Sir Ranulph Fiennes and cousin Joseph discuss his Parkinson’s diagnosis

Iconic explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes revealed his 2019 Parkinson’s diagnosis to his actor cousin Joseph while filming their new TV show. Sir Ranulph, 80, one of Britain’s most famous living explorers, opened up about his condition while shooting their latest travel series together in Canada. Joseph, known for his role as Fred Waterford in The Handmaid’s Tale and more recently playing Gareth Southgate in stage show ‘Dear England’, was struck by how brave his uncle was discussing his condition. The pair embarked on a trip to Canada to retrace the steps of Sir Ran’s 1971 Headless Valley Expedition, having previously joined forces in 2019 to revisit his 1969 hovercraft expedition of The Nile. He led the North American expedition in the early 70s across the north-west territory where much of it can only be accessed by air, water or a long trek. Joseph was speaking to Sir Ran in an interview ahead of the launch of Fiennes: Return to the Wild which airs on National Geographic on Sunday, 26 May at 8pm. He said: “This particular expedition, a journey reflecting back on your visit back 50 years ago in Canada revealed something, which I thought was you were very brave at telling - which was the condition of Parkinson's. “And it's not easy – it’s very brave to talk about it.”