1 00:00:01,500 --> 00:00:04,600 Most of us love going on a journey. 2 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:06,400 I've been incredibly lucky, 3 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:10,040 exploring countries on six different continents. 4 00:00:10,040 --> 00:00:12,680 Now that travel has become a bit tricky, 5 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:15,960 it's not a bad time to have a look back. 6 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:17,960 In this series, I'm going to be showing you some 7 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:20,280 of my most memorable adventures. 8 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:22,120 WHISTLE BLOWS, HORN TOOTS 9 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:23,440 We're on the way. 10 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:32,160 The landscape is incredible, the vegetation, everywhere you look, 11 00:00:32,160 --> 00:00:34,520 green, all different shades of green. 12 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:38,360 If you can try and imagine paradise, that's it. 13 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,040 This...this is a real treasure of Haiti. 14 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:46,800 I've met hundreds of incredible people. 15 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:49,560 Hello, welcome to Libya. 16 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:51,680 SIREN BLARES 17 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:54,920 Welcome to El Salvador. Thank you, mate. 18 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:56,600 Welcome to Uzbekistan. SHE LAUGHS 19 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:01,640 I'll be catching up with some of them. 20 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:05,480 Because they're cheap, they have nimble fingers... 21 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:07,920 Oh, mate! 22 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:11,520 This is a land of utter extremes. 23 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:14,640 This is where heaven and hell are said to collide. 24 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:19,520 And I'll be sharing what I've learned on my travels... 25 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:21,840 I have no words, just good luck, OK? Thank you. Good luck. 26 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:24,600 Whatever you do. Good luck. 27 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:28,040 ..about the challenges and the solutions 28 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:29,960 for our incredible planet. 29 00:01:29,960 --> 00:01:34,040 There are buffalo once more on the American plain, 30 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:36,160 and that's a bloody wonderful thing. 31 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:56,960 I'm heading out to explore a bit of beautiful Devon. 32 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:01,360 Along the way, I'll be showing you some of the dodgiest, most bonkers 33 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:05,360 and dangerous situations that I've ever found myself in. 34 00:02:13,920 --> 00:02:15,520 Bloody hell. 35 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:18,000 I think the reason to travel to dangerous and extreme 36 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:20,240 parts of the world is because they're often the most 37 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:22,280 important and challenging. 38 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:25,920 Now we're heading into territory that, until recently, 39 00:02:25,920 --> 00:02:27,760 was controlled by Daesh. 40 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:32,840 And, in the darkest situations, people inspire and surprise. 41 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:37,720 What did you do before the fighting erupted? 42 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:43,400 You were a teacher, now you're a soldier. 43 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:45,880 You've seen and you have experienced a lot, 44 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:48,280 but still there is the teacher inside? 45 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:54,280 Good luck, OK? 46 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:57,000 I'm sometimes asked what's the trickiest or most dangerous 47 00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:58,960 place I've visited. 48 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:00,800 There have been a few candidates. 49 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:06,200 There's a lot of armed cops around. We can't film clearly, overtly. 50 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:08,600 I can't look at the camera, because they'll guess. 51 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:10,360 And then we could be arrested ourselves. 52 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:14,520 From the tension of southern Turkey... 53 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:20,160 ..to drug-gang neighbourhoods of Central America. 54 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:24,000 DOG BARKS IN VICINITY 55 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:28,640 Bloody scary. 56 00:03:28,640 --> 00:03:31,720 But one benighted corner of the world definitely comes 57 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:34,400 right near the top of my danger list. 58 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,040 I've travelled through East Africa several times. 59 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:43,920 First in 2005, on a journey which took me to Somalia 60 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:45,800 and the capital, Mogadishu. 61 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:53,080 The government of Somalia had effectively collapsed, 62 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:55,280 warlords had taken over. 63 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:57,760 It was just about the most dangerous place on the planet. 64 00:03:57,760 --> 00:03:59,760 For security, we had to employ 65 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:02,440 12 heavily-armed local gunmen - mercenaries. 66 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:04,240 I'm very well... 67 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:08,400 When was the last time you were involved in any action, any trouble? 68 00:04:16,840 --> 00:04:22,160 The threats to us included kidnap, murder and chaos. 