Latest news with #BenFogle
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bournemouth family who bought Bulgarian farmhouse have no regrets
It's been three years since Lewis and Jordan Vye packed up their rented flat in Bournemouth and moved their family to couple had bought a dilapidated farmhouse online for £7,000, only viewing it for the first time when they arrived with their two children and fond memories of home and now facing a new set of challenges, they insist they have no regrets."I really enjoy my life here and, the truth is, I don't think you could pay me to return - I enjoy it that much," said Mr Vye. The property in Haskovo Province included a two-acre (0.8 hectare) plot of land, a barn and a house but it had been abandoned for 20 years and, when the family arrived, it was uninhabitable, leaving them no choice but to live in their caravan."We've been working hard," said Mr Vye."It's in a better state now."It's been tough - I don't come from a building background and we had no choice but to renovate this property. That in itself has been stressful."The pair have been documenting their progress on social media, watched by hundreds of thousands of Vye said: "It's great for us because we get to look back and see how bad it was and how far we've come."I'm not going to lie and say there are things we don't miss [about England] but I'm definitely closer to the life I want." The couple say they were inspired after "binge watching" Ben Fogle's TV series, New Lives in the Wild, about people starting new lives in remote went full circle when, earlier this year, they appeared on their own episode of the Channel 5 show."Oh man, what a dream come true," said Mr Vye."We wouldn't be here without watching that because it gave us the courage to get up and go for it ourselves."We've lived the majority of our lives in Bournemouth - it's not that we've got a bad thing to say about it - but it was time for us to go on a different adventure." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
Scottish Sun
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
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. 3 Ben Fogle holds one of the sheep to show to his family on Castaway 2000. Credit: PA:Press Association 3 The reality show was ahead of its time. Credit: BBC 3 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. Ben Fogle teases return of 'most natural reality show ever' after years off screen - insisting telly 'needs a rebrand' 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
The Sun
06-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Ben Fogle's wife Marina opens up on devastating stillbirth of their son that caused TV presenter's breakdown
MARINA Fogle has spoken in detail about the trauma her and husband, Ben Fogle, endured when their son was born stillborn. The broadcaster, 51, and his podcast producer wife, lost their baby Willem in 2015 after he was born at 33 weeks. 5 5 5 Ben has previously spoken about the devastating effects Willem's death had on him, including leading to a mental health breakdown last year. Now, Marina has opened up how the couple's third child died due to a "catastrophic placental abruption... something no doctor had predicted so no one could prevent." She wrote in The Times, that if Willem had been born a day earlier he would likely have survived, but nobody could predict her placenta would fail. Marina explained how not knowing what caused Willem's death or the risk of another pregnancy has stopped the couple from trying for a much-wanted third child. "But that didn't stop me wanting answers. My job revolves around pregnancy," she wrote. "A few years earlier I had founded the Bump Class, an antenatal class committed to giving parents-to-be the very best information in anticipation of the birth of their babies." Marina said she tried everything from gardening to travel with Ben to help ease her grief, but realised what would help her most was pushing for better research into pregnancy loss. "In an age of space exploration, how can 50 per cent of miscarriages be unexplained? Who cares about going to Mars when babies are dying and we don't know why?" she wrote. Marina has found there are centres and doctors in the U.K "challenging the status quo" to find answers and help parents, including Tommy's, a baby charity at St Thomas' Hospital and Professor Phil Bennett at Queen Charlotte's Hospital both in London. She also visited St Mary's Hospital in Manchester where she "met a true placenta geek, Professor Alex Heazell, a man who had dedicated his professional life to understanding why placentas fail." While Marina has let go of the hopes of having a third baby or trying to understand why Willem died, she wants to help parents advocate for themselves in healthcare. "I'm keen to be part of the change, part of the group of people