1 00:00:01,600 --> 00:00:03,000 CHUCKLING: Wow! 2 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:05,200 All I need is some dinosaurs now. 3 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:08,200 'Imagine starting your life all over again...' 4 00:00:08,280 --> 00:00:11,920 This is definitely somewhere that you need to acclimatise to. 5 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:13,800 '..leaving behind everything you know...' 6 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:15,520 Are there mistakes in here that you made? 7 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:17,480 {\an1}A lot. BEN LAUGHS 8 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:19,800 '..for something completely different.' 9 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:23,360 Oh, wow. It's like magic. There we go. 10 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:25,920 {\an1}If we... BEN LAUGHS 11 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,640 'I'm Ben Fogle, and over the next few weeks, 12 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:30,960 'I'm going to live with the incredible people 13 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:32,440 'who've done just that...' 14 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:34,280 I'm seeing your pants before I'm seeing you. 15 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:38,480 What I want to do is have a space in which people can be themselves. 16 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:42,200 '..in some of the most remote places on Earth...' 17 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:43,320 {\an1}BEN LAUGHS 18 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:44,960 Do you all get on well? Oh, God, no! 19 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:46,280 {\an1}LAUGHTER 20 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:48,680 One, two, three, four, five, six... 21 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:51,080 You've got ten children? WOMAN: Ten children, yes. 22 00:00:51,160 --> 00:00:55,480 '..and see what it takes to live a new life in the wild.' 23 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:57,320 Of course, you can fail at this, 24 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:00,280 but when you love it, I think you're just all-in. 25 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:03,760 For the first time in my life, I felt like I'd come home. 26 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:12,520 'This week, I'm crossing the Channel to western France...' 27 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:14,920 {\an1}Woohoo-ha! LAUGHTER 28 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:18,440 '..to meet Mark, who turned his back on a business career 29 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:20,480 'to embrace Eastern philosophies.' 30 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:22,760 I completely changed the way I live. 31 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:24,600 'I'll discover how Mark's past 32 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:26,320 'shaped his vision for Fantasy Farm...' 33 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:30,440 There's a battle going on, but nature helps me manage that battle. 34 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:32,320 '..which, despite some strict rules...' 35 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:34,000 No alcohol, no tobacco. 36 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:37,040 Am I allowed coffee? Uh... 37 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:38,400 That looks good. 38 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:41,160 '..is somewhere anyone can truly be themselves.' 39 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:44,280 Hey! Welcome, stranger. Whoa! 40 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:45,840 {\an1}MARK LAUGHS 41 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:48,160 Heading over the channel, 42 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:53,200 I fly just 400 miles to the Vienne region of rural western France, 43 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:56,400 one of the country's least populated areas. 44 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:01,080 The rolling farmland takes me past tiny hamlets 45 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:03,920 and old stone farmhouses, 46 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:07,000 before arriving in a picturesque medieval village. 47 00:02:10,640 --> 00:02:16,320 This is the chocolate box version of France I remember from my childhood. 48 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:18,080 It's beautiful. 49 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:25,080 Wow. 50 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:30,760 This makes me so happy, being in France. 51 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:32,640 I used to come here on holidays. 52 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:34,040 I can't believe that, 53 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:37,840 in the 15 years I've been visiting people in the wild, 54 00:02:37,920 --> 00:02:42,640 this is the first wild person I've come to visit here in France. 55 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:44,600 It's a huge country, 56 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:48,040 so there's a lot of places if you want a wild life. 57 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:51,120 But I have no idea what kind of life Mark has set for himself. 58 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:53,560 Gonna find out. Hope he does baguettes. 59 00:02:55,880 --> 00:03:00,240 I don't think he lives there. I can dream. 60 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:09,240 My directions lead even further into the countryside, 61 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:11,240 to an intriguing gateway. 62 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:14,720 OK. I think this is the place. 63 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:24,000 Wow. Lots of strange heads. A little bit weird. 64 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:29,480 Bonjour? MARK: Hey. Come in. It's open. 65 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:35,000 {\an1}Oh. BOTH LAUGH 66 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:37,720 This is a first. 67 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:39,080 I'm just finishing up here. 68 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:41,680 I'm seeing your pants before I'm seeing you. 69 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:44,440 Sorry about that. Thank God I've got some on. 70 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:48,360 Wait just one minute. OK. 71 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:50,320 Good to see you. Are you Mark? So nice to meet you. 72 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:51,440 Hi. Nice to meet you, too. 73 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:53,760 I was going to practise my French, but I think... 74 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:55,360 You can switch to French if you want. 75 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:57,400 IN FRENCH: 76 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:02,440 OK, cool. 77 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:04,840 Right. 78 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:09,960 I got that your mother is English. 79 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:12,560 This place is amazing. It's not what I was expecting. 80 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:14,120 Welcome to Fantasy Farm. 81 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:16,360 Mm-hm. Where's the fantasy? 82 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:18,720 All around you. In you maybe, as well. 83 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:19,960 {\an1}LAUGHTER 84 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:23,400 Can we have a look around? Definitely. 85 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:26,040 Has all the blood rushed to your head, being upside down? 86 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:32,080 Mark and his older brother were brought up just outside Paris. 87 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:34,280 The brothers were raised by their single mum 88 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:36,200 and were always independent. 89 00:04:36,280 --> 00:04:40,080 A business degree in London led to a career in tech, 90 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:41,800 and being bilingual, 91 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:45,040 Mark quickly worked his way up in international sales. 92 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:49,160 But life had become purely about salary and pressure. 93 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:55,240 So, in 2008, he left everything behind to follow a new passion... 94 00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:01,680 ..in India, and it became a second home for the next decade. 95 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:09,440 Then, in 2020, he bought 6,000m of dilapidated pig farm... 96 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:13,480 ..for just £35,000. 97 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:18,560 Come in. Oh, this is so cosy! 98 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:20,600 The living area. Farmhouse kitchen. 99 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:21,720 Absolutely. 