Into the Congo with Ben Fogle - Season 1

Into the Congo with Ben Fogle - Season 1

Season 1

Network
Episodes3
Datesfévr. 18, 2024 - mars 3, 2024

Episodes

Episode 1
Season 1Episode 160 min

Episode 1

On the first leg, Ben arrives in the bustling capital Brazzaville, before setting off on a gruelling two-day journey into the wilderness to visit a remote tribe living deep in the jungle – one of the longest-surviving cultures in the world.

The Mbendjele BaYaka tribe is semi-nomadic, living in traditional huts made from leaves, and they have never been filmed before. Ben throws himself into every aspect of daily life, building his own forest home and joining the women on foraging expeditions to hunt for food.

févr. 18, 2024
Episode 2
Season 1Episode 260 min

Episode 2

On this second leg of his journey, Ben heads deeper into the vast Congo wilderness to fulfil his life-long dream of seeing wild gorillas. He discovers a region experiencing rapid change: logging roads have opened-up the rainforest and thousands of people are flooding in to seek their fortunes. It's a threat to traditional communities who rely on the rainforest – but also to its stunning wildlife.

Ben visits a bushmeat market, where some threatened species are sold for food – and local stall holders don't take kindly to the presence of cameras. An angry trader confronts Ben and the film crew and demands they stop filming. The bushmeat trade presents a dilemma for Ben: it isn't illegal, and people here are struggling to survive, but it's clear the Congo's rich wildlife is under increasing pressure.

In a fast-changing region, Ben wants to know what other ancient customs are still surviving here, and at a traditional community he witnesses a scary and painful rite-of-passage ceremony for young men. Boys on the cusp of adulthood take part in a public circumcision ceremony, and in the days leading up to it they are deprived of sleep and insulted by members of the community to test how tough they are.

Finally, Ben heads to Ngaga Camp and a gorilla research station on the fringes of one of Africa's oldest national parks. He comes face-to-face with majestic wild gorillas and witnesses a rare close encounter between two huge 200 kilogram silverbacks. But he also learns the gorillas are facing a deadly threat from poaching, and meets the local heroes who'll stop at nothing to protect them.

févr. 25, 2024
Episode 3
Season 1Episode 360 min

Episode 3

On this final leg of his journey, Ben encounters the mighty Congo River for the first time. A trade super-highway, this great river allowed 19th century Europeans to plunder the resources of Central Africa and enrich their Colonial Empires - and it's still a lifeline for millions today.

Near the capital, Brazzaville, the Congo River transforms into the deadliest rapids on the planet, and Ben meets the daredevil fishermen risking their lives to put food on the table. He joins them on the edge of the banks where over a million cubic feet of water flow past every second. The fishermen dive into these fierce rapids to secure their nets, much to Ben's astonishment and concern.

The Congo's treacherous rapids led French and Belgian traders to build their respective colonial capitals on opposite banks of the river. Ben explores Brazzaville's French colonial legacy and meets the city's famous "Sapeurs" - African style-icons who mix Congolese fashion with French haute-couture. He visits a local market with "Congo's best dressed man", Sapeur Maxime Pivot, to choose flamboyant material for his next attention-grabbing outfit, before seeing the Sapeurs in action in a street fashion show.

European colonisation also left a darker legacy in the Congo, and Ben learns how conflict and chaos in neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo is threatening the stability of the region.

Ben's epic Congo journey goes out with a bang as he dives into the surreal, mad-cap world of Congolese wrestling, in which fighters use the ancient magical powers of "Juju" to defeat their opponents. He watches on awe-struck (and a little horrified) as grown men dress up as mermaids, set themselves on fire, brandish live snakes and eat glass bottles. As Ben says himself, it's "just another day in the Congo".

mars 3, 2024

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
Maigret
Upcoming

Maigret

In Maigret, Chief Inspector Maigret and his team of maverick but loyal detectives, Les Maigrets, solve a series of complex crimes in Paris. Maigret's unconventional methods and unique sense of justice put him at odds with his superiors and the judicial system he is supposed to represent. Maigret must outwit some of Paris's most cunning and violent criminals, while dealing with his own troubled past.

Family Guy
Running

Family Guy

Family Guy follows Peter Griffin the endearingly ignorant dad, and his hilariously offbeat family of middle-class New Englanders in Quahog, RI. Lois is Peter's wife, a stay-at-home mom with no patience for her family's antics. Then there are their kids: 18-year-old Meg is an outcast at school and the Griffin family punching bag; 13-year-old Chris is a socially awkward teen who doesn't have a clue about the opposite sex; and one-year-old Stewie is a diabolically clever baby whose burgeoning sexuality is very much a work in progress. Rounding out the Griffin household is Brian the family dog and a ladies' man who is one step away from AA.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Running

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds follows Captain Pike, Science Officer Spock and Number One in the decade before Captain Kirk boarded the U.S.S. Enterprise, as they explore new worlds around the galaxy.

Foundation
Running

Foundation

When revolutionary Dr. Hari Seldon predicts the impending fall of the Empire, he and a band of loyal followers venture to the far reaches of the galaxy to establish The Foundation in an attempt to rebuild and preserve the future of civilization. Enraged by Hari's claims, the ruling Cleons – a long line of emperor clones – fear their grasp on the galaxy may be weakening as they're forced to reckon with the potential reality of losing their legacy forever.

Maine Cabin Masters
Running

Maine Cabin Masters

In Maine Cabin Masters, builder Chase Morrill is teaming up with his sister, brother-in-law and best friend to save and transform abandoned cabins buried deep in the remote woods of Maine. From historic cottages nearly a century old, to camp cabins in need of some major TLC, they'll give these properties the facelift they've needed for decades. And, you never know what you might find when you go for a walk in the woods.

GenreDIY