69 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:24,800 HE SHOUTS INDISTINCTLY 70 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:26,920 Stop, stop, stop, stop! 71 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:30,520 You're worried about me falling off? Yeah. 72 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:39,800 We've come to the main market in Mogadishu, it's actually the 73 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:42,640 biggest market in Somalia, so a little bit crazy. As you can see, 74 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:44,960 we've got our guards with us. They're going to be with us 75 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:46,520 the whole time we're here 76 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:48,720 and, hopefully, they're going to look after us. 77 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:53,600 So these guys on my right now have all got guns. 78 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:56,840 Apparently, they're bodyguards for a rich businessman. 79 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:01,080 But they're not so keen on being filmed and we don't 80 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:02,480 really want to annoy them. 81 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:03,960 I think he just hit his gun on your leg. 82 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:05,960 Did he just hit his gun on your leg? 83 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:07,880 Be careful where you point the camera. 84 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:11,680 All right. 85 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:13,280 Put it down, down, down, down! 86 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:18,760 They were just filming outside a money transfer agency 87 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:22,040 and, just as we were filming the agency, a guard took offence 88 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:24,840 and started cocking his gun right at us. 89 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:29,720 When there's no working government in a country, people have to get by 90 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:32,000 any way they can. 91 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:33,960 The guards took me through the back streets to meet 92 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:35,480 a famous local character. 93 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:39,720 Hello, Mr Big Beard. Lovely to meet you. 94 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:43,000 Yeah. What is your name? Simon. 95 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:44,800 Simon! Simon. 96 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:48,040 Mr Big Beard had a thriving business. 97 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:51,480 So these are the Somali passports. Yeah. 98 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:53,360 And this is what people in Somalia have to do. 99 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:56,160 They have to come and get one of these passports and buy it, 100 00:05:56,160 --> 00:05:59,400 basically. They're not able to apply to a government for a passport, 101 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:01,240 because there isn't a government. 102 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:06,040 So they have to come to Mr Big Beard and he will give them a passport. 103 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:10,600 Oh, oh, oh! 104 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:14,440 He's not happy with the photo. 105 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:18,760 It's a big head, huh. Big head? Yeah. 106 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:21,080 Oh, I see. CAMERA CLICKS 107 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:22,160 Oh, dear. Oh! 108 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:26,240 Is that OK? OK. 109 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:34,560 And can I be the ambassador, the ambassador, Somali ambassador 110 00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:36,200 to the United Kingdom? 111 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:40,240 No, no, no. Ambassador of Nairobi. Ambassador in Kenya. 112 00:06:42,840 --> 00:06:45,720 OK, just like that. I'm now a Somali diplomat. 113 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:53,360 Filming a journey like that, we try to reduce our baggage 114 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:58,120 and have a light footprint, but there's still crucial kit to take. 115 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:01,040 I'm heading across Devon to meet up with Jonathan Young, 116 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:03,080 one of the rather brilliant cameramen 117 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:06,880 who filmed my programmes and do the real heavy work. 118 00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:08,880 Hey, Jonathan. Hey, Simon. How are you doing? 119 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:10,720 Thank you. 120 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:14,560 Thank you. I got it. 121 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:16,720 Distanced. Yeah. 122 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:20,920 So these weigh an absolute ton, you won't be surprised to know. 123 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:23,560 Actually, have you got the plate for it? 124 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:25,320 So this... CLINKING 125 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:26,400 ..is the crucial bit. 126 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:30,120 This goes into the flak jacket there 127 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:32,880 and it's a sort of ceramic plate. 128 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:35,920 It's actually possible to crack them by dropping them, 129 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:37,360 so you've got to be very careful, 130 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:41,600 but it will absorb the impact of even quite a high-velocity round 131 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:44,640 and protect your internal organs. 