- Pole to Pole
Infobox Television
bgcolour = #D6B97A
show_name = Pole to Pole
caption = DVD cover
format =Travel
camera =
picture_format =
audio_format =
runtime = 50 min
creator =
developer =
executive_producer =
starring =Michael Palin
narrated =
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theme_music_composer =
country =United Kingdom
network =BBC
first_run =
first_aired = 1992
last_aired = 1992
num_episodes = 08
list_episodes =
preceded_by = ""
followed_by = "Full Circle with Michael Palin "
website =
imdb_id =
tv_com_id ="Pole to Pole" is an eight-part
television documentary travel series made for theBBC and released in 1992. The presenter isMichael Palin , this being the second of Palin's major journeys for the BBC. The trip from theNorth Pole to theSouth Pole went viaScandinavia , theSoviet Union , parts ofEurope , and through the heart ofAfrica . The intention was to follow the 30 degree east line of longitude, as this involves the most possible travel via land. A last-minute diversion toChile includedSouth America in the series. Usingaircraft was avoided as much as possible, and the whole trip lasted 5 1/2 months.The programme has been sold to many television stations around the world. It was also released on video tape and later on DVD.
Following the trip Michael Palin wrote "Pole to Pole" describing the trip. This book contains much more detail than could be presented in the TV programme, and Palin's personal views are also more clearly evident. The book contains many pictures from the trip, almost all taken by
Basil Pao , the stills photographer on the team.The journey
Cold Start
Palin begins at the North Pole, flying there on a small aeroplane fitted with skis. (The North Pole scene had to be filmed earlier than the rest of the journey due to weather issues.) From there, he heads to
Greenland , then the Norwegian island ofSpitsbergen , where the towns ofNy Ålesund andLongyearbyen are located. From there he sails across theBarents Sea on a supply ship to the Norwegian port city ofTromsø , where he visits a statue ofRoald Amundsen , the first man to reach the South Pole. He also meets some avid Norwegian football fans. In the town ofKarasjok , he meets up with theSami people and pans for gold in the Karasjoka River. From there, Palin travels by bus and crosses the border fromNorway toFinland , where he visitsSanta Claus at theSanta Claus Village on theArctic Circle nearRovaniemi . He takes an overnight Finnish train toHelsinki ; he relaxes in asauna near Helsinki withNeil Hardwick andLasse Lehtinen . Then Palin catches a ferry toTallinn , his first stop in theSoviet Union . He visits with Estonians who sing a song, dreaming of the day whenEstonia would again be a free nation. Then Palin catches a train headed forLeningrad .Russian Steps
In Leningrad Palin meets up with a
Lenin impersonator, who gives him a tour of the city. He witnesses aRussian Orthodox baptism ceremony, and almost gets baptised himself. He visits the cemetery where the likes ofMussorgsky ,Tchaikovsky , andDostoyevsky are buried, then has the honour of firing the noonday gun at thePeter and Paul Fortress . After buying some pears at a local market he experiences the difficulty of trying to buy a bottle ofvodka . InNovgorod , he meets up with a director who casts him in a movie. Then he is invited to a dinner party, eating freshly caught crayfish and drinking twenty-three toasts, the tipple being homemade vodka. After participating in a ceremony on behalf of the sister city ofWatford (portrayed as a dream) he visits the town ofChernobyl ,Ukraine , scene of the terrible 1986 nuclear disaster. From there it is on toKiev andOdessa , where Palin receives a unique treatment where he is wrapped in malodorous, sulfurous, black mud. After descending the famousPotemkin steps, he boards a ferry and sails across theBlack Sea . While on the ferry, Palin learns of the coup resulting inGorbachev 's overthrow, which shortly leads to the collapse of the Soviet Union.Mediterranean Maze
Arriving by ferry to
Istanbul, Turkey , Palin stays at thePera Palas , whereAgatha Christie wrote "Murder on the Orient Express ". He checks out a localbazaar , as well as a procession atTopkapi Palace . He then takes a train through western Turkey and catches ferries to firstRhodes , then toCyprus . Palin then visits the British military base atAkrotiri and attends a huge Cypriot wedding. FromLimassol , Palin heads for Africa, his home for the next few months. His first stop isPort Said, Egypt , where the filming crew temporarily loses a tripod. Then he crosses paths with "" inCairo , from where he takes a train toLuxor . Catching a boat up theNile River , he checks out ancient Egyptian ruins with tourists fromSheffield . FromAswan , he catches a ferry bound forWadi Halfa and braces himself for what appears to be a rough road ahead.hifting Sands
Arriving in Wadi Halfa, Sudan, Palin boards a train bound for
Khartoum , the capital. There he receives some bad news: he will be unable to journey further south into Sudan due to the ongoing conflict in the south. Seeking an alternative, he finds Eritreans willing to drive him to the border withEthiopia . While waiting to leave Khartoum he checks out some camels in nearbyOmdurman and a MuslimSufi ceremony where people dance to attain religious ecstasy. When it comes time to leave Khartoum, the journey to the town ofGedaref near the Ethiopian border proves to be anything but easy. The road is very bumpy, and time after time the vehicles get stuck in the dirt, forcing Palin and the other passengers to push. If that wasn't enough, in Ethiopia a long war has just ended, resulting in the overthrow of theDerg regime. There was the added risk of rebels from the war hiding near the border. Finally, after spending 24 hours travelling the distance fromLondon toOxford , he arrives at the Ethiopian border.Crossing the Line
