Ex-soldier Ed Stafford to live on the streets for 60 days for new Channel 4 documentary

Around 13,000 ex-military personnel are homeless

Explorer and former soldier Ed Stafford is to present a new Channel 4 documentary series tackling the homelessness epidemic that the UK is currently facing. Since 2010, the number of rough sleepers in the UK has more than doubled. In Manchester, the number has increased seven-fold, and in central London the amount of people sleeping on the streets has rocketed by 647% in just one year. Around 13,000 ex-military personnel are also homeless. 60 Days on the Streets will see Stafford spend nearly two months living on the streets with no money, no food and no shelter. Throughout the harsh British winter, Stafford will live alongside homeless, capturing the reality of their experiences. The three-part documentary will feature Stafford's time on the streets in Manchester, Glasgow and London. Stafford served as an Army captain before becoming an explorer and broadcaster. He holds the Guinness World Record for being the first person to walk the entire length of the Amazon River. He has also presented several documentary shows for Discovery. "Homelessness today has reached new levels of concern, with more people sleeping rough than any point since World War II," said Ed Stafford in a statement. "As a country we have reached a stage where the statistics are so high that we are cutting ourselves off emotionally from what is truly going on around us. It is time for something to change, I’m ready to meet this issue face to face and not turn a blind eye." "None of us can fail to notice the growing numbers of people living on the streets across the country but what we don’t know is what life is truly like for them, added Alf Lawrie, Head of Factual Entertainment at Channel 4. "By immersing Ed in this world, this series will provide a raw, honest and at times deeply shocking portrait of this marginalised community."