100 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:23,320 Can I have a look around? Feel at home. 101 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:24,800 Wow. 102 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:29,680 It is so organised in here. Thank you. 103 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:32,320 What shape was this in when you bought it? 104 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:35,280 It was abandoned for, like, maybe six to eight years. 105 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:37,800 So you did a lot of work here? A hell of a lot of work, yeah. 106 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:40,840 This wood is, like, from a floorboard that I recuperated. 107 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:43,080 This is from a door from the pigsty. 108 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:46,360 I really tried to reuse as much as possible. 109 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:50,040 Can I just ask about utilities? I can see you've got lighting. 110 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:52,000 It was already connected to the grid, 111 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:54,760 so I didn't have any logic in actually cutting it off. 112 00:05:54,840 --> 00:05:56,360 But I don't have any solar panels, 113 00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:58,120 because I don't use that much electricity. 114 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:00,920 Most of the time, I'm living outside. 115 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:03,760 Of course, all the plumbing was, like, derelict. 116 00:06:03,840 --> 00:06:06,440 I've only kept water here in the sink, 117 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:08,480 which is coming from the mains, 118 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:10,600 but all the rest of the water on the property 119 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:12,920 is actually coming from the rains, 120 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:15,400 and I'm using it to be able to shower myself 121 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:16,840 and also shower the garden. 122 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:18,640 And that's the concept as well. 123 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:23,320 It's a bit stupid to say this, but for me, my luxury is simplicity. 124 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:25,600 You'll be discovering this, and I hope you'll enjoy it. 125 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:28,080 Mm-hm. Where do I get to stay? 126 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:30,240 Ah. Not here. Not here? 127 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:33,240 No. Let's go and see. This way. Looking forward to seeing this. 128 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:39,600 Mark spends just £35 a month on utilities, 129 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:42,880 and he's also transformed the exterior of the property 130 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:46,240 as frugally and sustainably as possible. 131 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:49,440 I just reused what was already available, 132 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:51,160 like this little thing here. 133 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:52,320 What do you think about it? 134 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:55,400 That is unlike anything I've ever seen before. 135 00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:58,080 It's my Barbie Jacuzzi. 136 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:00,280 Of course you have a Barbie Jacuzzi. 137 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:03,040 You need one. Who doesn't? 138 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:06,920 Am I getting inside your head now? Er, slightly. It's OK. 139 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:11,760 And here, I built this greenhouse out of recycled windows. 140 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:14,600 Basically, it's the shower. 141 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:17,960 Not much privacy. Erm... enough. 142 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:20,200 And actually, you're sleeping up there. 143 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:21,240 Am I? Yeah. 144 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:22,720 It's dormitory kind of set-up. 145 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:24,800 So I just go and pick a bed upstairs? Yes. 146 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:26,560 I'll see you in a bit. I'll go and find my bed. 147 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:28,240 Welcome home. 148 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:34,360 Ah, the hanging terrace. 149 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:38,600 Really is a dorm. 150 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:41,240 I reckon this one has my name on it. 151 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:43,560 Oh, this is nice. 152 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:48,000 It's quite exposed. No wall to the outside. 153 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:52,880 It's got a very special feel, though, this place. 154 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:55,800 And I've got so many questions, 155 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:58,800 in that, first of all, I'm in a dormitory now. 156 00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:02,520 Who stays here? Are there other people? 157 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:07,040 Mark's intriguing. Not at all what I expected. 158 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:11,840 He's got quite a complex way of analysing things. 159 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:15,720 He is an environmentalist, I think. 160 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:19,240 And yet he has specifically chosen not to go solar panels. 161 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:21,400 He's remained attached to the grid. 162 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:25,160 So I'm intrigued, particularly by all the Barbie dolls. 163 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:26,840 There's a lot of Barbie dolls. 164 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:33,240 And the million-dollar question - where's the fantasy? 165 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:44,280 Ah, here you are. Oh, hi. Settled in? 166 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:46,120 Yeah. I found the perfect bed. How cool. 167 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:48,440 So, what have we got in here? I'll show you just for a minute 168 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:50,200 because it's really stinky. Is it that bad? 169 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:52,600 Yeah, it's really bad. Super bad. 170 00:08:52,680 --> 00:08:55,600 {\an1}Wow! MARK LAUGHS 171 00:08:55,680 --> 00:08:58,400 And that's fertiliser. That really is quite stinky. 172 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:01,440 So what is in there? So, there's some nettle. 173 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:04,240 Yep. Oh, some... some pee. 174 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:05,280 Urine? 175 00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:06,840 Yes. Whose? Mine. 176 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:07,880 Is it? Yeah, yeah. 177 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:10,560 I come and pee in it from time to time - not all the time, cos... 178 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:12,160 You need to hydrate yourself a bit more. 179 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:14,120 {\an1}BOTH LAUGH 180 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:15,920 My little motto here is trust nature, 181 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:17,440 it can lead your way... Mm. 182 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:21,320 ..letting circumstances or nature decide for me. 183 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:24,040 Shall we go and have a try? I'd love to. 184 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:28,160 Mark tours his property daily, 185 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:31,200 allowing his garden to guide his tasks. 186 00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:33,600 So, you've planted all of this? Yes. 187 00:09:33,680 --> 00:09:36,840 I'm really trying to create different atmospheres, 188 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:40,800 different spaces for wildlife as well. 189 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:43,360 I do try and not talk to nature, 190 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:46,000 but try and observe how it's reacting. 191 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:50,480 I love that you're listening to the flora and fauna all around you. 192 00:09:50,560 --> 00:09:53,160 Yes. When I started planting the fruit trees, 193 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:56,600 I was asking them was it OK for me to plant this here, 194 00:09:56,680 --> 00:09:58,720 did it make sense? And what did the cherry tree say? 195 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:01,560 "This is where I want to be." The cherry tree? Yeah. 196 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:04,240 It's the oak tree which told me, "You can put it here." 197 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:06,080 Oh, wow. And I had to have it in a certain space. 198 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:07,720 And talking about the cherry tree, 199 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:09,760 it's saying it will need some moulting. 