Expedition: Search For The Nile | Preview (Channel 5)

Stepping into the shoes of one of Britain’s greatest Explorers, Ben Fogle and Dwayne Fields head into the heart of Africa in search of Dr David Livingstone, and the race for the source of the Nile.

Africa is the world’s second largest continent, three times the size of Europe, and yet until around 150 years ago more of the Moon had been mapped than this vast area. At its heart is the world's longest river, the Nile.

For millennia, humans had sought the mythical source of the Nile, but all had failed. In the mid 19th Century, at the height of Britain’s imperial power, it became an obsession, one that attracted extraordinary men to achieve incredible feats. This obsession inspired a race that would bring victory for one, failure for many and death for others.

Following on from their BAFTA nominated series Endurance: Race to the Pole, adventurers Ben Fogle and Dwayne Fields immerse themselves into the extremes that African explorers like Livingstone, Burton, Speke and Stanley faced in their quest to find the Nile’s source.

Ben and Dwayne wear the same clothes, eat the same food, rely on the same kit and tread the same paths as these extraordinary Victorian explorers. Reliving the dangers, facing the challenges and ultimately experiencing first-hand the Race for the Nile.

In the first episode, Adventurers Ben Fogle and Dwayne Fields, arrive in Africa and start to immerse themselves into the Victorian expeditions that raced for the source of the Nile. Changing out of their modern clothing, they take on the mantle of the great explorers of that era, wearing the same clothes, eating the same food and using some of the same equipment.

They start by following in the footsteps of Dr David Livingstone, perhaps the most famous of all explorers. His early journey, which is said to have kick started the scramble for Africa and the race for the source of the Nile was his Trans-Africa expedition of 1855, crossing the continent from West to East along the mighty Zambezi river.

Ben and Dwayne follow their own path, facing close encounters with lions and elephants, surviving the scorching heat of the vast dry Savannah and camping wild, before reaching the natural wonder of Victoria Falls, the world's largest waterfall.

They also look at the impact and legacy, both good and bad, that these expeditions had on the continent. Slavery was rife and colonization was rearing its head as a land grab followed these early pioneers. The effects still reverberate across most of the continent today.

Ben and Dwayne gather an entourage of 20 porters and set out in search of the source of the Nile, in the footsteps of Burton and Speke’s 1857 Lake Tanganyika expedition, which led to a bitter Victorian rivalry and the untimely the death of one of the men. Burton and Speke faced disease and severe illness, one having to be carried for months, the other nearly losing his sight. But they prevailed and reached Tanganyika and what Burton believed was the source of the Nile.

Ben and Dwayne then follow Speke’s brief side trip to Lake Victoria, which he instead claimed was the source of the Nile, igniting a tragic rivalry. Ben and Dwayne stand on the shores of Africa’s largest Lake and gaze in wonder at what could be the source of the the world’s longest river. But was it? The puzzle was far from solved and years and many more expeditions would pass before the source could be finally declared.

Expedition: Search For The Nile begins Sunday 9th February at 9pm on Channel 5.