Dwayne Fields, explorer

Mar 29, 2026

Dwayne Fields, explorer and broadcaster who became the UK’s Chief Scout in 2024 and the first Black Briton to reach the Magnetic North Pole. He discusses how adventure inspires young people, balancing extreme expeditions with family life, finding belonging in Scouts, surviving violence and homelessness, and making the outdoors more inclusive for diverse communities.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Adventure Is Planting Seeds Not Planting Flags

Dwayne reframes adventure as planting inquisitive seeds rather than planting flags; the real goal is inspiring others to try new things.
He emphasises telling stories of expeditions so young people see possibility rather than elite achievement.

ANECDOTE

Turning Grief Into An Arctic Goal

After his friend Etem was shot dead, Dwayne moved from fundraising to seeking a platform and applied for polar expeditions to inspire young people away from street violence.
Seeing Ben Fogle and James Cracknell on TV led him to pursue Arctic expeditions as a way to influence his community.

ANECDOTE

Homelessness Before Turning Point

At 22 Dwayne became homeless after leaving an unbearable relationship with his mother and slept on a Central Line train before calling a cousin for help.
A passerby confronted him and encouraged him to seek support, which prompted the call that started his recovery.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Dwayne Fields is an explorer and broadcaster who was appointed the UK’s Chief Scout in 2024. He is the first black Briton to reach the Magnetic North Pole. His television work includes fronting the series 7 Toughest Days and co-presenting Endurance: Race to the Pole, and Expedition: Search for the Nile, with fellow adventurer Ben Fogle.

Dwayne was born in Jamaica and was brought up by his great-grandmother for the first few years of his life. When he was six he moved to north London to live with his mother. He struggled to adapt to his new surroundings until he found his way to a Cub Scouts meeting where he experienced a sense of belonging for the first time since his arrival.

As a teenager, he grew up surrounded by gang violence and experienced a serious knife attack when he was 19. A few years later, during a heated confrontation, he had a gun pointed at him. The gun misfired twice and he survived. This shocking incident spurred Dwayne to change his life and challenge himself to inspire other young people to do the same.

In 2010, he walked 400 nautical miles to reach the Magnetic North Pole. In 2019, he co‑founded the WeTwo Foundation with explorer and wild camper Phoebe Smith. The Foundation gives young people from challenging backgrounds the chance to experience life‑changing adventures

Dwayne lives in Peterborough with his wife Angelique, and their five children.

DISC ONE: Three Little Birds - Bob Marley And The Wailers DISC TWO: Dance With My Father - Luther Vandross DISC THREE: I Miss You - DMX feat. Faith Evans DISC FOUR: The Loco-motion - Kylie Minogue DISC FIVE: Here I Come - Dennis Brown DISC SIX: You’re the Apple of My Eye - Louis Armstrong and Velma Middleton DISC SEVEN: Roar - Katy Perry DISC EIGHT: I'm Still Standing - Elton John

BOOK CHOICE: The Untold Railway Stories: Celebrating 200 Years of Passenger Railways edited by Monisha Rajesh LUXURY ITEM: A multi-functional pocket knife CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Three Little Birds - Bob Marley And The Wailers

Presenter: Lauren Laverne Producer: Paula McGinley