Charley Boorman

About

Charley is a modern-day adventurer, travel writer and entertainer. He is known for his enthusiasm for motorbikes, as demonstrated in several documentaries of his travels, including two with his friend, actor Ewan McGregor. He is the son of the famous film director John Boorman. He appeared in the film “Deliverance” in 1972 and many others to follow. In 1997 he met Ewan McGregor who became his co-adventurer and co-star in the Long Way Round and Long Way Down series.

In 1985 Charley Boorman starred in The Emerald Forest, directed by his father. In Hope and Glory (1987), also directed by his father, he appears in a non-speaking role as the young German Luftwaffe pilot shot down, parachuting into the small village.

In 2006 Charley competed in the famous Dakar rally which was filmed and then became the “Race to Dakar” TV series.

2007 saw another journey with Ewan which was televised, called “Long Way Down” from John O’Groats in Scotland to Cape Town, SA. This was recorded, then later made into a television series, book and DVD. The series was shown around the world and the DVD and book became best sellers.

In 2008 Charley went on a solo adventure which has taken him all around the world – “By Any Means”. It began in his home town in county Wicklow and ended in Sydney, Australia. He set out with the intention of making the journey “by any means” of local transport available – a mish mash of boats, bikes, and elephants.

Currently the DVD and book of ‘By Any Means’ is still on the best seller list and after his first UK and Ireland Live Theatre Tour early 2010 all of his books and DVD’s saw increased sales. The tour was produced and presented by Billy (Biketruck) Ward, a friend and business colleague and saw audiences smiling from Brighton to Glasgow and Manchester to Dublin.

Using his biker profile, he has created two 17 day BMW bike adventures across Africa. Taking 50 riders from Cape Town to Victoria Falls, Boorman used various technologies to help promote the trip – including a GPS Satellite tracking device allowing people to follow the trip day by day.

Boorman has been actively supporting the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) since 2004. Since then he has been on a number of visits to UNICEF projects, the majority of which have been integrated into his television programmes Long Way Round, Long Way Down and By Any Means.

In 2009, Charley Boorman was made president of Dyslexia Action; being dyslexic himself, Boorman is passionate about the cause and is keen to help the charity achieve its vision of a world where barriers are removed for those with dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties.

Charley is a really entertaining speaker. He talks about the journeys he’s been on, the obstacles and some of the characters he has met on the way.