BBC stars to make incredible return to Scottish island where reality TV show started
The star has arranged a reunion with other participants on the tiny Outer Hebridean isle to mark the milestone anniversary.
BEN FOGLE has revealed he is returning to Taransay — 25 years after being marooned there on TV show Castaway.
The star has arranged a reunion with other participants on the tiny Outer Hebridean isle to mark the milestone anniversary.
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Ben Fogle holds one of the sheep to show to his family on Castaway 2000.
Credit: PA:Press Association
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The reality show was ahead of its time.
Credit: BBC
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Ben has become one of TV's biggest names since getting his break.
Credit: Stuart Wilson
The BBC series jump-started the reality TV revolution by dropping 36 strangers off-grid to spend a year building their own community on the uninhabited island.
Travel expert Ben, 51, has long been desperate to make a sequel, but has settled for a special meet-up this summer instead.
He said of reuniting with fellow stars of the show: 'We are all going to Taransay this summer.
'I met up with a handful last year for Radio 4's reunion. We now have a Castaway WhatsApp group.
'I'd love to recreate the experiment, but I don't think any of the channels or streaming networks would be brave enough to commit to a year-long project.
'To be honest, I think it's a pipe dream. The beauty of Castaway lay in our simple characters.
'Today, reality shows rely on people becoming caricatures of themselves. You have be larger than life to stand out.
'The whole unique selling point of Castaway was that we blended into the landscape. We were slow TV before it was a thing.'
More than 4,000 people applied to take part in the series, which cost £2.4million to make.
Telly islanders were tasked with growing their own fruit and veg, and even killing animals for food.
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Fending for themselves in the wilderness proved too much for some, with seven dropping out.
Among the show's major controversies were a revolt against programme makers, smuggled mobile phones, a flu outbreak and one person attempting a speed boat escape.
The eco-pods with compost toilets also weren't ready and families with kids refused to take part.
They were taken back to the mainland and put up in a plush hotel before eventually returning to the island.
And there wasn't even a prize at the end — as everybody left and either returned to their old lives or set off on new adventures.
But Ben, then the picture editor of high society magazine Tatler, loved the challenge and was so inspired by his 12 months on Taransay that he launched an unsuccessful £1.5million bid to buy it in 2011.
Even 25 years on, Ben misses the peace and quiet he enjoyed there and reckons the show still doesn't get the credit it deserves.
He said: 'It feels like yesterday. The smells and colours and sounds are so familiar.
'If I close my eyes, I can transport myself back to that beautiful island. So much has happened in the 25 years since. I have done so many things and had so many experiences, but my year on Taransay remains one of my happiest.
'It was life-changing on so many levels. I find myself fiercely protective of its legacy.'
Ben has hosted New Lives In The Wild, about people who opt for a secluded existence, for some 12 years.
He advises people to give it a go if it's something they dream of. It was his time on Castaway 2000 that inspired his own series, and he believes the impact of the programme is often overlooked due to more flashy alternatives.
Ben said: 'It's often forgotten about and I'm not sure why. Perhaps it is because we were the quieter sibling to the bells and whistles of Big Brother that came after.
'We were a simple, humble, unshowy, authentic reality show. Time and example has proved that the Press prefer the noise and chaos of subsequent shows.
'You mustn't underestimate the impact Castaway had on the TV landscape.
'We were guinea pigs and pioneers forging the way for future generations of reality TV.'
Adam and Cathra Kelliher bought Taransay in 2011 and now offer tourists the chance to live out their own Castaway dreams for a few nights.
The survival retreats are geared towards wealthy tourists who pay up to £6,900 per person.
Ben isn't sure how he and his former cast mates will mark the occasion when they arrive back on the island.
But it will be very different to the last time, when they celebrated New Year 2001 before being whisked off in a helicopter.
Were you one of the original Castaways? Contact colan.lamont@the-sun.co.uk.
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