200 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:12,680 As you can see, it does protect the soil. 201 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:14,400 This is... Nice and moist. Yeah. 202 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:17,480 If you're willing to do it, cos it is like a two-man job. 203 00:10:17,560 --> 00:10:20,800 Old school scythes, or new technology? 204 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:28,760 Luckily, this is a lot faster than a scythe... 205 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:30,480 Can you just stop it here? 206 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:33,800 Yeah. Do your manoeuvre. 207 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:35,840 Now just play. 208 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:37,680 ..and much more fun. 209 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:54,400 That is a very satisfying machine. Cool. 210 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:56,880 I want to take that one home. So, shall I roll up this bit? 211 00:10:57,960 --> 00:11:03,440 Yeah. So you just roll... and put it on the side for the moment. 212 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:05,880 Shall I pick up all the stray stuff as well? No. 213 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:08,480 It's OK. Just leave it like that. That's fine. 214 00:11:08,560 --> 00:11:10,520 That's gonna go against my perfectionism. 215 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:12,280 I'll just get this one little bit over here. 216 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:14,520 {\an1}Oh, do whatever you want. BOTH CHUCKLE 217 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:21,160 If it brings you pleasure and joy, that's the most important thing. 218 00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:24,040 Would you say that's sort of a metaphor for your life, 219 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:26,160 that you're not a perfectionist? 220 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:29,160 There's, like, always like this little competition 221 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:30,760 going on inside, and my nature 222 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:32,440 is actually trying to be perfectionist, 223 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:33,920 but I know I'm not. 224 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:35,800 So there's a battle going on, 225 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:39,320 but nature helps me manage that battle, I think. 226 00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:42,000 Who thought gardening could be so philosophical? 227 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:44,800 I don't know. Let's put this... Let's do that. 228 00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:48,840 Here we go. Thank you. 229 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:51,720 OK. I'm putting this down. Yeah, cool. OK. Perfect. 230 00:11:51,800 --> 00:11:52,760 So, spread it around? 231 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:55,520 Yeah, just spread it around as if we were making a little nest. 232 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:57,360 I think the knowledge I've learned here, 233 00:11:57,440 --> 00:12:00,240 it's nice to be able to share it with people. 234 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:02,400 So, sometimes, I do some courses as well. 235 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:05,920 I invite people here on the themes of permaculture, of gardening, 236 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:09,160 and also doing cooking classes. 237 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:12,760 But, of course, there's a few rules, which are my boundaries. 238 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:15,720 A vegetarian diet is all that's served here. 239 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:19,560 There's no alcohol, no tobacco and no addictive substances. 240 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:23,080 And that is not tolerated at all here. Mm-hm. 241 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:27,280 Am I allowed coffee? Mm, yeah. Of course. 242 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:28,880 I was about to pack up my bag. 243 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:31,840 No. That's OK. But maybe I'll have you think about that. 244 00:12:31,920 --> 00:12:32,920 {\an1}BOTH CHUCKLE 245 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:39,120 Look at this. 246 00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:42,680 It's the most organised collection of gloves I think I've ever seen. 247 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:46,720 You know, a lot of his life here is not chaotic, 248 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:49,800 but it's sort of just letting things happen. 249 00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:53,760 But then there's also a lot of order and discipline. 250 00:12:53,840 --> 00:12:55,880 It's like a tale of two worlds. 251 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:57,560 I think gardening gives him a lot more 252 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:01,120 than the absolute fruits that he's actually gardening for. 253 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:04,960 It's not about the cherries. It's about what it does up here. 254 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:08,160 I know he does courses, but I really want to find out 255 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:11,120 exactly what it is he does here at Fantasy Farm... 256 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:15,560 ..and why it's called Fantasy. 257 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:27,320 BEN FOGLE: It's my first evening 258 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:31,000 in the quiet countryside of western France. 259 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:33,560 In just six years, Mark has transformed 260 00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:38,040 this once-derelict pig farm into Fantasy Farm. 261 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:42,280 I have the feeling a cosy farmhouse is just part of a bigger vision. 262 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:47,240 There you go. Oh, my goodness. Look at that. 263 00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:48,800 Some cheese for you. Oh! 264 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:52,080 There were a few things I was hoping I would experience 265 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:54,520 here in France, and one is a good cheese board. Cool. 266 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:56,480 And these are like homemade crackers. They are. 267 00:13:56,560 --> 00:13:59,000 It's basically chia seeds and linseeds. 268 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:01,000 That is really good. Yeah, cool. 269 00:14:01,080 --> 00:14:02,200 And what have we got to drink? 270 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:05,360 Some lavender water from the lavender in the garden. 271 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:11,280 Wow, that's super lavender-y. 272 00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:13,160 Yeah. It's nice. They're really floral. 273 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:14,680 Yeah, no, definitely. 274 00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:16,920 How on earth did you find this place? 275 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:19,480 I didn't want to go to the fashionable places. 276 00:14:19,560 --> 00:14:22,240 Actually, they didn't appeal to me. What was important for me 277 00:14:22,320 --> 00:14:25,520 is to have vegetables, is to have a garden. 278 00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:29,640 I needed a climate neither too hot, neither too cold. 279 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:33,720 So it just ticked all these boxes, and the budget box as well. 280 00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:36,480 You were mentioning that you do courses here? Yes. 281 00:14:36,560 --> 00:14:39,120 Basically, the areas in which I felt comfortable 282 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:42,440 to share my experiences, mainly yoga and massage. 283 00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:45,280 And I do, like, a three-day retreat here for that. 284 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:46,840 And what kind of people come? 285 00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:50,200 For the moment, it's, er, naked men who come. 286 00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:52,960 CHUCKLING: Naked men? Is that...? Do they...? 287 00:14:53,040 --> 00:14:55,960 So, there's a naked option and a non-naked option. 288 00:14:56,040 --> 00:14:58,880 I suppose what lots of us would call naturist. 289 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:01,640 Yeah, absolutely. Are you a naturist? 290 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:04,640 Yeah, I enjoy... I... You were wearing pants. 291 00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:06,640 I'm not a strict naturist. 292 00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:09,960 I just... I just enjoy being naked. 293 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:13,320 If I wasn't here, would you be naked now? 294 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:16,080 It's more weather-dependent as well. It IS quite cold. 295 00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:17,200 {\an1}MARK LAUGHS 296 00:15:17,280 --> 00:15:18,440 And is this welcoming...? 297 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:22,240 Open to, of course, the LGBTQ community. 298 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:26,120 But I've also include what I would call sensitive beings. 