In the old Ethiopian capital of
Gonder Palin visits the former home of EmperorHaile Selassie , as well as his petlion . From there he visitsLake Tana where he learns that one of his guides inKenya has taken ill. Then it is on to the current capital ofAddis Ababa , where Palin seescommunist symbols being destroyed. He also witnesses a peaceful demonstration turn violent. After a couple of hitchhiking rides he arrives at the Kenya border. He then journeys to Larata and the school where part of the movie "The Missionary " was filmed. As a gift he gives the school the inflatable globe he used in "". InNairobi he prepares himself for asafari , where he later takes time out to chat with somehippopotami .Trains and Boats and Plains
In Kenya Palin takes a
hot-air balloon ride. On the ground he observes a lioness and her cubs up close. Then it is on toTanzania , where he fulfills a lifelong dream by visiting theNgorongoro Crater . InDodoma he catches a train bound for the town ofKigoma . In the nearby town ofUjiji he visits the site whereDavid Livingstone andHenry Stanley had their famous meeting. Palin then catches what is believed to be the world's oldest operating ferry - theMV Liemba downLake Tanganyika toMpulungu inZambia .Evil Shadow
In Zambia Palin meets a witch doctor who tells him that he has an "evil shadow" and bad things lie ahead for him. Not really taking him seriously, Palin journeys down through Zambia, where long-time leader
Kenneth Kaunda has just been politically ousted. He visits theShiwa Ngandu estate, run by Lorna Harvey (daughter of original owner SirStewart Gore-Browne ) and her husband John. Sadly, the Harveys were murdered six months after Palin's visit.A case of stomach problems strikes Palin. Realising he probably should have taken the witch doctor more seriously, Palin takes the medicine given to him by the doctor. Palin then moves on to
Victoria Falls on theZambezi River , where he goes whitewater rafting. Unfortunately, he also tries swimming through some rapids wearing a life jacket, resulting in a cracked rib. To add insult to injury, one of his suitcases has been lost by the local railway company.Entering
Zimbabwe he visits the tomb ofCecil Rhodes , whom the country was originally named after. Moving on toBulawayo he meets up with another BBC--the Bulawayo Bowlers Club, and visits a local nightclub. Then he heads towards his last African frontier, between Zimbabwe andSouth Africa , whereapartheid was just abolished four months earlier.While in South Africa Palin attends a local football match. In
Johannesburg he receives some bad news: the "Agulhas", a scientific research ship they were scheduled to take toAntarctica has no space for them. While the BBC scrambles for alternatives, Palin visits the world's deepest gold mine. InSoweto he meets up with former neighbours of his fromLondon . Then he catches the luxurious Blue Train toCape Town . On top ofTable Mountain he regards the southern tip of Africa and reminisces about how the continent changed him from an optimist to a realist. Unfortunately for him, the BBC's efforts to get him on the "Agulhas" have failed. It looks as if Palin will be unable to reach the South Pole.Bitter End
Despite being unable to reach Antarctica via the "Agulhas", all is not lost for Palin. A travel adventure company is able to take Palin to the South Pole from their base in
Chile . This means Palin must turn his back on the 30 degrees east meridian. Travelling by aeroplane from Cape Town to Santiago viaRio de Janeiro , he checks out an unusual rendition of "Happy Birthday to You " from the Presidential Palace where the infamous 1973 coup took place. After having lunch at a fish market with his guide while listening to apanflute player, he is off toPunta Arenas , the southernmost city in South America. From there he waits anxiously for the weather conditions to allow the trip to Antarctica. Finally, after a couple of days, Palin and the others fly on a 1953-builtDouglas DC-6 plane to a base camp at Patriot Hills. While there, he again has to wait for the OK to go to the South Pole. Finally, after a day, he makes a final flight to theAmundsen-Scott South Pole Station and then, at 2:00 am New Zealand time on4 December ,1991 , Palin sets foot on the South Pole. He joined a select group of people who have visited both the North and South Poles. He went through many ups and downs on this journey, but as Palin put it, "I'm glad we did it this way."Miscellaneous
* Palin travelled through the following places: the
North Pole ,Greenland ,Norway ,Finland , theSoviet Union (nowEstonia ,Russia ,Belarus , andUkraine ),Turkey ,Greece ,Cyprus ,Egypt ,Sudan ,Ethiopia ,Kenya ,Tanzania ,Zambia ,Zimbabwe ,South Africa ,Chile ,Antarctica , and theSouth Pole .* Palin made this journey during a period of great political upheaval in some of the places he traveled through. He left the Soviet Union days before the coup and a few months before the collapse, Ethiopia after the fall of the
Derg , Zambia after the ousting of long-time presidentKenneth Kaunda , and South Africa months after the abolition of apartheid.* During the Finland portion of the trip, Palin is shown singing a verse from the song "Finland", a piece of music he performed in 1980 on "
Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album ".External links
* [http://www.palinstravels.co.uk/static-12 Palin's Travels - the official web site]
*imdb title|id=0103514|title=Pole to Pole
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