132 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:48,320 It'll stop a bullet from a Kalashnikov or something like that. 133 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:49,520 At least, that's the idea. 134 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:53,560 OK, so... 135 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:57,720 HE GRUNTS 136 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:03,960 So this is what we've worn in tricky places around the world. Some people 137 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:06,280 just like it like this, so it protects your upper half, 138 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:08,480 but, personally, I always 139 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:10,680 insist it has this bit as well. 140 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:14,280 I feel much safer that way. 141 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:23,400 I think it's time for me to reveal all. 142 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:25,280 I'm going to show you the... 143 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:28,200 Well, what is possibly the single most important piece of equipment 144 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:31,160 I've taken on any of these journeys. 145 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:33,240 My armoured underwear! 146 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:36,640 Seriously, these are called blast boxers. 147 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:38,680 And this yellow fabric here is designed 148 00:08:38,680 --> 00:08:42,320 to protect your undercarriage when things go badly wrong. 149 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:44,360 It's supposed to stop shrapnel 150 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:47,000 from penetrating your femoral artery, 151 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:49,840 leading to rapid catastrophic blood loss. 152 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:56,600 So I wore this exact pair when I returned to Mogadishu 153 00:08:56,600 --> 00:08:59,840 in Somalia, when travelling around the Indian Ocean, 154 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:03,560 when chaos had given way to full-scale war. 155 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:10,360 It was seven years since my last visit and the situation 156 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:11,520 had deteriorated. 157 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:15,520 Much of poor, blighted Somalia had fallen into the grip 158 00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:18,400 of the heavily armed and exceptionally violent al-Shabaab 159 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:21,520 militant group, close associates of Al-Qaeda. 160 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:23,160 INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER 161 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:26,000 We're ready to go. We're ready to go, over. 162 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:42,320 Mogadishu was being torn apart by fighting. 163 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:51,440 All the buildings look as though they've got bullet marks. 164 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:53,040 Well, that's the truth of the matter. 165 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:56,680 Fighting has been in every corner of this city. 166 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:03,600 We're talking about 20 years of statelessness, no government, 167 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:09,240 people have guns shooting about, so the result is what you see. 168 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:12,880 I was with Lieutenant Colonel Paddy Ankunda, 169 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:15,760 and his mainly Ugandan troops. 170 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:18,600 Part of an African Union peacekeeping force tasked 171 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:22,200 with seizing back control of Mogadishu from al-Shabaab. 172 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:23,720 So this is now the frontline. 173 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:29,360 It was the frontline of a war in which thousands had died. 174 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:31,400 We show you the positions... Yes. 175 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:34,440 ..that belong to the al-Shabaab. 176 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:37,080 You see that building with a mast? 177 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:40,560 And that's, what, an al-Shabaab stronghold? Yeah. 178 00:10:40,560 --> 00:10:43,800 This road was actually constructed by the al-Shabaab 179 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:47,080 in order to join Daynile with Bakara market, they had to build this. 180 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:48,600 GUNHOTS Jeez! 181 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:50,240 GUNSHOTS 182 00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:54,720 They have seen a vehicle of the al-Shabaab. 183 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:57,400 When they see a car, they shoot. 184 00:10:57,400 --> 00:10:59,120 GUNSHOTS 185 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:02,280 But this is too open, guys. This is too open? This is too open 186 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:06,120 for you, so take off your heads from the firing line, huh? 187 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:20,600 There were front lines throughout the city. 188 00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:23,640 We were taken to another area where soldiers were locked in urban 189 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:27,360 warfare and it was sometimes hard to tell who was shooting at who. 190 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:29,000 GUNSHOTS 191 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:32,160 What was that? What's going on? 192 00:11:32,160 --> 00:11:34,560 We need to find out what it was. Yeah. 193 00:11:34,560 --> 00:11:36,160 GUNSHOT 194 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:39,240 GUNSHOT 195 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:40,760 My goodness. 196 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:43,920 And we emerge and we're in somebody's back garden. 197 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:46,080 In this close-quarters fighting, 198 00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:49,000 gains and losses were being made one street - 199 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:51,440 and, sometimes, one garden - at a time. 200 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:53,080 GUNSHOTS 201 00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:57,120 Here, Simon. Left, left! 202 00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:00,200 GUNSHOT 203 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:03,520 On that side of the wall, you have al-Shabaab. Are they're trying... 