299 00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:28,080 I don't think we should be defined 300 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:31,040 neither by our gender or by our sexuality. 301 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:34,240 So, what's the fantasy part of Fantasy Farm? 302 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:37,400 For me, it's based around the fantasy of nature. 303 00:15:37,480 --> 00:15:40,760 Nature is really a big inspiration, and Beatrix Potter too, in a way, 304 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:43,560 and Watership Down, that kind of thing. 305 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:45,720 And what I want to do is have a space 306 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:48,480 in which people can be themselves. 307 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:51,040 Wow. 308 00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:53,080 {\an1}THUNDER RUMBLES 309 00:15:55,440 --> 00:16:00,360 I'm quite grateful that this is not a naturist week here. 310 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:02,160 I'm allowed to wear my clothes. 311 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:04,640 He describes it as an inclusive place, 312 00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:08,960 perhaps where people who have been excluded from the wider community 313 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:10,880 can come and be free. 314 00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:13,080 A lot of people that I've met over the years 315 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:15,720 have gone to get away from people, 316 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:18,960 and yet he obviously enjoys the company of others. 317 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:22,840 So it feels like he probably has a fine line to balance 318 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:25,680 when it comes to what this place is. 319 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:36,920 This is not a traditional working farm, 320 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,640 but Mark seems to be keeping farming hours. 321 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:40,680 Bon matin. 322 00:16:40,760 --> 00:16:43,680 'I doubt this is how most farmers wake up, though.' 323 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:45,960 Hi. Wow. How cold is that? 324 00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:48,640 {\an1}Really cold. MARK EXHALES 325 00:16:48,720 --> 00:16:50,920 How do you feel now? Oh, really invigorating. 326 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:53,400 I'm just feeling all the warmth coming to my body now. 327 00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:54,840 It's really amazing. Yeah. 328 00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:57,600 Health and wellbeing is obviously really important to you. 329 00:16:57,680 --> 00:16:59,840 Oh, yeah. It's become more and more important. 330 00:16:59,920 --> 00:17:01,800 When I was about 35, 331 00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:04,080 I had much more weight, I was drinking a lot. 332 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:07,200 I was eating in an unhealthy way. So now it's making sense. 333 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:12,000 All these things that you ask people to abstain from here 334 00:17:12,080 --> 00:17:14,360 were things that perhaps you had overused yourself. 335 00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:15,960 {\an1}Oh, no. Definitely. MARK CHUCKLES 336 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:18,160 So, you have to do a bit of stretches. 337 00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:20,280 I'm gonna join you cos I'm worried you're getting... 338 00:17:20,360 --> 00:17:21,920 you're gonna get really cold. 339 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:24,480 Loosen my shoulders. Oh, yeah. Loosen your shoulders. 340 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:27,960 And then just simply for the spine and the lower back. 341 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:29,600 You were saying 342 00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:34,080 that you overused some of those substances badly, noticeably. 343 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:35,800 Alcohol, definitely. Mm-hm. 344 00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:37,320 Do you feel better for it? 345 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:40,560 Completely changed my life, changed my body and all that. 346 00:17:40,640 --> 00:17:44,000 And when I went to India, I was opened up to massage and yoga. 347 00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:47,040 I saw the benefits of it. Do you want to give it a try, then, or not? 348 00:17:47,120 --> 00:17:48,240 I haven't done it for a while, 349 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:50,120 so I don't know how long I'm gonna stay in there. 350 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:52,000 That's fine. OK. 351 00:17:53,120 --> 00:17:55,280 It feels best when you come out, not when you go in. 352 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:03,160 It's quite chilly. 353 00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:06,280 If you want to get out, just get out and jump and scream. 354 00:18:06,360 --> 00:18:07,400 {\an1}MARK LAUGHS 355 00:18:10,760 --> 00:18:14,440 Wow. You're impressing me. 356 00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:17,040 I'm quite cold, though. Yeah. You must be. 357 00:18:17,120 --> 00:18:19,120 {\an1}BOTH LAUGHING 358 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:21,840 OK, now for the good bit. Yeah, exactly. 359 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:25,360 Yeah, it feels good. Cool. 360 00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:27,760 Oh! Ha-ha-ha! Excellent. 361 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:30,200 Yeah. It's good. Baaah! 362 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:32,480 Can I warm up in the shower now? Yeah, yeah. 363 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:44,120 Mark's approach to life here seems a world away 364 00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:46,360 from his previous business career, 365 00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:49,480 so I'm keen to know what drove this complete change. 366 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:52,680 Whoa. That was a nice start to the day. Cool, cool. 367 00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:53,760 Hot shower. 368 00:18:53,840 --> 00:18:56,240 Rainwater, presumably. Absolutely. Good for your skin. 369 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:58,720 So you welcome this rain? I do. 370 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:00,040 Want some breakfast? 371 00:19:00,120 --> 00:19:01,360 Yeah. Chickpea bread. 372 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:03,080 And the jam is raspberry. 373 00:19:05,120 --> 00:19:08,120 And verbena and mint from the garden. 374 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:10,840 No caffeine? No caffeine at all. 375 00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:16,280 That is very good. So this is all from the garden? 376 00:19:16,360 --> 00:19:17,960 It is, yeah. 377 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:19,320 Wow. 378 00:19:20,840 --> 00:19:23,240 I'm wondering what kind of childhood you had. 379 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:26,760 We used to have to, in a way, manage on our own. 380 00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:28,680 We had au pairs, but nonetheless, 381 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:30,920 we were still left a bit to our own devices. 382 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:34,880 Happy childhood? Er, yes, in a way. 383 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:39,240 Lots of freedom in being able to express ourselves in artistic ways. 384 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:41,920 I was always dancing, putting on shows for my mum. 385 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:43,880 I wanted to go to dance classes, 386 00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:48,280 but that was not made available to me. Mm-hm? 387 00:19:48,360 --> 00:19:50,680 My cousin on the French side of the family, 388 00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:54,040 she had a tutu, and it was a black tutu with green sequins, 389 00:19:54,120 --> 00:19:57,760 and she gave it to me, and I wore it a few times. 390 00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:00,400 And I loved that tutu. And that disappeared. 391 00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:02,560 It was never there and never mentioned again. 392 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:07,840 But that's OK. That's OK. And... yeah. 393 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:09,680 {\an1}Mm. CHUCKLES 394 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:12,640 Listen, I'm reading into what you're saying. 395 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:15,600 It's profound. It's significant. It's still impactful. 396 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:19,880 Yeah. Maybe to protect me, maybe against bullying or stuff like that. 397 00:20:19,960 --> 00:20:25,000 My brother, he loved me dearly, and we got on really well. 398 00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:27,880 But at some moments, it did come out like 399 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:29,280 "Why do I have a...? 400 00:20:29,360 --> 00:20:32,120 "Why don't I have a brother? I've got a sister", kind of thing. 