who constantly ask questions, work out if we can do better and never stop until they know why," she wrote. "No science, however brilliant, will bring Willem back or change what has happened, but we can help future generations." Marina concluded: "If just one baby makes it, if just one family are spared the tragedy of a placental abruption that could have been predicted, then all that questioning, all that tenacity, will have been worth it." If you or someone you know has been affected by baby loss, help is available from Tommy's in the UK on 0800 0147 800 or email midwife@ 5 5 Help for mental health If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support. The following are free to contact and confidential: Samaritans, 116 123 CALM (the leading movement against suicide in men) 0800 585 858 Papyrus (prevention of young suicide) 0800 068 41 41 Shout (for support of all mental health) text 85258 to start a conversation Mind, provide information about types of mental health problems and where to get help for them. Call the infoline on 0300 123 3393 (UK landline calls are charged at local rates, and charges from mobile phones will vary). YoungMinds run a free, confidential parents helpline on 0808 802 5544 for parents or carers worried about how a child or young person is feeling or behaving. The website has a chat option too. Rethink Mental Illness, gives advice and information service offers practical advice on a wide range of topics such as The Mental Health Act, social care, welfare benefits, and carers rights. Use its website or call 0300 5000 927 (calls are charged at your local rate). Heads Together, is the a mental health initiative spearheaded by The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales.
The Guardian
05-03-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Deepfakes, cash and crypto: how call centre scammers duped 6,000 people
Ben Fogle was not a happy man. 'Not sure I need to highlight this,' the broadcaster posted on Instagram during the spring of 2024, 'but the deepfake of me from [ITV's] This Morning … circulating on Facebook [and] advertising crypto is a scam.' Fogle's warning showed a fictional news article, linking to a digitally doctored video, but not everybody noticed. One of those taken in was Mark*, a franchise manager in his 30s from East Anglia, who in one click lurched towards losing his life savings. 'I watched the video [of] Ben Fogle, like trading,' Mark said, recalling how the clip had promoted a cryptocurrency website called AdmiralsFX. 'So I just bang some details in [and] then I was contacted [by a call centre]. It was a £250 buy-in … I was like, 'Oh, well, it's worth a go for that'.' Within a month, he had handed over £27,000 – the equivalent of a year's salary – and sounded less relaxed. On a call with the person he believed was his investment adviser, he pleaded: 'I've lost all my money, mate … What have you done with it?' Mark was far from alone and the sheer scale of this heist can now be revealed for the first time, thanks to a massive leak of data shared with the Guardian and international media partners by Swedish television channel SVT and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). Analysis of the files suggests at least 6,179 people were duped by an industrial-scale boiler room fraud operating inside three plush-looking offices in Tbilisi, the capital city of the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Calling themselves the skameri – Georgian for scammers – a group of 85 call handlers and support staff made it their daily mission from May 2022 to relieve ordinary people of $35m (£27m) of their savings. They routed the cash through what appears to be a sophisticated money-laundering network and yet, somehow, almost nobody seems to have noticed this sizeable venture, which appears to be still operating. With hindsight, the warnings were everywhere. AdmiralsFX, the investment platform Mark had started using, had already prompted a notification by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority stating it had been created by fraudsters 'to scam people'. A related brand, also being promoted from Georgia and called Golden Currencies, had been given the same official treatment. Other celebrities whose images were used – including the money expert Martin Lewis and the radio DJ Zoe Ball – had issued their own warnings. For many that proved futile. Victims of the Georgian scam still frequently cited the deepfakes as the reason they pressed ahead. WARNING. THIS IS A SCAM BY CRIMINALS TRYING TO STEAL MONEY. PLS is frightening, it's the first deep fake video scam I've seen with me in it. Govt & regulators must step up to stop big tech publishing such dangerous fakes. People'll lose money and it'll ruin lives. The sums taken by the Tbilisi agents are significant, but there are even bigger networks. The leak contains some details of a second group, with call centres in Bulgaria, Cyprus and Spain, apparently run from Israel, which made an estimated $240m over three years. However, the Georgian data offers a significant additional insight: the scammers recorded their conversations with victims, storing more than 1m calls. The files lift the lid on how these schemes actually work. Scammers pay affiliate marketers to place the fake ads on well-known social media sites. For each successful 'lead' – a victim making an initial deposit after handing over their contact details – the marketer is rewarded with anything from $500 up to $1,750. Those from wealthy nations, in particular the UK and Canada, attract the highest fees. The 'leads' included a 74-year-old former NHS doctor, Theresa*, who was living in sheltered housing on the outskirts of London when she lost about £50,000. She seems to have spent her last days borrowing from relatives to pay her tormenters. There was also Ken*, a 64-year-old with a neurological disorder. As he lay sick and heavily medicated, the scammers tried to extract money from his accounts via his son. Lucy*, a 61-year-old woman, was left wrestling with 'dark' thoughts after transferring £100,000 and emptying her pension pot. There were also successful small business people, whose commercial savvy seemed to offer limited protection. The highest individual loss discovered in the leak came from a former employee of the London Stock Exchange called Derek*. He parted with £162,000. There were thousands more. The data includes training manuals, payroll and accounting spreadsheets, countless messages between staff and affiliate marketers, plus instructions on how to move money while circumventing bank security protocols. The Georgia network appeared particularly attracted to targeting the UK, which accounted for 45% of the attempted phone calls and losses of nearly a third (£9m) of the takings. The second largest group of victims were from Canada and the operation cast its net wide, employing German, Spanish and Arabic speakers. But if all these people were only being asked for a few hundred pounds, how did it get so bad? 'Get up, push your clients, and get the money flowing … Otherwise, I'll have to escalate things.' Meri Shotadze had a talent for dishing out aggressive orders to her elite team of Tbilisi-based 'retention' agents, charged with persuading victims to increase their initial deposits. It was demanding work – in February 2024, her group of seven had a $420,000 'sales' target. Leaked records and social media posts show the agents were paid well for their efforts, while they socialised hard at company events. Bonuses of Rolex watches would motivate agents to strain for even higher returns, while lavish parties with cabaret dancers and a giant gold cake encouraged loyalty and affection to their thrusting boss. 'You know, I'm counting on you this month,' Shotadze texted one of her star performers, who operated under the pseudonym of Mary Roberts, as she feared her team was falling behind target. Mary simply responded with a big red heart. The elite agents had been passed their clients from newer recruits, who dealt with the initial nominal deposits gleaned from the social media ads. This allowed them to hone their skills before promising their marks a more experienced broker would 'help' make their fortunes. Many victims dropped away at this point. But, for others, this is where the nightmare began. Internal records from the Georgian operation suggest that, out of about 2,000 victims persuaded to part with the largest sums, 652 were from the UK. Key to the deception was specially built software displaying a seemingly live trading screen featuring financial market tickers, charts and news about Elon Musk. Victims were told they were using AI technology to trade in crypto currencies. They could click on their own account balances, which inevitably showed stellar profits. 'On the platform, it all looks real, you know? I was making good money,' Mark said. 'I'd invested $250 and made big profits,' recalled former London Stock Exchange worker Derek, 'and then I was asked for $5,000 to move up to the Golden Currencies bronze service.' Derek spent more time on the phone to the skameri than any of the UK victims: he was contacted more than 300 times and clocked up more than 135 hours of conversations as he saw his profits soaring to a staggering $10m. Theresa believed she was up about £150,000 and Mark thought he was in line for about £80,000. He was planning to quit his job, buy a van and become self-employed. But the profits were not only fake – they were a trap. When each of them asked to withdraw their winnings, the demands for large payments started: brokerage fees, money transfer commissions, tax demands from HMRC, anti-money laundering costs. All of them were fake. Thousands of pounds were required before the winnings could be accessed. Each time one bill was settled, another appeared. And there was limited time to pay before the profits risked being frozen, they were told. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Victims paid because of the bond the agents had crafted with their targets. On his long commutes home, Mark openly shared details about his relationship with his girlfriend – while his agent, 'Liliana', talked about her children. Theresa sat alone in her sheltered housing seemingly desperate for conversation with her adviser, Mary; the pair would chat and then bicker like a pair of siblings. Many victims handed scammers control of their phones or computers remotely, via an application called AnyDesk, as they struggled to operate the technology. Even when doubts emerged, they were quickly batted off. 'Every time I help you it works out. Why are you so sceptical?' Mary asked Theresa. 'You are my best friend.' So Theresa kept paying, believing her huge profits would soon be released. In reality, her losses were soaring. 'I can just about pay my rent,' Theresa confided. 'I'm very worried.' Banks have defences to shield customers against this type of crime. But the scammers had a way around: pushing victims towards using newer, largely online operations – 'challenger banks'. These names featured surprisingly heavily in the leak considering their market share. Revolut, which received a UK banking licence last year, seems to have been the most used. It was involved with 154 victims out of 1,000 who had their bank listed in spreadsheets from the Georgian operation. Among British victims, Revolut was again the most used (119 victims), followed by another nascent UK digital lender, Kroo (50). Blue chip banking group JP Morgan's online brand, Chase, also appears in the top 10, with 14 victims using it. But extracting money from victims is an art, not a science. Often the controls did work. Mark said he had tried to send £12,000 from Revolut and HSBC, only for both those banks to block the transfers. His adviser then pointed him towards setting up a new account, which worked. 'It's much easier to do it with Chase,' Mark was told. Revolut, Kroo and Chase all say they take fraud incredibly seriously and invest heavily to prevent it, while Facebook owner Meta added it had started a programme allowing banks to report these scams to help combat fraud. The data also shows their anti-fraud efforts often being undermined by their own customers who, under the instruction of their agents, would lie to compliance staff. 'Tell them you are buying clothes and say you are in the store,' Mary told Theresa, as she attempted to pay fees to release her profits. Theresa then used her new Chase account to transfer £10,000 to an account in the name of a company claiming to be a small clothing business, set up in Birmingham two and a half years earlier. She later transferred £16,000 to a six-month-old 'phone' company owned by the same person. Checks suggest these businesses were shell companies, and seemingly part of a money-laundering service provided by an unknown third party. In at least one case, a victim even allowed money from another victim to pass through his own account. The money trail disappears in places, but the leak contains information about who may have been controlling the Georgian operation. The assertive team leader, Shotadze, is the registered owner and director of a Georgian telemarketing company called AK Group, a business whose name and branding is all over the leaked documents. Some of these files link the company to the Tbilisi call centre offices. The AK Group name features prominently at staff parties and on call centre messaging groups. The initials are the same as those of an individual who Shotadze appears to refer to as her 'boss' – a Tbilisi resident called Akaki Kevkhishvili. In February 2024, she messaged one of her agents, saying: 'Kaki is our boss, sometimes he gets angry with us, sometimes he likes us.' She is pictured in the leak wearing luxury items, including a $17,000 Rolex watch, while Kevkhishvili is pictured driving high-end cars and being chauffeured in a Range Rover. Photos found online show the pair posing together at a lavish AK Group party in 2023. Neither responded to requests for comment. The Instagram and WhatsApp accounts of a man calling himself Akaki Kevkhishvili feature the logo of a lion wearing a crown. The same logo appears on a private Telegram account, labelled simply A.K, which the data suggests played an active role at the company. A.K told one employee: 'Don't fuck up transactions in such a banal fashion, please. And turn off your emotions totally, it obstructs you.' But the charm and polish of the skameri can slip. When another victim confronted her, Mary gloated: 'Just go ahead and kill yourself … Yeah I can scam whoever I want ...You're so stupid,' she went on, 'you will never find my real passport.' In fact, Mary's real identity, and that of her sister, who also worked as a scammer, have emerged from the leak. Georgia's prosecutor's office says it is now looking into this network, while UK parliamentarians push for a more urgent legislative response. But Tbilisi is a seven-hour flight from London and a long reach for British law enforcement. 