204 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:05,200 Preparing to launch an attack? 205 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:07,880 They are running. They're running? Yeah, they are crossing the road. 206 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:10,160 Are they holding guns? Yes. 207 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:11,360 GUNSHOT 208 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:12,760 They are coming... 209 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:17,640 How does he know it's al-Shabaab? 210 00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:20,960 That side, that side, that's al-Shabaab now. 211 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:24,560 The whole of that side. Everybody on that side? 212 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:29,920 Commander, let's go. 213 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:32,680 Paddy's men realize the fighters on the other side 214 00:12:32,680 --> 00:12:35,520 were setting up rocket-propelled grenades to launch an attack 215 00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:37,760 on our position. Probably because we were there. 216 00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:41,320 You see that guy? We had to flee, 217 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:44,040 with snipers giving us covering fire. 218 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:49,520 Of course, war zones are terrifying places, 219 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:52,400 but I'm only in them briefly. 220 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:55,280 For the people who can't escape them, violence and terror can go 221 00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:57,040 on years, decades. 222 00:12:59,920 --> 00:13:02,720 That's something I don't want to forget. 223 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:13,720 Around one in seven of the population of the planet 224 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:18,800 live in countries that are fragile or affected by conflict. 225 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:22,080 That's around one billion human beings 226 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:24,680 and many of them can't simply get up and leave, 227 00:13:24,680 --> 00:13:26,520 they are stuck there. 228 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:29,360 I, by contrast, thanks to this, 229 00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:32,840 my proper passport, have incredible 230 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:36,280 freedom to travel and go, usually, wherever I want. 231 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:42,160 Whenever I'm about to board a plane and I'm stuck in what I sometimes 232 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:45,640 call the tunnel of death, the air bridge between the gate 233 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:47,920 and the actual aeroplane, and there's a queue 234 00:13:47,920 --> 00:13:50,880 and I'm feeling grumpy about the whole experience, 235 00:13:50,880 --> 00:13:53,560 I really try to remember my good fortune. 236 00:13:53,560 --> 00:13:56,640 And I think of a young woman called Fatima. 237 00:13:59,960 --> 00:14:04,440 I met Fatima in Kenya on my journey around the equator in 2006. 238 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:12,200 In a remote desert area, I went to a huge refugee camp. 239 00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:15,080 WAILS 240 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:19,680 It was home to hundreds of thousands of people who had escaped the war 241 00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:22,720 in neighbouring Somalia. 242 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:24,640 Having been in Mogadishu, 243 00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:28,280 I had some small idea of the fear and violence they had run from. 244 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:36,960 People have forgotten about the chaos, the crisis in Somalia. 245 00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:39,000 You look into their faces and you just realise 246 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:42,720 that they're hoping and waiting for the rest of the world to come 247 00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:44,920 and give them some assistance. 248 00:14:46,840 --> 00:14:50,400 Fatima was then 23 and had been living in the camp 249 00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:51,720 since she was six. 250 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:57,920 When you think of the future, do you feel positive or negative 251 00:14:57,920 --> 00:14:59,160 about the future? 252 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:03,600 I am always positive about my future, always positive. 253 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:05,640 Do you think you will go home to Somalia? 254 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:07,000 Would you like to go home to Somalia? 255 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:10,360 No, I will not. For that one, I do not go to Somalia. 256 00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:12,120 Why not? Will never. 257 00:15:13,560 --> 00:15:16,160 Why not? Because I know the problems I faced. 258 00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:18,040 I know my people have been killed. 259 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,560 With no official papers and no passport, 260 00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:22,400 Fatima couldn't leave the camp. 261 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:23,600 She was stuck. 262 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:26,160 I can travel anywhere in the world. 263 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:29,200 Now, I have this magical thing called a British passport and it 264 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:35,120 means I can just travel around and you're confined here in this, 265 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:37,200 it's almost like a prison, it sounds like. 266 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:39,160 Does it feel like a prison? 