Why Ed Stafford took wife, 20-month-old baby for survival challenge

MUMBAI: Well-known explorer Ed Stafford says he took his wife and 20-month-old baby for a survival challenge because he "thought it would be fascinating as an experiment".

In a documentary titled "Ed Stafford: Man Woman Child Wild", Stafford will be seen going to an uninhabited island in Indonesia for one month. For this, he took his wife Laura Bingham and 20-month-old son Ran. They will be seen trying to survive as a family, on the beautiful yet demanding island.

Talking about the show, Stafford said: "I thought it would be fascinating as an experiment, for a family to go out and see whether they can survive and leave behind all the trappings of everyday life."

"Discovery Channel bought into the idea and they thought it would make a very interesting TV programme. I think we learned a lot of lessons along the way," he added.

On what helps him the most at stressful moments, Stafford said: "The thing that I use on expeditions that helps me above everything else, especially, in survival situations is meditating. It's so important for me to be centred, to be aware, to be able to notice the things that are going on around you, but also to step back from your thoughts and your emotions and get to a place of calm."

The show is completely self-filmed. It will premiere in India on May 11 on Discovery channel.