Channel 5’s new series, Expedition: Search for the Nile, isn’t your typical stroll down the river. Ben Fogle and Dwayne Fields, our intrepid explorers, aren’t just dipping their toes in the water; they’re diving headfirst into the murky depths of Victorian-era expeditions, complete with all the attendant baggage (and I’m not just talking about pith helmets).
In Sunday’s premiere, Fogle and Fields attempt to recreate Dr. David Livingstone’s 1855 Trans-Africa expedition. Yes, that means period-specific attire, rations, and equipment — because what’s a historical reenactment without a touch of heatstroke and some questionable dietary choices? But this isn’t just cosplay with a side of dysentery. They’re also contending with actual lions and elephants, which, I’m guessing, weren’t included in Livingstone’s original itinerary (or maybe they were; those Victorians were a wild bunch).
The episode also recreates Burton and Speke’s 1857 Lake Tanganyika expedition, right down to the 20 porters. And because no historical adventure is complete without a bit of interpersonal drama, Expedition examines the rivalry between Burton and Speke and their competing claims about the Nile’s true source. Livingstone’s expedition is positioned as the starting gun for the “scramble for Africa,” setting the stage for the less romantic aspects of exploration: colonization and the exploitation of resources and people.
Expedition: Search for the Nile seems to be aiming for something more substantial than just another adventure show. By confronting the often-ignored legacy of these expeditions – the slavery, the land grabs, the casual disregard for existing cultures – the series could offer a more complete, if uncomfortable, picture of history. Whether they succeed in finding the source of the Nile is almost beside the point. The real discovery might be how much we’ve overlooked about the journeys themselves.
Expedition: Search for the Nile premieres Sunday, February 9, 2025, at 9 p.m. on Channel 5.