267 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:41,200 We say the open prison. 268 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:43,440 That's what we normally tell to people. 269 00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:46,280 What would happen to you if you just carried on walking? 270 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:48,920 What would happen if you wanted or tried to go to Nairobi 271 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:51,760 or to a local town? You can't go to Nairobi. 272 00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:55,200 You can't go to even the nearest, 90 kilometre, town, which is called 273 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:58,880 Garissa, because, to go there, you have to use a vehicle. 274 00:15:58,880 --> 00:16:03,320 And, in between Garissa and here, that's where police are patrolling. 275 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:05,360 If they stop the vehicle, 276 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:10,640 they will ask everybody, "ID card." And we don't have that ID card here. 277 00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:14,680 Fatima had been educated in the camp. 278 00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:16,520 She was smart and funny. 279 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:20,000 I knew she could have achieved anything with the right opportunity. 280 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:23,440 I've met thousands like her around the world who just have none 281 00:16:23,440 --> 00:16:27,880 of the chances, the luck and that accident of birth some of us 282 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:31,200 can take for granted in a country like the UK. 283 00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:41,120 I've thought of Fatima so many times over the years. 284 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:46,880 She's been a constant reminder to me of my good fortune, my luck, 285 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:48,640 to have been born in the UK 286 00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:51,480 and to have had the chances that I've had. 287 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:53,200 We don't know what happened to her. 288 00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:56,760 We have tried to track her down, but we've been unsuccessful. 289 00:16:56,760 --> 00:17:00,600 I just hope she's found safety outside the camp 290 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:02,200 and happiness as well. 291 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:09,400 There are thought to be 70 million refugees like Fatima in the world, 292 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:11,560 fleeing conflict or persecution. 293 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:14,600 That's more than the population of the UK. 294 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:17,240 They're often people with simply nowhere to go. 295 00:17:19,320 --> 00:17:23,560 They can stagnate and suffer for years in vast refugee camps, 296 00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:25,400 like the one holding a million Rohingyas 297 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:27,120 who had fled persecution in Burma. 298 00:17:27,120 --> 00:17:30,040 What's going on here? INDISTINCT SPEECH OVER TANNOY 299 00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:32,640 Can we stop? Can we stop? 300 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:49,320 Or in camps in the desert of southern Algeria, where I met 301 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:53,240 the forgotten refugees from conflict in Western Sahara. 302 00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:55,640 My children, they are very interested to one day 303 00:17:55,640 --> 00:17:59,120 to see their grandfather or their uncles. 304 00:17:59,120 --> 00:18:00,520 They never have seen them. 305 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:13,320 I'm very aware that any risks I take on my travels 306 00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:17,600 pale into insignificance compared to the dangers many refugees face 307 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:18,800 on their journeys. 308 00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:26,520 In 2016, I travelled around Greece and I visited the island of Lesbos, 309 00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:28,560 just off the coast of Turkey. 310 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:34,040 Look at that view! Straight ahead, look at that. 311 00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:38,320 That is Turkey. 312 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:43,720 Greece has been receiving an influx of refugees and migrants, 313 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:48,760 many of them coming from or fleeing the conflict in Syria. 314 00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:52,920 Oh, my God, they're coming now. 315 00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:56,320 They're crossing now. 316 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:57,760 HAND BRAKE CLUNKS 317 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:04,920 I've got a slightly sick feeling in my stomach, 318 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:06,960 because some of these boats do not make it. 319 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:11,240 If they don't, there is absolutely nothing we can do standing here. 320 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:16,800 Thousands of migrants and refugees were drowning in the Mediterranean 321 00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:21,560 each year as they fled wars, poverty or sought a better life. 322 00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:24,760 I would say there's 40 people on that boat. 323 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:32,560 There's some women, there's children as well on board. 324 00:19:38,680 --> 00:19:39,840 My God, maybe... 325 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:43,920 Look at this. 326 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:46,760 You've come from Syria? 327 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:49,200 Where in Syria? Aleppo, or...? 328 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:51,240 HE SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY 329 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:54,280 He's got a child's toy around him. 330 00:19:57,120 --> 00:19:59,360 How long has it taken you to come across? 