401 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:36,200 So, at what point were you allowed to indulge in dance 402 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:38,080 or other creative areas? 403 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:41,080 That happened when I was, I think, probably 11 or 12. 404 00:20:41,160 --> 00:20:45,000 I went to tap school in the centre of Paris, and we used to go 405 00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:48,200 to these Wednesday afternoon and Saturday afternoon nightclubs. 406 00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:50,560 And I used to just dance, dance, dance, dance, dance. 407 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:54,400 I was already living my double story. 408 00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:56,040 So, were you now openly gay? 409 00:20:56,120 --> 00:20:59,640 I'd been openly gay, probably, since the age of 17, I think. 410 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:01,240 In school, this guy in my class, 411 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:03,640 who was a good friend of mine, he outed me. 412 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:08,520 And... But it was... It was OK, but he wasn't... It was, it was OK. 413 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:11,160 But it still must have left a slight trauma in you. 414 00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:13,160 This whole term, "outed" you. Mm-hm. 415 00:21:13,240 --> 00:21:16,600 It's someone taking your agency, your control over. 416 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:19,320 Yeah. It wasn't... It wasn't a nice experience, that experience. 417 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:22,240 What happened after school? Where...? 418 00:21:22,320 --> 00:21:25,240 What kind of career did you pursue? Erm... 419 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:29,640 My mother decided for me that business school would be good. 420 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:32,640 And I had to become realistic and do business. 421 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:35,800 And I became an assistant buyer in the IT business. 422 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:39,440 I just jumped from one company to the other and went up the ladder. 423 00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:41,480 But actually, I didn't fit in 424 00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:45,360 because I didn't want to force stock into people. 425 00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:47,840 I wanted to create a relationship. Mm-hm. 426 00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:49,600 I thought, "I'm not lying." 427 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:53,560 The last job I had, I really got their backs up 428 00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:56,400 because I told the truth on a massive lie that they'd done. 429 00:21:56,480 --> 00:21:58,200 Yeah, it sounds like you were disillusioned 430 00:21:58,280 --> 00:21:59,560 with the business world anyway. 431 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:03,520 Was that the end of it? It wasn't only that. Er... 432 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:07,280 Something happened... 433 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:15,600 ..that made me realise that... 434 00:22:15,680 --> 00:22:18,840 Sorry. Don't worry, don't worry. You take your... take your time. 435 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:20,080 Erm... 436 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:24,680 I had a wake-up call... Mm-hm? 437 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:30,960 ..linked to health, and it made me realise you only have one life. 438 00:22:33,360 --> 00:22:35,720 And I took that as an opportunity. 439 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:38,560 I took it as an opportunity to really... 440 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:43,680 ..do what I thought was good for me, 441 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:47,480 not do what society thought was good for me, 442 00:22:47,560 --> 00:22:50,400 not what my family thought was good for me. 443 00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:54,200 It saved my life because from then on... 444 00:22:55,960 --> 00:22:58,600 ..I was taking care of the right thing, 445 00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:00,080 of the right person. 446 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:02,040 Actually, I wasn't me until then. 447 00:23:02,120 --> 00:23:06,480 I was the person that other people wanted me to be. 448 00:23:12,360 --> 00:23:14,200 I think there's quite a lot of trauma there. 449 00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:19,720 I think he has dealt with a lot of things in his life, 450 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:22,480 and I think he's still digesting 451 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:25,520 and working through quite a lot of those experiences, 452 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:28,080 of being outed by a friend at school. 453 00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:29,720 Must have been deeply traumatic. 454 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:32,600 And then the health scare. 455 00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:36,560 I didn't feel it was appropriate to pry. 456 00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:38,080 He said it was something in the past, 457 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:40,280 but it was obviously deeply traumatic. 458 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:48,400 He placed his mortality, and it changed who he was entirely. 459 00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:51,800 And I'm now beginning to understand that everything he has created here 460 00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:56,200 is all part of, maybe, a living therapy in some ways. 461 00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:03,960 Just show you into this barn. 462 00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:07,280 Mark's ill health forced him to rethink his lifestyle. 463 00:24:07,360 --> 00:24:11,480 How have you kept this one hidden from me? This is amazing. 464 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:15,240 His passion for yoga and India became central to his life. 465 00:24:15,320 --> 00:24:18,160 Oh, wow. You've got a whole stage here. Yep. 466 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:21,160 'And today, I'm getting the benefit of that experience.' 467 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:23,920 This is the yoga practice wall. Yeah. 468 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:26,920 They're slopes where we can tie ourselves up, 469 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:29,400 and it becomes a bondage class. 470 00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:31,960 I... I... Trust me, it's going to be all good. 471 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:33,880 OK, so what do I need to do, then? 472 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:37,720 You can just put one leg up, and you don't have to have it straight. 473 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:40,000 Bend more the knee. Bend it more, yeah. 474 00:24:40,080 --> 00:24:43,520 Reach higher. Yes. Like that. 475 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:44,800 And it's just like... Pulling. 476 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:46,880 Yeah. And you don't... you don't have to stretch. 477 00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:49,720 The stretch is happening, whether you want it or not. Mm-hm. 478 00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:52,600 Where did you learn all of this? Was that in India? 479 00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:55,240 Yeah. It was really, really amazing. 480 00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:59,200 But the real way I got into yoga is because one morning in Paris, 481 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:01,640 I couldn't get out of bed. Yeah. 482 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:03,800 And so I didn't have a choice. 483 00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:05,720 I had to really take care of my body. 484 00:25:05,800 --> 00:25:07,720 All this happened more or less at the same time 485 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:10,200 when I had this big reveal in my health and all that. 486 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:14,160 And I decided I would completely change the way I would live. 487 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:16,320 Can we sit down? Is that OK? Mm-hm. 488 00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:18,160 OK. 489 00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:20,480 It's a very small seat. Yeah. 490 00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:21,640 OK. 491 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:26,400 And then use the strap around your foot. Heel forward. 492 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:29,960 The back should always be straight. And is my back looking straight? 493 00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:32,920 I can't tell. It's beautiful. It's amazing. 494 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:34,720 Well, I've put a lot of work in that. 495 00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:37,080 I had terrible posture not long ago. Yeah. 496 00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:43,080 So, India was a life-changing experience, then? 497 00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:45,000 Oh, yeah. No. Definitely. Yeah, yeah. 498 00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:47,280 Because yoga is about a mindset. 