Adventurer Ben Fogle has invested his life savings into his riskiest venture yet - an outdoor clothing company and a factory in Sheffield. The star of Channel 5's New Lives In The Wild signed on the dotted line last week to take over Buffalo, a UK-based manufacturer of performance clothing for "the serious outdoor activist".

For the 51-year-old who has climbed Everest, rowed across the Atlantic, raced across to the South Pole and run across the Sahara, it is a match made in heaven. "I have invested everything I have into it. There's no doubt it is a risk and there is a gamble. Many businesses go under," he says. "But I think sometimes you have to take a risk. And in this case, I have really put my money where my mouth is. I'm nervous but equally really excited about a very different chapter of my life."

The writer and broadcaster, who has just returned from filming a travelogue on China for Channel 5, adds: "When you reach 50, that kind of midway point, a lot of people are drawn to looking for other opportunities in life. Some people split up from their partners; I'm definitely not doing that! Others just have a change of career. So I think this is a far more sensible midlife crisis."

Ben, married to Marina since 2006 and whose business partner is James Sleater, says: "I feel more people should be championing UK manufacturing and ensuring that brands like Buffalo stay here because let's be honest, I could make 10 times the amount of money I'm going to make over the next few years by taking production overseas.

"And you can see how tempting that would be for many. But I have made an absolute commitment to the people that I bought this from and to the employees in the factory that we won't do that. It's a huge responsibility. There's probably about 25 to 30 staff. I think there are plenty of parts of this new role which I will find really challenging."

Talking to the Sunday Express exclusively an hour after toasting his takeover, he explains his shock move was partly due to his mental health crisis in 2023. "Ever since I had my slight mental health wobble, I have wanted to ease up on my travel and spend more time in the UK, and slow down a bit," he reveals. "I have wanted to find something that will keep me busy and keep me rooted."

He adds: "All the television that I do tends to be travel. And I can't keep up the amount of travel I do for many reasons - ethical, environmental and exhaustion. I've done 25 years of extensive travel, seven months a year away every year. I want to spend more time with my family. So yes, I will start kind of winding down the amount that I do. Not that I'm stepping away from it entirely. I still love TV. I still love making documentaries. I'd rather focus on quality rather than just quantity."

He says Marina, although nervous too, is also excited: "I think she sees this as a slightly safer option than climbing Everest - the only risk from this is financial loss rather than life loss!" Confessing that he has been a fan of handmade Buffalo apparel - a staple of outdoor enthusiasts, military personnel and rescue teams - since he was 13, he adds: "Anyone who's ever had Buffalo kit has never, ever let go of it.

"I actually went up to the factory to get hold of one about a year-and-a-half ago. And on a whim, I mentioned to the owners if ever they were thinking of selling, I would love to get my hands on it. And now 18 months later, I own a factory." Ben lives in a £2.2million home in Oxfordshire with writer and podcaster Marina and their two children, Ludo, 15 and Iona, 13. But he will be spending more time in South Yorkshire.

"I think we'll probably get a student flat because I've spent all my money on the factory. So I'm set for spending a lot of time in a place with beautiful hiking, walking and climbing."