331 00:19:59,360 --> 00:20:02,200 How long you want to come? One hour. One hour across the water. 332 00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:05,240 How much money did it cost? $1,000. 333 00:20:05,240 --> 00:20:10,040 To go from there to here? Yes, from Turkey. 334 00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:11,960 What do you think Europe will give you? 335 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:14,400 I'm studying pharmacy. 336 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:17,840 You're studying to be a pharmacist. So I am pharmacist. 337 00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:20,880 What have you brought with you? 338 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:22,640 What do you have, your possessions? 339 00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:25,800 You have this. 340 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:29,000 Everything else is gone. In the sea. Yes, yes. 341 00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:31,680 Good luck! 342 00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:34,960 This crisis was part of the world's biggest wave of mass migration 343 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:37,040 since the Second World War. 344 00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:39,360 There's just more and more coming. 345 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:44,960 This is the edge of Europe and there are hundreds of people coming. 346 00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:48,680 SIMON GREETS CROWD 347 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:56,560 It was particularly upsetting to see so many young children. 348 00:20:56,560 --> 00:20:59,080 Their lives in complete upheaval. 349 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:06,120 He's very tired. I bet they are. 350 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:10,640 I am camera. You're a cameraman? 351 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:12,280 Cameraman. 352 00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:25,160 Thanks. 353 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:30,760 Good luck to you. Thank you. 354 00:21:30,760 --> 00:21:32,960 HE RESPONDS TO SIMON 355 00:21:34,600 --> 00:21:35,640 Thank you. 356 00:21:35,640 --> 00:21:37,280 SIMON SNIFFLES 357 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:39,920 I have no words, just good luck, OK? Thank you. Good luck. 358 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:42,560 Good luck. Whatever you do. Good luck. 359 00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:46,960 In another life, in another country, 360 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:49,240 he could have been a colleague, a friend. 361 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:50,680 When you watch the news, 362 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:53,760 it can be hard to understand that refugees and the victims 363 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:58,400 of faraway wars are people just like us, with jobs, families, 364 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:00,440 hopes and fears. 365 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:03,320 But, perhaps, sometimes, in our urge to help them, 366 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:06,760 the individuals, we can sometimes forget about the people, 367 00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:10,960 the communities and the countries who get left behind. 368 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:16,880 But if we absorb millions of people from struggling countries, 369 00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:21,360 we may never give those struggling countries a chance to stabilise 370 00:22:21,360 --> 00:22:25,680 and succeed, because, so often, the people who make it here, 371 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:27,040 it's like an obstacle course. 372 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:30,440 It's the brightest and the best who are often the ones who make it. 373 00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:36,000 The ones who would be most likely to help build a country 374 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:41,120 are the ones who quite naturally need, want, to leave. 375 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:48,320 Around a billion people are migrants, moving from their homes 376 00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:49,960 for a multitude of reasons. 377 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:54,200 Not all migrants are refugees fleeing conflict or persecution. 378 00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:57,080 Some are in search of a better life. 379 00:22:57,080 --> 00:22:59,320 But, of course, wealthy Europeans do the same. 380 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:02,960 They move for work or sunshine and they get called expats. 381 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:11,720 On my journey around the Mediterranean, I travelled 382 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:15,360 through Morocco and went in search of some of the thousands of Africans 383 00:23:15,360 --> 00:23:17,200 trying to get into Europe. 384 00:23:21,360 --> 00:23:25,320 The Moroccan government hadn't given us permission to film, so the team 385 00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:29,200 and I went in undercover, posing as tourists. 386 00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:31,640 We're hoping that if we use a small touristy camera, 387 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:34,280 then we won't get stopped or detained. 388 00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:38,760 How close are we now, Terry? 389 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:45,720 Not a lot of military around. 390 00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:48,080 So we stand a chance of not getting caught. 391 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:49,920 Well, that's...that's good. 392 00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:55,400 We need to go quickly. 393 00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:10,640 We can see some movement in the...in the bushes at the bottom 394 00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:12,040 of the valley. 395 00:24:16,320 --> 00:24:17,640 We found them. 396 00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:20,840 I met a group of young men hiding in the forest, who were waiting 397 00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:25,080 to try and climb the huge fence which separates Morocco 398 00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:28,480 from the nearby Spanish territory of Ceuta. 