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Ben Way
Eleven years ago, aged just 16, Ben Way made a life changing business deal worth 25 million pounds, making him one of Britain’s youngest self-made millionaires. Six years later, he’d lost the lot.
Now, aged 26, Ben has successfully rebuilt his fortune. But, now fully aware of how tough life can be when you hit rock bottom, he wants to find others who deserve a helping hand. “I’ve been incredibly lucky to have ended up on this side of the tracks. I see it a bit like Russian roulette. My life played Russian roulette with me. Fortunately I won and some people haven’t and I can find those people and change their lives.”
Tonight’s film (21/11/07) – first shown last year in the first ever series of The Secret Millionaire – Ben says goodbye to his private plane, his central London bachelor pad and his fine dining to live on one of the toughest estates in London. He travels just seven miles across town to Hackney – one of the city’s most deprived areas – notorious for gang culture, violent crime and where nearly 60 percent of the kids grow up in single parent families. For ten days he works as a volunteer youth worker at the Pedro Club alongside its inspirational manager, Ufu, who greets Ben by saying, “welcome to murder mile.” During his stay, Ben lives in a room in a shared flat on the local estate.
But how easy will it be for Ben to befriend a group of youngsters and discover who is most deserving of his help? The kids at the club have a tremendous support and ‘father figure’ in Ufu, who dedicates so much of his time to them and the youth club. Ufu is greatly supported by James Cook, ex-British and European professional super middle weight boxing champion. For the past ten years he has been a local outreach worker, patrolling the streets looking for young people who are truanting or involved in drugs.
Ben struggles to decide who deserves his money, but after an emotional ten day visit he finally reveals his identity and the true purpose of his stay…. how will his new friends react?