499 00:25:47,360 --> 00:25:49,960 Did you put that into practice? Did you become a teacher? 500 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:51,640 Straight away? No. 501 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:56,600 Took me four years before I decided that I could be a yoga teacher. 502 00:25:56,680 --> 00:25:58,680 I take this really seriously. Yeah. 503 00:25:58,760 --> 00:25:59,760 {\an1}MARK EXHALES 504 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:03,400 It's obviously had much more of an impact on you 505 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:05,240 than just learning to become a teacher. 506 00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:07,240 No, definitely. It was... 507 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:13,440 It's just... It's more... It's just like a whole opening 508 00:26:13,520 --> 00:26:15,720 to what I had been feeling since I was a kid. 509 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:16,760 Mm-hm. 510 00:26:16,840 --> 00:26:20,760 Erm... And that it started all to make sense, 511 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:23,000 all this spiritual and religious aspect of it. 512 00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:26,560 I'm trying to... trying to understand the emotion 513 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:28,640 and where this comes from. 514 00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:31,280 Do you think it was a feeling of belonging 515 00:26:31,360 --> 00:26:32,640 that you had been looking for? 516 00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:36,560 Oh, yeah. For me, it's Mother India, definitely, and, and the people. 517 00:26:36,640 --> 00:26:39,600 Mm-hm. Erm... the love. 518 00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:43,000 Despite Mark's love for India, 519 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:46,080 his roots in France offered him a connection to nature. 520 00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:49,040 I went to a conference by Vandana Shiva, 521 00:26:49,120 --> 00:26:52,000 and she said yoga is actually connecting to the earth, 522 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:55,960 connecting to Mother Nature, making it all come together. 523 00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:58,640 It's not only about having the perfect body. 524 00:26:58,720 --> 00:26:59,720 Who cares about that 525 00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:01,960 if you're not getting the right food into your bodies? 526 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:05,360 And how can you get the right food if you're not actually participating 527 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:08,960 one way or another in cultivating the right food? 528 00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:11,680 Erm, and... yeah. 529 00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:13,240 VOICE CRACKS: And... 530 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:15,080 {\an1}CHUCKLES 531 00:27:15,160 --> 00:27:17,840 And it all ties in. 532 00:27:17,920 --> 00:27:23,040 And that's why all this path makes sense. 533 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:33,280 The experiences Mark has had in life, both good and bad, 534 00:27:33,360 --> 00:27:37,360 are just bubbling always beneath the surface. 535 00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:40,520 Yoga, massage, India, 536 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:44,720 have been so important in his life... 537 00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:47,400 ..giving him a sense of community, 538 00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:50,600 a sense of belonging and a sense of purpose. 539 00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:53,200 Mark got really emotional when he was talking about 540 00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:56,600 really feeling a connection with the flora and fauna. 541 00:27:56,680 --> 00:28:00,560 I think that is this chapter of his life, 542 00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:05,120 trying to bring together all his passions and all his saviours. 543 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:19,360 BEN FOGLE: 'I'm on Fantasy Farm in rural western France. 544 00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:23,880 'For the past six years, Mark has been slowly building the property 545 00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:26,480 'in interesting ways to connect with nature...' 546 00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:27,600 Don't go too deep. 547 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:30,240 '..and allow people to let their creative flag fly...' 548 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:31,960 Happy with that? Yeah. That's beautiful. 549 00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:34,320 '..both for himself 550 00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:37,520 'and the people who attend courses here.' 551 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:40,840 So, the idea is to put the plant pot on top. 552 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:43,360 Screw that through. Screw that through. 553 00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:47,120 And though Mark's enlisted my help finishing off his latest idea, 554 00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:50,600 what that something is remains a bit of a mystery. 555 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:55,440 I think these are lights or lamps for the garden. 556 00:28:55,520 --> 00:28:57,720 That's what I think. Maybe. Let's go and see. 557 00:28:57,800 --> 00:28:59,560 Maybe they're the other way round. Who knows? 558 00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:01,040 Through here? Yes. 559 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:02,360 Oh, my goodness. 560 00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:07,640 It's like a dressing room. And just put these down here. 561 00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:10,960 It is. It's what I call The Drag Boudoir. 562 00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:13,920 This is amazing. What were these plant pots for? 563 00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:16,760 {\an1}Look at that. They're wig holders. MARK LAUGHS 564 00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:20,360 That is very clever. 565 00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:22,200 That was the last thing I thought 566 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:24,680 we would actually be making with a flower pot. 567 00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:26,800 Can I try this one on? See if it fits. 568 00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:31,160 Hey. Welcome, stranger. 569 00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:33,560 I feel like I'm back in the 18th century, maybe. 570 00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:37,120 I think this one might suit me more. That's much more you. 571 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:40,040 Flick it. Yeah, absolutely. HIGH-PITCHED: Hi! 572 00:29:40,120 --> 00:29:42,520 I had hair this long once... Wow. 573 00:29:42,600 --> 00:29:45,240 ..when I was about 18 or 19. 574 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:47,280 So I feel like I'm 18 again now. 575 00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:49,280 {\an1}MARK LAUGHS That looks good. 576 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:50,560 You see? Wow! 577 00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:55,160 I had to slow motion, that kind of thing running through. 578 00:29:55,240 --> 00:29:57,640 That's a Scooby-Doo moment. 579 00:29:57,720 --> 00:29:59,520 I'm feeling quite Dolly Parton. 580 00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:02,160 I haven't quite got the boobs. 581 00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:03,640 Let's see. 582 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:06,240 I've got no experience in putting on bras. Sorry. 583 00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:09,800 Did you get to dress up when you were a businessman? 584 00:30:09,880 --> 00:30:11,360 No, no, no, no. 585 00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:13,440 When I became more of an adult, 586 00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:15,760 I "invisibilised" myself a lot, 587 00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:17,800 trying not to stand out... Yeah. 588 00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:20,000 ..because that made it easier for me. 589 00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:23,080 But I lived through that time, 590 00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:26,160 and I think I've managed to come through it quite well 591 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:29,080 with a few scars, of course, but I have the chance 592 00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:33,800 and the privilege to be able to live out my fantasy and to welcome people 593 00:30:33,880 --> 00:30:37,040 and give them their opportunity to live their fantasy. 594 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:39,080 This is a good look today, anyway. Thank you. 595 00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:41,680 Do you like mine? I do. 596 00:30:41,760 --> 00:30:44,480 Well, I'm glad I was able to help you with the wig stance. 597 00:30:44,560 --> 00:30:47,720 That's a first. Never done that before. 