399 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:30,200 How long have you been in the forest? 400 00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:34,200 Nine months. 401 00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:06,880 You made it over the fence. 402 00:25:24,360 --> 00:25:26,800 Yes. The razor wire. 403 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:28,360 Yeah. 404 00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:50,360 For these young guys, just getting here took drive, guts, gumption 405 00:25:50,360 --> 00:25:52,160 and persistence. 406 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:53,800 Talents that could be so helpful 407 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:57,680 for the communities and countries they'd left, but they hope to find 408 00:25:57,680 --> 00:26:00,840 work in Europe and bring their families to join them. 409 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:02,920 It seemed an unlikely dream. 410 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:13,920 God, they're saying good luck to us. 411 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:23,040 On the same journey, I travelled to Almeria in southern Spain... 412 00:26:24,160 --> 00:26:28,120 ..where so much of our fruit and veg is grown in a sea of awful, 413 00:26:28,120 --> 00:26:30,280 anonymous plastic greenhouses. 414 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:36,200 You can see in here... 415 00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:38,440 ..I think these are aubergines, 416 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:40,960 thousands and thousands of them. 417 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:45,520 Many of the workers here are African migrants. 418 00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:47,880 One showed me the conditions he lived in. 419 00:26:51,680 --> 00:26:54,560 The only accommodation available to Suliman 420 00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:56,960 was a decrepit four-bedroom house he rented 421 00:26:56,960 --> 00:26:59,400 with 15 other migrant workers. 422 00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:06,360 So there's a shower room... 423 00:27:08,160 --> 00:27:10,920 ..with a very dodgy electrical setup in here. 424 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:15,640 Goodness. 425 00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:19,560 So how many people use this kitchen? 426 00:27:33,760 --> 00:27:36,880 I just went to lean on the sink here. 427 00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:40,480 And, look, it's not actually, uh... 428 00:27:40,480 --> 00:27:42,880 It's not solid in any way. 429 00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:49,160 Do you actually have to pay rent to live here? 430 00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:02,000 That sounds shocking. 431 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:06,640 Suliman's dream of a good life and job in Europe hadn't worked out. 432 00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:10,720 The pay was low, the working conditions often horrific 433 00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:13,400 and all right in the middle of a wealthy region of Spain. 434 00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:23,320 Look at this. This is an enormous resort and well-watered golf course. 435 00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:26,600 I wondered what Suliman thought about the consequences of migration 436 00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:28,560 for Africans and Africa. 437 00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:30,200 He had a controversial view. 438 00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:31,640 Just a short while ago, 439 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:35,360 I was on the other side of the sea in a forest in Morocco, talking 440 00:28:35,360 --> 00:28:37,400 to a group of young lads 441 00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:41,040 who are risking their lives to get here. 442 00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:42,800 What would you say to them? 443 00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:10,400 I think we often talk about migration based on relatively 444 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:13,040 selfish pros and cons. 445 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:18,120 "Are immigrants good or bad for us?" is often the tone. 446 00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:21,800 Very rarely do I hear people on the left or the right of politics 447 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:25,680 talking about the consequences for poorer countries of millions 448 00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:28,760 of people upping and leaving. 449 00:29:28,760 --> 00:29:31,560 But when I go to those places and I talk to people there who often 450 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:33,800 feel they've been left behind, 451 00:29:33,800 --> 00:29:37,480 they complain about Western countries 452 00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:41,520 pinching and poaching their university educated 453 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:44,480 through complicated immigration quotas. 454 00:29:44,480 --> 00:29:47,800 They think of it as being a brain drain, often. 455 00:29:47,800 --> 00:29:51,480 I can understand why individuals leave. 456 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:52,920 Of course I can. 457 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:57,160 But, collectively, I do fear that the consequences of mass 458 00:29:57,160 --> 00:30:00,400 migration can sometimes be countries 459 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:04,160 which struggle to stand on their own two feet. 460 00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:23,760 Dangerous situations come in all shapes and sizes 461 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:26,640 when you're filming around the world. 462 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:28,480 This road is clearly a bit dangerous. 463 00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:34,960 In 2017, I travelled across Russia, 464 00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:38,000 a country that covers a sixth of the world's land surface. 465 00:30:39,480 --> 00:30:42,280 It's an incredible, spectacular place. 