Survival Den The Dengineers

-I'm Lauren.

-And I'm Mark.

-And this is The Dengineers.

The show that puts you in charge of building your very own dream den!

Wow!

-'Indoors...'

-Is this yours?!

-Yeah!

-'Outdoors...'

-Oh, that's so cool.

-'Even underground...' Whoa!

-That's amazing!

Whatever you want, the Dengineers team are here to transform

your ideas into amazing spaces...

Built especially for you.

Here we go.

The Dengineers!

Hello!

Amazing!

CHEERING

SHE SCREAMS

TRAIN WHISTLE

Oh!

SHE GASPS

Wow!

Oh, wow!

Welcome to The Dengineers.

Today, we're in Orpington to surprise a boy named Ben.

Ben is massively into survival, so we're going to build him

an amazing survival theme den in his back garden.

Oh, this is right up my street. We're talking camp fires,

nature watching, adventures.

Oh, oh! Maybe we'll see a lion or a tiger!

Oh-oh!

Likes to get carried away, that one!

Let's meet today's Dengineer.

I'm Ben.

I'm 11 and I really need help from the Dengineers.

Ben lives with his mum Jen, nine-year-old brother Archie,

seven-year-old sister Millie and dad Neil.

My dad's a vicar and because of this we've had to move round loads.

I've lived in seven different houses

and had to go to four different primary schools.

This move has been the hardest one,

cos I've had to leave loads of friends behind.

I'd love a survival theme den that I could hang out in

and watch all the nature in my garden.

It would be brilliant if the Dengineers could come and help me.

Well, Ben's in luck because the Dengineers are going to come

and help him and he doesn't even know it yet.

So right now, we're actually outside Ben's house

and he's got no idea that me and Lauren are here.

Nor has he got any idea that the whole Dengineers team's here

and he hasn't got any idea that he's about to have his dream den made.

It's so exciting, but he's going to walk right past us.

I hope we don't get caught.

(Come on, let's go!)

'Ben's parents are in on the act.

'And his dad is going to take Ben out to the shops,

'so that we can get in the house and get ready for the big surprise.

'He has no idea that we're hiding just round the corner.'

He's literally right there.

They're going, the door's shut.

They're going now, they're leaving now.

-Keep down. Keep down.

-They're in the car.

-This way, they've gone.

-They've gone.

-They've gone.

-Shall we go and make this happen?

-Yeah, let's go.

-Come on. The coast is clear.

Let's go over here.

'With Ben only out for one hour, it's a race against time

'for the Dengineers to get ready for this survival style surprise!

'The team need to rig all their secret cameras in the house

'and guard them...'

Yeah, there you go, you got the look.

'..get the crew camoed up and hidden in the bushes.

'And me and Lauren need to pitch a survival tent

'in the back garden to hide in.

'All this is done and finished just seconds before Ben gets home.'

OK, what did you get?

'Right, Mum, it's over to you to get Ben out into the garden.'

-He's coming out the door.

-Is he?

-Yeah!

If you just go round there and have a look cos it's around the fence.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-It's Ben, right?

-Yep.

-Hello.

Hello. My name's Lauren. This is Mark.

-We're from CBBC's The Dengineers.

-Really?!

-How are you doing?

-Good.

We are here to tell you that you, Ben, are going to get to

-build your very own dream den!

-Yes!

THEY CHEER AND LAUGH

-How does it make you feel?

-Really excited.

We've been literally hiding hidden cameras in trees.

The camera crew and the Dengineers have been hiding everywhere.

-Amazing.

-We can't spend too long talking about it

because we've got a den to build and if you want it to be amazing,

it won't be easy so shall we get this show on the road?

-Come on, let's do it!

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

-Let's go.

-Come on.

We'll get you a bandanna!

I felt so excited when they came out of the tent.

Hello!

I am so excited about getting my dream den made!

Amazing!

It's just a once in a lifetime chance. It'll just be amazing.

Our first port of call is the Dengineers' mobile HQ,

which has some mega cool technology to get this den on track.

Are you ready?

This is our chance to find out a bit more about what Ben

wants his survival theme den to be like.

So here we are, Ben. Welcome to the Dengineers' mobile HQ.

In here, we're going to download everything that you've got

in your mind onto this and work out exactly what you need for your den.

-Shall we have a little look?

-Yep.

I like this one cos it's all the survival gear.

Maybe something in the side of a hill here, or, like, underground.

-Underground, oh!

-Something like that.

So we're talking, like, kind of greens and stuff...

-Yeah. Yeah, like...

-..because we don't want...

-..no people to see, like, what it is!

-Yeah.

Or maybe, like, it's coming up from the ground

where we could watch animals.

This is actually genuinely proper cool.

Ben's mood board is all about his den being a camouflaged

hideout where he can watch the nature in his garden.

It's a survivalist's dream and we've got just the designer for the job.

Sege has been in the building biz for 36 years,

and he's a legend in the den building world.

Sege knows what Ben wants his survival den to be like and

if anyone can make his den dreams come true it's this guy.

What we're going to do, in true survival fashion,

we're going to dig down and build you a survival pit.

And what we're going to do is we're going to make it even more

camouflaged cos we're going to give it a grass roof,

-a turfed roof, OK?

-Ah.

What we'll also do is we'll give you observation.

-Rather than windows, we'll give you observation holes.

-Yeah.

-So you can see what's going on at any one time, how's that sound?

-Wow!

It's amazing!

This is going to be the ultimate survival den.

It will be tall with hatched windows

and the roof will be covered in turf.

The Dengineers will dig down to create the underground bunker and

the earth from the hole will be used to form a slope going up to the den.

The inside will be a proper survival haven that Ben can

use for nature watching and planning his adventures.

Ben's mum and dad don't own this house, so we've had to get

special permission from the church to build the den.

The first thing we have to do is put up a massive screen,

so that none of Ben's family can see what's happening.

The fact that we can't see what's going on is exciting

but it definitely makes me feel nervous.

Do I trust Ben? Um...

HE LAUGHS

He's got tonnes of idea and which one he goes with will be

fascinating to see how it works out.

Now it's time to start the build, and Sege has brought

in some special help.

These guys are ground workers and, using their digger, are going to

dig the foundations that will then support the structure

and dig the hole that will become Ben's underground bunker.

Even though Ben is only 11 years old, as a special Dengineers treat,

he's going to get to have a go at operating the digger...

under Frank's close supervision of course!

I was quite nervous cos I thought I could press the wrong thing

and it'll just go straight into the pit.

There you go!

You're a natural!

I can't believe I just drove that digger, it was amazing and working

with all that machinery and...

I might want to do that when I'm older!

-What did you think of that, then?

-That was amazing!

While the rest of the foundations are going down, I thought

it would be a good opportunity to have a brew and a chat with

Ben's mum and dad about why this den is so important to Ben.

So, Mum and Dad, thank you very much for the brew, I thought we'd come in

and have a little chat in here,

because you've got quite an interesting job. Tell us about that.

Well, I'm a vicar, so I'll lead a church

and so that's why we've moved here as part of the new church.

And how many times have you moved then,

cos obviously you have to follow the job?

-It's about seven houses that he's lived in.

-Seven houses!

That Ben's lived in. We've lived in a few more!

What kind of effect does that have for Ben?

It's not ideal, cos you make friends

and then you have to start again somewhere else,

so he's made the best of it, but it's a bit of a challenge sometimes.

Obviously, we're making for him an amazing, amazing den.

How much do you think he deserves that?

You feel bad, as parents, you know, uprooting them from good friendships

and, you know, it's not their job and they've got to follow us around.

And so it feels so nice to be able to give him

something really good that is just his!

This den is clearly going to mean a lot to Ben,

so it's really important that we make it as good as possible.

Things are going well so far

and the Dengineers have started putting up the main structure

of the den and it seems that Ben is mesmerised by the walls.

I just thought it would just be plain-like walls,

but this looks amazing!

Wow!

To be honest it's, like, all fitted together exactly.

These walls are made out of slab wood, which is

what's cut off the round tree trunk, leaving just the bark.

And it's often the part of the tree that goes to waste.

Wow!

OK, Ben, I can now tell you what this bit is for, shall I?

-Yeah.

-This is a lot of roof as you can clearly see!

-Yeah.

And you've been wondering what's going to happen here, haven't you?

-And you really want to know what that hole is, surely?

-Yeah.

Well, that hole is a secret escape for you,

-only you can come out of that hole.

-Wow!

But here's the thing... Because this is where the soil comes in.

-That's what I was thinking.

-You're thinking now.

-Yep.

-So we're going to get all the soil back here...

-Yeah.

..and going to have it all going up this low roof and then we're going

-to turf it, so it looks like it's embedded into the ground.

-Yeah!

-How cool's that?

-Amazing!

But moving all that soil is a job for tomorrow as it's time

for the Dengineers to pack up on a busy first day of the build.

As they seal the den so that it's weatherproof overnight,

Ben takes some time to take in his new domain.

My den's looking really good!

I really like the wood and how it feels

and I won't be able to sleep tonight cos I'll be, like, so excited

and waiting to see what's going to happen tomorrow!

Need to find the right direction home, but no compass to hand?!

That classic problem!

Well, now you can fix it with one simple solution.

It's the paperclip-compass hack.

It's easy. All you need is a leaf, paperclip and a puddle.

Take the paperclip, straighten it out, and bend a piece off.

Ask an adult for help if you're struggling.

Rub the end of the paperclip against your clothing several times.

Place the leaf in the puddle, put the paperclip on top, and the end

you've rubbed will eventually point north.

Let's see if this works.

Wow, that's incredible!

Now, which way back to the den?

There's still loads to do to the exterior of the den

and it's going to take a lot of work.

I am absolutely 100% relying on the whole Dengineers team to make

sure they get some real hard graft in.

That's what I'm depending on today.

The Dengineers need to move two tonnes of earth that was dug

up from the hole and put it in place, sloping up to the den.

That's the weight of nearly 25 grown-ups and it's such

a massive job that even Sege is getting his hands dirty.

To be quite honest, I felt guilty just watching

so it's not like me getting my hands dirty.

I'm not used to it!

I'm not used to it at all.

With all the soil in position,

it needs compressing down so that it doesn't move.

And there's only one thing for it.

Come on, then, everybody up, let's do it!

Wow!

That's it, jump it down, pat it down.

Hard as you can, that's it!

And stop, stop, stop, stop. Why are we the only ones doing it?

Why aren't any of those doing it, Ben?

Yeah!

Even the crew are being forced to help

and they rarely like to break a sweat.

Go on, that's it, everybody in!

Fantastic!

OK, job well done, chaps. Thank you. Thanks.

With the soil in place, Ben won't see the den now

until the big den reveal in a couple of days' time.

While the rest of the team crack on with the den, I've got

a really, really nice treat for Ben.

I've got my friend and his ultimate hero here to give him

some top survival tips. It's only Mr Steve Backshall.

-Hello, mate.

-Stevie, how are you?

-Really good. Good to see you again.

-Good to see you. Nice to see you.

Steve is the ultimate nature lover and adventurer

and he's Ben's number one hero.

'Whilst Steve hides in the long grass,

'Ben's got no idea that he's about to meet his idol.'

-So you're probably wondering why we're here?

-Yeah.

OK, well, we want you to have the best survival den ever,

so I've got someone who's a friend of mine

to give you some tips and there's probably no-one better.

He's somewhere around here.

Steve, can you come out?!

HE GASPS

-Who's that?

-Steve Backshall.

-Steve, meet Ben.

-Hello, Ben.

-Ben meet Steve.

-Hello.

-Nice to meet you. How are you?

-Yeah, good.

-Fantastic.

I've been hearing an awful lot about your den, it sounds fantastic.

Right, Steve, what is the plan?

So what I'd really like to do, Ben, would be to show you

the kind of den that I spend most of my life in,

and hopefully that shall give you some ideas.

-Are you ready for this?

-Yeah.

-Come on, let's go into the woods.

Steve's going to show Ben how he builds a simple den

that he sleeps in while he's away on expeditions.

Right, the beauty of the kind of den that I'm going to show you is you

could put it up just about anywhere, so all I need is two good trees.

This one and that one will do perfect

-and I'm going to put a hammock up between the two of them.

-Yeah.

And then a tarpaulin to cover it up.

So, I want you to do what's called lark's footing it

around the tree, so that's going to go around the tree,

and then it's going to feed through that there like that.

And it'll pull tight and this sling will grip onto the tree.

-OK.

-Can you do that for me?

-Yeah.

Do exactly the same with the three there.

This is right up Ben's street!

But Mark's defo not a natural with the knots!

I'm quite proud of meself!

Clip that in over there.

And this onto there.

-Right, Ben, do you want to climb in?

-Yeah.

I'm always a little bit worried, getting this hammock out

when I've been on a long jungle trip cos

I don't know what I'm going to find in it.

There could easily be a tarantula or a scorpion or something

-lurking inside!

-Wow!

STEVE LAUGHS

-So we need a shelter over the top to make sure it doesn't get wet.

-Yep.

That's my next job!

Right, if you grab that...

Steve covers the hammock with a sheet of waterproof material.

And after it's been pegged into the ground using sticks

from the woods...

Right...

..this becomes the perfect place to sleep overnight.

'But before we head back to our den,

'Steve's got a few more survival tips for Ben.'

The important thing to remember is that most animals you're going

-to want to watch have much better senses than we do.

-Yeah!

So the birds will have better eyesight

and the mammals will have better senses of smell and hearing.

So when you're inside, if you want to watch things, you've got to be

very, very quiet, you've got to make sure that you're not

wearing really strong aftershave or perfume or anything like that.

-Yeah.

-And even if you're only looking out through

a very small hole, if you've got your camera or your binoculars or

-anything like that, don't move it around...

-No.

..because the sun will reflect off the glass

and the birds will see it and they'll fly away.

Ben, I think we're ready to continue to build this dream den.

What do you reckon, Steve?

I think that there's one last tool that

every naturalist should have.

A good pair of binoculars.

So that is a little present for you to get started on your den.

-Thank you!

-Good luck!

I'd never dream I would meet Steve Backshall

and, like, just building a den with him was amazing.

My jaws aching, I've been smiling so much!

-And that is some autograph, right?!

-Yeah!

-There you go.

-Ah, look at that.

Back on site, the Dengineers are turfing the roofs of Ben's den.

This turfing is essential to make sure the den is camouflaged.

To blend something into nature,

survivalists have to think about three things.

One, shape - straight lines and angles should be avoided,

which is why Sege has designed this gentle slope.

Two, shine - a few things in nature have a natural shine,

so the windows will have slab wood shutters rather than glass.

And three, colour - we're using the same shades of browns

and greens that are found in this part of the garden.

And Sege has designed something else to help Ben stay hidden!

I'm so excited!

We've just finished installing my favourite bit of kit.

It's a periscope.

This will enable him to study the wildlife without frightening

the animals. Absolutely fantastic!

With the periscope installed and the exterior now fully camouflaged,

Ben's den is really starting to come together.

Sit. Paw. Yeah!

As Ben has found himself once again in a new house in an area

where he doesn't know anyone, he's thankful for his best mate Barney.

Aw, you're so cute.

Barney is such an important part of Ben's life

and it is crucial that he's catered for within the den.

So Sege has designed him his very own den kennel,

built to the same spec as Ben's survival den.

It's so cool!

Oh, Sege, I can't believe it, you've built me my very own den

-and just the right size, too!

-It is actually, isn't it?

-I should put a little light on there for you as well.

-I know, I love it.

-So we know when you're in and when you're out.

-Thanks so much!

Actually, this is a fantastic little dog kennel for Ben's dog Barney.

-It's a pretty good dog kennel.

-It's a pretty good dog kennel, isn't it?

Love it!

Ben hasn't seen Barney's special kennel and it'll be a great

surprise for him when it comes to the big den reveal.

And we've got another surprise in the form of an awesome

upcycle project.

Sege has gotten hold of an old 1960s kitchen cabinet.

The owner was going to chuck it, but Sege has got plans to turn it

into a cool survivalist storage space to go in Ben's den.

Sege wants the cabinet to be camouflaged so the Dengineers are

going to paint the whole thing green like the rest of the den interior.

Then they fix it into position inside the den

and put some cool rope handles on it.

Then it just needs some paint touch ups to properly blend it

into the den.

And there you have it. From an old 1960s kitchen cabinet

to a cool survivalist storage and work station.

While the upcycle project's being installed,

Lauren's been keeping Ben busy in the kitchen.

-Ah, look at these.

-Oh, wow!

Urgh, they look so gross. Look at them!

'To get fully into the survival theme,

'I've brought some dried edible insects,

'which we're going to try and get some unsuspecting

'taste tasters to eat!'

Which one shall I have, you can choose one for me?

-You rotter, are you kidding?

-No!

-Are you actually kidding?

-No!

BEN LAUGHS

That was actually an evil laugh as well,

did you hear that? "Mwa-ha-ha."

When survival enthusiasts go on expeditions,

they often have to eat whatever they can find in order to survive.

And although they look disgusting,

insects are a great source of protein.

One! Go!

Oh!

I don't like it!

Urgh, it's horrid!

It's dry!

Very dry! Oh, man!

Good effort from Lauren there!

Oh, no!

Now for Ben's family!

-ALL:

-Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad!

Yeah!

Oh, urgh!

Oh, this is grim.

-ALL:

-Mum, Mum, Mum, Mum!

CHEERING

LAUGHTER

Down it goes!

'And there's one more person who needs one of these

'not so tasty treats.'

Sege!

Yeah?

-We've got some lovely, delicious bugs for you to eat.

-Oh, really?!

-Yep! Are you going to go for it?

-Go on, Sege.

-I had that one.

-You've had this one?

Yeah, it was really nice. REALLY nice.

-ALL:

-Sege, Sege, Sege, Sege, Sege, Sege!

Urgh!

Done it!

Very well done, Sege. He did well there, didn't he?

-A round of applause for Sege!

-Thank you very much. Thank you.

'But these guys can't stand around snacking all day.'

Are you sure?

'The big den reveal is looming

'and the Dengineers still have a lot to do.'

The team is operating at absolute full speed to get this den

done in time.

Not good.

This is really to the wire,

but a final sweep means Ben's den is good to go!

'Four days ago this was an empty and neglected corner of Ben's garden.

'But the Dengineers have succeeded in creating an amazing survival den

'for Ben and a place for him to call his own

'after all his moving around.'

'The slab wood walls,

'turfed roof

'and hidden windows and doors

'make the den camouflaged and hidden in the garden.

'It looks awesome and Ben can't wait to see it for the first time.'

I'm so excited to see my den,

cos, like, I haven't seen it for the past two days, so I'm just,

like, wondering what they've done to it and I'm just really excited.

Ben, come and have a look at your den!

Whoa!

That's amazing!

-What do you think?

-It's great!

I didn't think it would be this good.

I'm really thankful for what the Dengineers have done for me.

It's just an amazing den in my back garden.

-Whoa!

-What's that?

A doghouse for Barney.

-It's amazing.

-Barney's den.

-Ben's den.

-Yes!

-I didn't see that.

-You've got one each.

'I think the Dengineers have made it better than I wanted it.'

They've just made it, like, amazing.

They've made every single detail and they won't miss out anything!

Whoa!

That's amazing!

Oh, I love this. Like, I've got my own bed with camouflage.

I wonder what this...? Oh, this is like...

Whoa, this is a periscope.

'It's going to change my life having a den in my garden'

cos I'm going to have, like, loads of people round to visit

and have a go in it and, like, pretend I'm camping

and out in the wild.

Oh, that's cosy, that, underneath here.

Ah, look at this.

Yes, that's amazing!

-That is incredible.

-Yeah.

-Wahoo!

So cool.

And look at that!

-Hello!

-Yeah, that's great.

Stevie B's in the house.

It was brilliant when I met Steve Backshall because it's just

like meeting one of your heroes. You never think it's going to happen.

Oh, look how you close the windows. Look.

Whoa! That's amazing!

I really like my den. I like every single part of it.

What's it like down there?

It's really good.

Ben, do you absolutely love that or what?

Yeah, I love it.

So what does this mean?

-This den is done!

-Done!

-Yes.

-Yes.

'Ben clearly loves the amazing details that Sege has

'put into the inside of his den.

'The periscope,

'upcycled cabinet,

'and underground bunker have made this

'the ultimate survivalist's dream.'

'Ben loves it, but what will his family think?'

Come and see the den!

Come on!

-Oh, my goodness.

-Oh, wow!

Ooh, look at that.

-What do you think?

-It's amazing! Look at it.

Ben in his den!

When we walked round the corner and saw the den for the first time,

I think we just felt a bit overwhelmed.

-That is brilliant. Wow.

-Cor!

I'm astonished cos it's so good and, like,

it blends in with our back garden.

-Amazing. Go on, check it out.

-Go on, go and have a look.

-Get in there.

-Go and see it.

The den is so incredible and it looks so natural with all the trees

around and stuff. Yeah, it looks as though it's always been there.

Oh, wow!

I didn't think it would be that good.

I thought it would just be normal.

What's this? Ben, what's this?

OK, that's a periscope and look,

I can... I have to tilt it and...

-Oh, wow.

-..I'm actually looking through the windows.

That's brilliant. That's fantastic.

I'm really proud of Ben's kind of creative mind and, yes,

seeing his ideas put together in a 3D space has been fantastic.

I'd loved to have had this when I was as old as Ben cos it's just

so brilliant to have your own space like that. It's just so cool.

And I'm quite jealous, really.

-BEN:

-Lights.

-Whoa!

-In case it's dark.

-How do they get light in here?

The electrician.

I'm really going to enjoy hanging out in my den

cos I could just go in there and I'll have the time of my life.

'And there's just one member of the family left to impress.'

This is your own den!

-Do you like it?

-Does he like it?

'There you go. It's a result!'

Ben is going to absolutely love that den.

I know. It's like the most perfect survival den ever!

The periscope, the turfed roof, the bunker.

-Love it!

-You know what that means, don't you?

-What?

-Another job well done!

-Yes, it is!

-Let's go!