ANYONE watching television this week may have seen Ben Keene, the 28-year-old Malvern man who shot to fame by establishing his own tribe on Vorovoro, a remote island in Fiji.

In April 2006, Ben and his friend and co-founder Mark James took the bold step of buying their own island and setting up website www.tribewanted.com, where volunteers could sign up with the aim of developing a sustainable eco-community.

A year-and-a-half on, the ambitious project is well-established and running relatively smoothly but the intervening months were not without incident.

Viewers are getting an exclusive look at Ben's efforts in setting up the Tribe Wanted project in BBC Two's new series Paradise Or Bust, which is airing on Mondays at 9pm.

Over the coming weeks, viewers will see some of the battles Ben and tribe members have faced along the way, including a fire in their very first week, a devastating cyclone that nearly wiped out the village and a political coup that threatened to put off would-be tribespeople.

"We've really had to fight for our lives in several senses along the way, but we've realised a dream and if you'd told me at the start just how far we have developed this I would not have believed you," he said. .

"It's very hard for me to judge, but I think it's fantastic television. It's all completely real and absolutely nothing has been set up for the cameras, I can vouch for that."

Ben was also interviewed live by Richard and Judy for their Channel Four show, while his book Tribe Wanted has also just been released.

Although Mr Keene has now stepped back from the day-to-day running of the island itself, the project still has a long way left to run.

This year he hopes to improve the basic technology on the island, help develop schools and improve health in neighbouring communities.

More than 1,300 members from 35 countries have joined the internet community at tribewanted.com to date, with 400 of them visiting the island itself, whose hilly terrain reminded Ben of Malvern the moment he arrived.

Anyone who is interested in visiting Vorovoro can register free online. Prices start from £180 for a week.