Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Explorer and UK chief scout, first black Briton to reach the magnetic North Pole, TV adventurer, co-founder of We Too Foundation.
On the island
Eight records
Three Little BirdsFavourite
Baby don't worry, everything's going to be alright.
It reminds me of the love I had for my father, something I still struggle with.
It sounds like she meant exactly to him what my great grandmother meant to me.
My teacher Miss Dimitriu would put this on and learning was made fun.
It's a constant reminder that we should always lead with kindness.
Louis Armstrong and Velma Middleton
It reminds me of my wife Angelique and our relationship.
It reminds me of my son in particular... I heard him singing this song.
In conversation
Presenter asks
2:06Let's start with that idea of not planting flags, but planting seeds. Tell me more about that.
Generally speaking, we see Adventure as this place where you challenge yourself to get to a point on a map. ... I actually think adventure should be about inspiring people. ... Planting a seed means they think they can do it.
Presenter asks
2:56What is it like going back to everyday, ordinary life after expeditions?
When you're out there, you are in what feels like survival mode? You're worried about what the conditions external are like. ... When you come back to day-to-day life, the worries are still there, but they're very different. It's right, are the kids going to be in school on time?
Presenter asks
7:12Tell me about your great-grandmother. What kind of person was she?
My great-grandma was a beautiful, beautiful person. I remember running up to her and I have this image in my head. I'd run up and I'd hug her and I'd say, Granny, and I'd ask her a silly question. ... She'd say, I don't know, you'll have to go and find out and tell me. ... Every morning, she would take her small bench ... and she would speak to every single one of them in the exact same way. She wouldn't treat you differently because of what you had or what you didn't have.
The keepsakes
The book
Manisha Rajesh
The Untold Railway Stories edited by Manisha Rajesh. I take that book because every story in there is a further escape. And I think if you're stuck on a desert island, I think one of the most beautiful things you can do for yourself is take your mind away. The book has so many different railway stories, and there's one that actually includes me, so it's quite selfish actually.
The luxury
This one's quite an easy one. I would take some kind of multi tool, a Swiss army knife, because, hey, if you want to survive or thrive, you need to either make tools or have a tool on an expedition.
Presenter asks
14:09Tell me about your experience in this new world [in London]. Did you make friends easily?
I'd never watched TV. We didn't have a TV, we had a small radio, and that was it. ... I struggled to make friends. ... I went into the school gardens one day. ... I ran over to a group of kids ... and I opened my hands and I was going to tell them about the female wood louse ... and every single one of them ran away screaming and pointing at me and saying, You're nasty. ... I decided. Maybe, Duane, maybe don't be you.
Presenter asks
26:02What helped you psychologically after being shot at and stabbed?
I thought to myself, right, you are losing who you are in all of what's happened. ... The only time or the first time I recognized having that courage ... was as a kid in Jamaica when I'd climb those trees ... And somewhere I lost that kid. ... I remember driving through Epping Forest ... and walking for no more than about a minute into the woods, and I couldn't hear any cars, I couldn't hear any sounds, and it took me back to a place that was so familiar to me, it just reawokened something that had been quiet or silenced for so long.
Presenter asks
32:42What did you do after your friend Etem was shot and killed?
I didn't know what to do. I raised some money for some charities ... but it still didn't feel like I was doing anything. ... I saw Ben Fogle and James Cracknell speaking about the adventure of crossing the Atlantic in a rowing boat. ... They said, we're planning to walk to the South Pole and we're looking for a third person to join the team. ... I sent the email off ... and I got a message back saying selections have started. Would you consider going to the North Pole? I was like, what? Great, yes, I don't care where it is.
“I remember running up to her and I have this image in my head. I'd run up and I'd hug her and I'd say, Granny, and I'd ask her a silly question. She'd say, I don't know, you'll have to go and find out and tell me.”
“Maybe, Duane, maybe don't be you.”
“I felt something I don't think I'd ever felt before. I felt this overwhelming sense of anger.”
“I remember stopping the car and getting out of the car and walking for no more than about a minute into the woods, and I couldn't hear any cars, I couldn't hear any sounds, and it took me back to a place that was so familiar to me, it just reawokened something that had been quiet or silenced for so long.”
“I realized that that point on the map was never the goal. It wasn't about getting to that bit of snow. It was about being bold enough to set yourself a goal that appeared unachievable and then working hard.”
“I would take some kind of multi tool, a Swiss army knife, because, hey, if you want to survive or thrive, you need to either make tools or have a tool on an expedition.”