In a new series of BBC Radio 4’s ‘One to One’,  Steve Backshall meets StFF beneficiary, Ed Stafford, the first person to walk the 6,000-mile length of the Amazon River over a two-and-a-half year period.  Backshall’s aim is to discover what drives his guest to attempt almost superhuman challenges.

During the interview, Ed talks about being an adventurer and describes his formative years, to profound and fascinating effect.

We hear about his not-particularly-happy time at public school, a rebellious period as a young man and his thoughts on being adopted. He’s a pleasure to listen to, full of wisdom but never self-important:

To put yourself through hardship now is just a way of constantly making sure you evolve.

Ed Stafford

See Chris Gardner’s full review for The Radio Times

Listen to the full interview on BBC iplayer: