Palin ventures into uncharted waters as head of warring geographers

Michael Palin is to take on what may be his toughest challenge yet — president of the Royal Geographical Society.

The broadcaster and former Monty Python star will be named head of the 179-year-old institution at a time when the country's greatest explorers are divided by a fierce dispute.

Evening Standard can reveal that Palin, 66, who has been travelling the globe for television for three decades, will be confirmed as the head of the Society on 1 June. He is the only candidate.

Palin said: "Obviously it's a great honour to be president. I have been a great supporter of geography, especially its teaching in schools. I think it needs improvement. I feel it's a good platform to support the teaching of geography."

But Palin's new role coincides with a rebellion among its 10,000 members over the direction of the society. Despite losing a ballot yesterday at an emergency meeting at its Kensington headquarters, a band of "rebel" explorers has vowed to continue a campaign against the RGS's "old guard".

Some of Britain's leading explorers, including Sir Ranulph Fiennes, polar traveller Pen Hadow and Colonel John Blashford-Snell, backed a motion calling for a return to the major expeditions that made the society's reputation.

The group lost the vote, by 38 to 62 per cent, but said they had been heartened that 1,607 out of 4,197 votes supported their challenge. The movement has criticised the board of trustees for abandoning expeditions in favour of small-scale research projects. They have accused the society of losing its sense of adventure and straying from its founding principles.

The current president, Professor Sir Gordon Conway, and the society's grandees have countered that limited resources can be better spent, and produce more valuable research, in funding collaborative projects with international bodies.

Desert explorer Alistair Carr, who led the dissenters, said the result meant the society would have to re-examine its plans for the future: "In reflection we almost got 40 per cent of the vote.

That's come from what was initially six of us in only the last 60 days. We've amassed a lot of support. "There will be more to come. We want to take the society into the world, to make it a centre of excellence. Michael Palin is much revered and we hope he will be more open to our proposals."

Palin refused to be drawn on the dispute: "I want to know much more about it. I will have to do that in June." The society has been associated with some of the most rousing chapters in British history.

The search for a North West passage, the crossing of the Australian deserts, and the quest for the sources of the Nile were all plotted in the RGS map room. Explorer and broadcaster Oliver Steeds warned the rebels would not "fall at the first hurdle". He said: "Expeditions are about perseverance. All the great explorers of the past faced setbacks, but they didn't just give up."

About 340 Fellows attended the meeting to hear the two-hour debate before votes were cast. Former RGS president Sir Neil Cossons said the rebels had to accept the days of great explorers such as Dr Livingstone and Captain Scott were gone: "There are major challenges such as climate change. Our focus has to be the advancement of geographical science."

Palin should have assumed the three-year presidency by the time of a major policy review this year. Commenting on the ballot, Sir Gordon said: "This vote of confidence... means that we will continue to support research and scientific expeditions."