598 00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:53,000 That was fun. 599 00:30:53,080 --> 00:30:54,520 I love being with people 600 00:30:54,600 --> 00:30:58,280 that are entirely comfortable in their own skin around me. 601 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:02,080 I don't think I have ever been to a wild place 602 00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:06,200 where I've got to dress up in drag and bras and wigs. 603 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:13,080 There's very much a childlike manner to Mark and to all of this, 604 00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:18,320 and in some ways, I suppose, he has recreated a template 605 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:21,280 that he wished he could have had as a child, 606 00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:24,080 where he could put on that tutu 607 00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:27,600 and not be shamed by those around him. 608 00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:36,200 Today, we're also putting the finishing touches 609 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:38,480 to Mark's grand garden vision. 610 00:31:38,560 --> 00:31:40,040 Let's come through here with these. 611 00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:41,440 At the very least, 612 00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:44,680 I know this one involves two poles of bamboo... 613 00:31:44,760 --> 00:31:46,720 I think. Put some protection on here. 614 00:31:46,800 --> 00:31:49,760 So, basically, we're going to be cutting like this, 615 00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:52,400 stopping here. OK. 616 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:10,400 OK. That's cool. 617 00:32:11,960 --> 00:32:13,960 What exactly are we making? 618 00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:17,640 We're making a structure to grow, basically, gourds on it. 619 00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:20,760 Some chickpeas as well, growing along them. 620 00:32:20,840 --> 00:32:23,320 Mark's ingenious all-natural design 621 00:32:23,400 --> 00:32:26,040 means everything should slot together. 622 00:32:26,120 --> 00:32:28,120 This one will go in that hole there. Got it. 623 00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:32,200 And then we have one that's going to go into here. 624 00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:35,000 What we cut out at the top, they've got to face each other. 625 00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:38,400 And we've got these left over, 626 00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:40,760 so you can just use them around the post. 627 00:32:40,840 --> 00:32:43,000 To wedge it into place? Exactly. 628 00:32:43,080 --> 00:32:47,320 Have you just adapted as you have gone along? 629 00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:49,880 Well, I'm learning as I go, 630 00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:54,600 but I was really lucky to meet some people. 631 00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:56,360 And they're called the Radical Faeries. 632 00:32:56,440 --> 00:32:58,840 And they're a bit like gay hippies, kind of thing. Yeah. 633 00:32:58,920 --> 00:33:02,360 I went there for the first time, I think, 2015. 634 00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:04,320 It's like, "Oh, wow, I'm not the only one. 635 00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:06,720 "I'm not the only gay in the village" in that sense. 636 00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:10,120 It gave me the confidence to do stuff. 637 00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:11,160 OK, good. 638 00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:13,040 Now, it's middle piece first. Yeah. 639 00:33:13,120 --> 00:33:16,120 It's labelled with an M for middle. You are so organised with these. 640 00:33:16,200 --> 00:33:18,280 Yeah. You're noticing. I do. 641 00:33:18,360 --> 00:33:20,680 It just fits in. Yeah. 642 00:33:20,760 --> 00:33:25,000 This one is the more complex one. So I'll just do this side first. 643 00:33:26,520 --> 00:33:29,520 Yes. Can you reach there? Yeah. 644 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:30,920 Yeah. That's good. Like that? 645 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:32,480 Perfect. Excellent. 646 00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:36,720 So, yeah, big source of inspiration for me, the Radical Faeries. 647 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:37,920 In what way? 648 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:40,920 Because there, there was space, there were tools. 649 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:43,440 You could go out and, like, build stuff 650 00:33:43,520 --> 00:33:46,000 in a skirt or in high heels, or with a wig. 651 00:33:46,080 --> 00:33:49,920 It was like, oh, wow, this sense of community existed. 652 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:53,160 Yeah. But these places aren't permanent. 653 00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:57,040 And I wanted to create a permanent sanctuary, 654 00:33:57,120 --> 00:33:59,440 and I want it to be open to other people, 655 00:33:59,520 --> 00:34:04,160 as long as they agree no smoking, no alcohol, vegetarian, 656 00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:07,120 no addictive substances, and they feel 657 00:34:07,200 --> 00:34:11,160 that doing something with nature is the best way of healing. 658 00:34:11,240 --> 00:34:14,040 What are you getting now from building this gourd frame? 659 00:34:14,120 --> 00:34:17,360 Er... Frustration that it isn't exactly straight. 660 00:34:17,440 --> 00:34:18,800 No, no. 661 00:34:18,880 --> 00:34:21,160 No. I'm not straight. Nothing is straight. 662 00:34:21,240 --> 00:34:22,880 {\an1}LAUGHS 663 00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:27,400 Ultimately, this is a sanctuary for Mark 664 00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:29,560 after everything that he has been through. 665 00:34:29,640 --> 00:34:31,640 And I think he's actually been very sensible that, 666 00:34:31,720 --> 00:34:33,280 if he wants other people around, 667 00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:36,520 at least make sure they are his tribe. 668 00:34:36,600 --> 00:34:38,400 He's setting up lots of barriers. You know? 669 00:34:38,480 --> 00:34:41,240 It's gonna be a pretty niche group of people that can come. 670 00:34:42,360 --> 00:34:44,240 But I think he's happy to wait. 671 00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:46,640 If you build it, they will come. 672 00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:55,120 And with our new build in place, 673 00:34:55,200 --> 00:34:58,000 it's time to plant the gourd vegetable garden. 674 00:34:59,360 --> 00:35:00,360 {\an1}BELL DINGS 675 00:35:00,440 --> 00:35:01,840 MARK: 676 00:35:04,480 --> 00:35:06,760 Luckily, help has arrived. 677 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:08,800 {\an1}MARK CHUCKLES Oh! 678 00:35:08,880 --> 00:35:11,120 Oh, la la la la la. 679 00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:13,240 Mark's friend Kathy hasn't been back 680 00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:16,440 since he first viewed the farm six years ago. 681 00:35:17,720 --> 00:35:19,560 IN FRENCH: 682 00:35:19,640 --> 00:35:21,720 ..my friend Kathy. Kathy, how are you? 683 00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:23,880 Hi. So nice to meet you. Bienvenue. 684 00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:27,400 And how long have you both known each other? 685 00:35:29,040 --> 00:35:30,920 Wow. So she knows everything about you? 686 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:32,640 Nearly. Nearly. Nearly. 687 00:35:34,240 --> 00:35:37,600 Kathy has seen Mark through his formative years in Paris, 688 00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:41,720 his split from the business world and his yoga journey. 689 00:35:41,800 --> 00:35:45,920 Kathy, has Mark changed a lot in the time you've known him? 690 00:35:48,680 --> 00:35:51,200 IN FRENCH: 691 00:36:01,920 --> 00:36:03,600 Mark's shared with me 692 00:36:03,680 --> 00:36:06,840 some of the trials and tribulations he's had in life - 693 00:36:06,920 --> 00:36:10,360 illness, experiencing homophobia, 694 00:36:10,440 --> 00:36:13,760 not necessarily feeling like he fitted in. 695 00:36:20,920 --> 00:36:26,680 It seems to me he has found freedom and the freedom to be himself 696 00:36:26,760 --> 00:36:31,120 and to live the life that he has been searching for. 697 00:36:41,040 --> 00:36:43,040 He has mentioned this idea of a sanctuary 698 00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:45,320 that perhaps people can come and, you know, 699 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:47,680 really be a part of all of this. 700 00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:52,040 But I also know he has exacting standards, rules, no drinking, 701 00:36:52,120 --> 00:36:54,720 no tobacco, no caffeine, although I broke that one. 702 00:37:12,400 --> 00:37:15,760 {\an1}MARK LAUGHS You really know each other. 703 00:37:15,840 --> 00:37:18,040 Yeah. No. Definitely. Yeah. Yeah. 704 00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:21,520 No. We we've shared many things and many people. 705 00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:24,480 {\an1}No, not that many. Just two. HE LAUGHS 706 00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:27,280 The same men? Yeah. Have you?! 707 00:37:27,360 --> 00:37:30,040 {\an1}LAUGHTER 708 00:37:30,120 --> 00:37:33,040 At the same time? No. 709 00:37:33,120 --> 00:37:36,000 I'm asking... I'm being too, too nosy there. 710 00:37:36,080 --> 00:37:37,960 I've really got to know you. 711 00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:44,480 She really has seen all the different stages of his life. 712 00:37:44,560 --> 00:37:49,520 A man who has, in some ways, been running from something, 713 00:37:49,600 --> 00:37:52,400 a society that hasn't necessarily embraced him... 714 00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:56,840 ..to create a sanctuary here, where he can really be himself, 715 00:37:56,920 --> 00:38:00,080 where he can use nature to heal. 716 00:38:01,560 --> 00:38:05,840 So I think she sees the future here as actually quite positive. 