Dwayne Fields
Series 1 Episode 2
A Journey to the Top of the World
Series 1 Episode 2
Available on all major podcast platforms: click on the icons below or on 'play' to listen now.
Anon.
©The Times Archive
Welcome to What’s Your Map?! In this episode, host Jerry Brotton meets Dwayne Fields, an advocate for the great outdoors, and the first black Briton to reach the magnetic North Pole.
Through a map printed in the Times of London in 1909, Dwayne discusses an earlier journey by the extraordinary African American explorer Matthew Henson. Raised in a sharecropper family in the American South, Henson was a frequent companion of Robert Peary on his Arctic expeditions, and reputedly the first person to reach the North Pole.
As an adventurer, maps are vital to Dwayne; and so is the story of Henson, who was able to withstand harsh racism and Arctic winds to make it to the top of the world.
To view the map and zoom in during the podcast, click on the image below.
About Dwayne Fields
Image courtesy Dwayne Fields
Dwayne is an explorer, BBC presenter and the United Kingdom's Chief Scout. He is an advocate for encouraging people to get outdoors and explore the world around them – with a particular focus on encouraging young people growing up in inner cities to get out and experience nature and a life with which they have not previously been engaged.
Among his many roles, Dwayne is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. In 2018, he was presented with its ‘Geographical Award’ for empowering young people to explore the world.
Born in Jamaica, Dwayne grew up in the UK from the age of 6. He has been the victim of both knife and gun crime and as a result of his experiences of the effects of gangs and crime, he decided to change his life.In 2010, Dwayne was the first black Briton to walk over 400 miles to reach the Magnetic North Pole.
At the end of 2019 Dwayne and his expedition partner Phoebe Smith, travelled the length of mainland Britain as part of their mission to engage young people to realise there are epic adventures on their own doorstep, to highlight environmental issues close to home, and to turn the spotlight on wildlife conservation. Their inaugural trip taking a group of under-privileged young people to Antarctica was completed in 2022 through their #WeTwo Foundation, and their next trip is to the Galapagos Islands in late 2024.
For his latest television series, Dwayne and Ben Fogle have undertaken an extraordinary journey stepping back in time, to wear the clothes, eat the food and using the same kit as their Edwardian heroes, Scott, Shackleton, and Amundsen. Their adventures were broadcast in the Channel 5 series “Endurance: Race to the Pole”.
Dwayne is also one of the explorers guiding two-time Academy Award® nominee Will Smith on “Welcome to Earth”, a Disney+ original series from National Geographic. This is an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime adventure around the world to explore Earth’s greatest wonders and reveal its most hidden secrets.
Find out more about Dwayne and his inspiring projects here.
Images courtesy of Dwayne Fields
A new episode of WHAT'S YOUR MAP? is available every two weeks.
Feel free to let us know - What's YOUR Map?!