'I reported this to Action Fraud but I was told the police couldn't do anything,' said Derek. Mark feels resigned to his own loss and is now attempting to do for others what Fogle tried to do for him – saying he is speaking up to 'help the younger generations to not fall in a similar trap'. * Names have been changed If you've spotted a fake advert or news article that promotes fraudulent crypto schemes on platforms like Facebook and Google, please share a link with us in the form below and tell us where and when you saw it. You can even take a screen grab in case it disappears. Please tell us where and when you saw it Please note, the maximum file size is 5.7 MB. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. If you include other people's names please ask them first.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ben Fogle discovers major downfall to idyllic Isle of Wight farm
Ben Fogle discovered a couple living off grid in the Isle of Wight faced the risk of their home dropping into the sea at any moment. In the latest episode of his Channel 5 show New Lives In The Wild, which aired on Tuesday, 25 February, the TV presenter admitted he was surprised to be travelling just a few hours from his London home to the Isle of Wight. There he met Gavin and Lucy Roberts and their 12-year-old son Boe, who live on a small plot of land with a private beach in a desirable holiday spot. Gavin revealed he had bought the land for a bargain price because it has a high risk of land slide - with the previous house on the property collapsing into the sea. They told Fogle he was staying in a holiday cabin built on the very site of the landslip. Fogle was impressed with the idyllic lifestyle the Roberts family were living on their coastal farm on Permaculture Island. But he could not work out how they had managed to afford the plot of land, with a private beach, on the highly valued holiday hot spot. Gavin confessed that he had been able to buy the land because the previous house there had collapsed as the result of the landslide - and his own home was at risk of falling the same way. Following the landslip in 1994, the couple managed to buy the 1.6 acre plot of land for just £6,500. Gavin admitted: "This is cheap land, as you say, you know, who's gonna want it in a sense, and it was worth the risk, as it were, because of the price. We've always got that somewhat shadow of landslip. On the back you can never forget that this is landslip." He added: "We've built this place, you know, it's taken us 21 years to build it all, and it's like one bad winter and it could all could all fall off the cliff." The couple admitted that it had taken four years to get planning permission for their solar powered home and permaculture farm, which allows them to live off the land. The project faced fierce opposition from some local residents, who were suspicious about the proposals for a sustainable home being built and they were even dubbed "hippies". Lucy told to Fogle: "A lot of time was was spent perhaps worrying what knock-on effect is that going to have, because this is, this was our home. When that is threatened, it's personal, it's very personal. We put blood, sweat and tears into it, and, yeah, we'll defend it. And I have been emotional, but I think,, that makes you stronger." Neighbours Tim and Gill told Fogle the community were suspicious of Gavin and Lucy at first. Tim said: "There were one or two comments that were going around about, you know, what's 'that sort' doing here?' " Gill added: "Are they hippies, that sort of thing." Read more: Ben Fogle Ben Fogle admits he 'didn't listen to little warning signs' (BANG Showbiz, 2 min read) Ben Fogle reflects on how loss of stillborn son led to his 'mental health storm' (Yahoo Lifes, 4 min read) Ben Fogle admits New Lives in the Wild can be 'overwhelming' Fogle helped trim the hooves of pet goat Uther. Lucy told him: "You're going to straddle him, hold his big horns, and it will look like you are riding a motorbike." Fogle straddled Uther nervously, asking: "Okay, so we, right, I'm imagining I'm on a motorbike. Have you done his hooves before? I don't think we should waste much time. He's very strong, isn't he?" After dismounting Fogle said: "I'm going to smell of goat." Ben Fogle's New Lives In The Wild is available to stream on My5.
