Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild

Ben travels to Eastern Europe to meet Brits Jordan, Lewis, and their two children, who are at the start of their new life, undertaking an ambitious renovation of a dilapidated farmhouse in a Bulgarian village. With the country’s population on the decline, Ben is curious about their choice to settle there, especially since they purchased the property before ever seeing it. As he helps Lewis to plaster walls and Jordan to repurpose old items from the local dump, Ben uncovers the couple’s challenging pasts and gains a deep understanding of how crucial this fresh start is for their family.

Ben heads into the forests of northern New South Wales to meet Jimmy, an American photographer living alone. Jimmy shares his story of coming out to family and friends, and how meeting his late husband Richard inspired them to start a new life together in the wild. Ben learns that Jimmy has faced multiple tragedies since leaving urban America for rural Australia. Bereavement and unprecedented natural disasters have taken a significant toll on him, prompting Ben to wonder why Jimmy has chosen to remain in the wild alone.