717 00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:19,600 BEN FOGLE: It's nearing the end of my week here in rural France, 718 00:38:19,680 --> 00:38:21,320 and preparations are stepping up, 719 00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:23,760 with one of Mark's yoga and massage courses 720 00:38:23,840 --> 00:38:25,520 just around the corner. 721 00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:28,440 Ah, here you are. 722 00:38:28,520 --> 00:38:30,520 Hi. How are you? What are you up to? 723 00:38:30,600 --> 00:38:32,400 Well, basically, I'm making a few props. 724 00:38:32,480 --> 00:38:34,440 Elements of living here. Mm-hm. 725 00:38:35,640 --> 00:38:37,720 So, when is the next course? Next week. 726 00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:40,160 How many people? There's going to be nine people, plus me. 727 00:38:40,240 --> 00:38:42,680 You're pretty busy anyway here. Mm-hm. 728 00:38:42,760 --> 00:38:44,280 You are effectively, next week, 729 00:38:44,360 --> 00:38:46,480 going to become a hotelier, a chef... Yeah. 730 00:38:46,560 --> 00:38:47,920 # I'm a one man-band...# Yeah. 731 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:50,480 You're doing... You're playing multiple instruments. 732 00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:51,880 With the help. OK. 733 00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:53,880 So you're now... You're now going to be asking 734 00:38:53,960 --> 00:38:56,440 for other people to help. Yes. Of course. 735 00:38:56,520 --> 00:38:58,840 And they will be taking part in the daily task, 736 00:38:58,920 --> 00:39:00,320 whether the cooking, the cleaning. 737 00:39:00,400 --> 00:39:01,800 I can't do all that. Yeah. 738 00:39:01,880 --> 00:39:03,480 But it's not a burden for me. 739 00:39:03,560 --> 00:39:06,640 In a way, that's why, also, I went to yoga. 740 00:39:07,760 --> 00:39:10,920 A person who's already super calm doesn't need to go to yoga. 741 00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:15,000 It's more the hyperactives which actually need it, in a way. 742 00:39:15,080 --> 00:39:17,520 So these are some of the rules here. I know about some of these. 743 00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:20,360 No alcohol, no tobacco. 744 00:39:20,440 --> 00:39:23,600 But then you've got specifics about setting the table, 745 00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:27,200 when to signal that dinner is finished and to clear plates. 746 00:39:27,280 --> 00:39:29,680 I'm smiling, by the way, just cos... That's OK. 747 00:39:29,760 --> 00:39:32,240 ..it's... I don't want to use the word controlling, 748 00:39:32,320 --> 00:39:35,120 but you're a very tolerant individual. 749 00:39:35,200 --> 00:39:37,520 But it strikes me that you're also quite set in your ways. 750 00:39:37,600 --> 00:39:40,520 What happens when you have someone here 751 00:39:40,600 --> 00:39:43,600 that pushes those boundaries a little bit? 752 00:39:44,680 --> 00:39:48,640 I'm not psycho rigid on "This has to be here or there." 753 00:39:48,720 --> 00:39:51,120 I put certain pieces of cutlery here. 754 00:39:51,200 --> 00:39:53,440 If somebody puts another place, that's absolutely fine. 755 00:39:53,520 --> 00:39:56,600 But if somebody is, like, trying to play on those boundaries, 756 00:39:56,680 --> 00:39:59,800 then I'm going to sit down and start talking to that person 757 00:39:59,880 --> 00:40:01,640 and try and understand. 758 00:40:01,720 --> 00:40:03,720 Here, it has to be a secure environment, 759 00:40:03,800 --> 00:40:07,160 a safe space, and safe space for who? 760 00:40:07,240 --> 00:40:09,000 First, for me. Mm-hm. 761 00:40:09,080 --> 00:40:12,040 So, given that, I'm wondering why you actually run these courses. 762 00:40:12,120 --> 00:40:14,960 Do you have to financially to keep this place going? 763 00:40:15,040 --> 00:40:16,680 I've had to come to that reality 764 00:40:16,760 --> 00:40:19,360 because, originally, 765 00:40:19,440 --> 00:40:21,360 my inspiration was really Radical Faerie-based 766 00:40:21,440 --> 00:40:22,960 and generosity-based, 767 00:40:23,040 --> 00:40:26,560 but because I've got some greater ambitions in a way, 768 00:40:26,640 --> 00:40:29,840 and it's quite a big place, of course, financial, 769 00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:31,600 bringing money in, is part of the process. 770 00:40:31,680 --> 00:40:34,240 And courses are a good way to do that. 771 00:40:34,320 --> 00:40:36,000 Are you looking forward to having company? 772 00:40:36,080 --> 00:40:37,160 I like that dialogue. 773 00:40:37,240 --> 00:40:39,920 You see, I'm a chatterbox. Yeah, I noticed. 774 00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:41,080 {\an1}Yeah. LAUGHS 775 00:40:42,880 --> 00:40:46,160 I haven't gotten a word in edgeways this week, Mark. 776 00:40:49,640 --> 00:40:53,880 Another sign for next week. Quite strict. 777 00:40:53,960 --> 00:40:57,680 He's got the cold plunge at 8:15 prompt. 778 00:40:57,760 --> 00:40:58,920 {\an1}CHUCKLES 779 00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:01,360 He... He definitely is quite rigid 780 00:41:01,440 --> 00:41:05,720 in kind of the rules and the regulations here. 781 00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:07,760 It's a very careful balancing act. 782 00:41:07,840 --> 00:41:11,520 And I think when you try too hard 783 00:41:11,600 --> 00:41:15,560 to get other people to conform to your way of life, 784 00:41:15,640 --> 00:41:19,200 sometimes, there can be a clash. 785 00:41:19,280 --> 00:41:24,720 But I suppose it is his way of protecting his boundaries 786 00:41:24,800 --> 00:41:28,200 and his happiness here. 787 00:41:32,000 --> 00:41:35,680 For now, Mark's courses fund Fantasy Farm 788 00:41:35,760 --> 00:41:40,080 until maybe others embrace his long-term vision and join him here. 789 00:41:41,400 --> 00:41:43,440 But he clearly enjoys company, 790 00:41:43,520 --> 00:41:46,680 and his first step towards a community is teaching. 791 00:41:46,760 --> 00:41:48,320 Try, and come back... 792 00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:51,160 So it's nice to find he offers a weekly yoga class 793 00:41:51,240 --> 00:41:53,280 for the local village. Lifting yourselves up. 794 00:41:53,360 --> 00:41:55,520 Reaching up for the stars. 795 00:41:55,600 --> 00:41:59,360 All the best. Have a beautiful day. Bonjour. 796 00:41:59,440 --> 00:42:02,760 Oh, hi. Bonjour. Hi there. I'm Ben. 797 00:42:02,840 --> 00:42:04,960 Nice to meet you. Sorry. I didn't want to interrupt. 798 00:42:05,040 --> 00:42:07,840 How was that? Amazing. The best. 799 00:42:07,920 --> 00:42:11,040 So nice to see the wider community here. Oh, yes. 800 00:42:11,120 --> 00:42:14,280 The perfect yoga teacher living next door to you. 801 00:42:14,360 --> 00:42:16,160 It's not just our bodies that are strong. 802 00:42:16,240 --> 00:42:18,920 It's our minds that are strong when we've been with Mark. 803 00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:21,240 Just absolutely fantastic teacher. 804 00:42:21,320 --> 00:42:24,400 Oh, I'm gonna cry. It's true! 805 00:42:24,480 --> 00:42:27,360 I've had so much waterworks this week. 806 00:42:27,440 --> 00:42:30,000 {\an1}LAUGHTER 807 00:42:30,080 --> 00:42:31,720 I've seen a lot of tears. 808 00:42:31,800 --> 00:42:33,320 I'm sorry. No, no. 809 00:42:33,400 --> 00:42:34,480 It's nice hearing that. 810 00:42:34,560 --> 00:42:36,760 No, it's empowering, actually. It's really good. 811 00:42:36,840 --> 00:42:38,880 Yeah. And it should be, because you empower us. 812 00:42:38,960 --> 00:42:42,200 Can we have a group hug, girls? I'm coming. 813 00:42:42,280 --> 00:42:45,200 I'm an honorary member. Thank you so much. Thank you. 814 00:42:45,280 --> 00:42:47,440 I think once you've done bondage with Mark... 815 00:42:47,520 --> 00:42:50,120 {\an1}..you never forget it? LAUGHTER 816 00:42:50,200 --> 00:42:52,640 I'll leave you all... Thank you. Thank you. 817 00:42:54,080 --> 00:42:57,600 There aren't villages all over the world that would be as open 818 00:42:57,680 --> 00:43:00,720 and accepting of... of some of the courses that he's doing here. 819 00:43:00,800 --> 00:43:04,720 But I've had a real insight there into what it would be like 820 00:43:04,800 --> 00:43:08,280 when he runs the courses and when people are spending more time here. 821 00:43:10,240 --> 00:43:15,720 Ultimately, what he has created here is a super happy, light place, 822 00:43:15,800 --> 00:43:19,760 and I hope that other people can and will come here and experience 823 00:43:19,840 --> 00:43:25,320 the same sort of therapeutic returns from nature that he has had. 824 00:43:34,040 --> 00:43:36,640 It feels like yesterday that I arrived. 825 00:43:36,720 --> 00:43:38,120 It's such a pleasure having you. 826 00:43:38,200 --> 00:43:40,800 It's been really amazing in so many ways, 827 00:43:40,880 --> 00:43:44,640 not only in what we've been able to do together, 828 00:43:44,720 --> 00:43:49,520 what you've been able to... find in me 829 00:43:49,600 --> 00:43:51,760 and hear me and see me in the way you have. 830 00:43:51,840 --> 00:43:54,400 I've really felt that very deep inside. 831 00:43:54,480 --> 00:43:56,400 And I think that's really helped me. 832 00:43:56,480 --> 00:43:58,880 And I hope you're leaving with some fantasy, 833 00:43:58,960 --> 00:44:01,040 and a bit of this place will stay with you. 834 00:44:01,120 --> 00:44:02,240 Course it will. Give me a hug. 835 00:44:02,320 --> 00:44:05,640 Thank you so much. All the best. Thank you. 836 00:44:05,720 --> 00:44:08,280 It's been unforgettable. Safe journey home. 837 00:44:08,360 --> 00:44:10,720 Au revoir. Take care. 838 00:44:10,800 --> 00:44:12,040 Bye. Merci beaucoup. 839 00:44:12,120 --> 00:44:13,240 Thank you. 840 00:44:16,080 --> 00:44:17,640 Merci, Mark.