to see Ben at the helm of this new series, taking a personal, insightful, spiritual journey through some of our most fascinating island communities”
Sacred Islands with Ben Fogle will be produced by Tern Television. Harry Bell, managing director said: “‘Islands pull at the soul. In this series we’ll showcase the intoxicating beauty, wild places and astonishing people of Scotland’s far-flung islands.
“Much more than pedestrian travelogues Ben’s deep spiritual connection with island life will also reveal their sacred side.”