466 00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:46,320 Where on Earth are we going? I love it. 467 00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:48,320 And Russians are warm and welcoming. 468 00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:54,800 Aww! 469 00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:56,760 Thank you very much indeed. 470 00:30:56,760 --> 00:30:58,720 But, as you may be aware, 471 00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:01,720 the authoritarian government of Vladimir Putin isn't always 472 00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:03,240 too keen on the West. 473 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:05,000 BAND PLAYS 474 00:31:07,080 --> 00:31:09,680 I started my journey in the far east of the country. 475 00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:19,840 And then headed towards the city of Vladivostok. 476 00:31:19,840 --> 00:31:23,720 This is enormous. This is like Golden Gate Bridge or something. 477 00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:27,400 And it's painted the red, blue and white of the Russian flag. 478 00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:30,400 Wow. 479 00:31:32,440 --> 00:31:36,680 I travelled on to Russia's remote border area with China. 480 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:39,360 It wasn't long before the Russian authorities began to take 481 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:41,600 what you might call a keen interest. 482 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:43,200 OK, we've been pulled over. 483 00:31:44,240 --> 00:31:45,440 Now it's the police. 484 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:52,320 A few miles outside Vladivostok, we were stopped by the police. 485 00:31:53,440 --> 00:31:56,840 The officers demanded our drivers get out of the vehicles. 486 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:02,680 Right, they're pulling away. 487 00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:07,320 Look at that, they're taking him away. 488 00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:11,840 HE EXHALES 489 00:32:13,520 --> 00:32:16,760 Our drivers were eventually released, but that was just 490 00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:19,040 the beginning of fairly endless harassment. 491 00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:22,600 We headed back into town to catch a train. 492 00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:32,560 Ah. Entrance. 493 00:32:34,360 --> 00:32:36,840 Is it normal for you to just push the cameras away? 494 00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:47,040 So heavy handed, guys. Why? What's the need for that? 495 00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:48,560 This is incredible. 496 00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:57,920 So we're rapidly running out of time to make our train. 497 00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:03,160 Welcome to Russia. 498 00:33:09,120 --> 00:33:11,040 We did manage to catch a train 499 00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:14,320 and headed across Siberia's vast boreal forest. 500 00:33:17,240 --> 00:33:21,720 It's an area suffering from illegal logging and colossal deforestation. 501 00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:24,840 There had been allegations corrupt officials were involved. 502 00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:28,560 Wow. 503 00:33:28,560 --> 00:33:30,040 Look over this side. 504 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:34,280 It's been completely felled and logged. 505 00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:36,520 Goodness me. 506 00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:44,000 In the local town, we were soon the centre of attention once again. 507 00:33:52,360 --> 00:33:55,440 OK, so that car is coming right behind us. 508 00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:00,840 Are you wearing seatbelts? 509 00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:07,120 Police checkpoint. We're being pulled over. 510 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:08,640 Hide the camera, hide the camera. 511 00:34:08,640 --> 00:34:10,120 It's just unbelievable. 512 00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:11,680 Police coming, camera down. 513 00:34:11,680 --> 00:34:13,720 We were stopped again and again. 514 00:34:13,720 --> 00:34:15,440 One time, the police even apologised, 515 00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:19,200 saying they were just nabbing us on orders from the security services. 516 00:34:19,200 --> 00:34:20,680 I still had my mobile. 517 00:34:20,680 --> 00:34:22,880 So we've been... 518 00:34:22,880 --> 00:34:26,160 So we had to follow the police back to their police station, 519 00:34:26,160 --> 00:34:31,400 where we were told that some experts were going to check our passports. 520 00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:34,480 We've been here for a couple of hours so far, sort of grinding us 521 00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:36,640 down with the monotony of this. 522 00:34:36,640 --> 00:34:38,080 HE EXHALES 523 00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:48,120 The next morning, we set out early. 524 00:34:50,280 --> 00:34:53,240 So, we just tried to leave our hotel this morning, the police 525 00:34:53,240 --> 00:34:55,400 were waiting for us outside the hotel, there's nothing 526 00:34:55,400 --> 00:34:57,160 on the street, they've stopped us immediately. 527 00:34:57,160 --> 00:34:59,120 So now they're giving us 528 00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:02,440 a blue-light escort to the train station 529 00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:05,120 to get us out of here. They just want us... 530 00:35:05,120 --> 00:35:07,960 Elsewhere, I did see a different side of the country, 531 00:35:07,960 --> 00:35:11,400 but the behaviour of the secret police in that region 532 00:35:11,400 --> 00:35:14,680 gave me an important insight into Putin's Russia. 533 00:35:14,680 --> 00:35:17,920 Just imagine what they do to people who don't have a TV crew with them. 534 00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:24,600 HORN BLARES 535 00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:35,280 Despite the challenges and occasional dangers, 536 00:35:35,280 --> 00:35:37,040 I love travelling. 537 00:35:37,040 --> 00:35:40,880 Every hour of every day on the road, or the rails, 538 00:35:40,880 --> 00:35:43,960 there are experiences to remember forever. 539 00:35:43,960 --> 00:35:46,120 Honestly, it's not just about me, me, me. 540 00:35:46,120 --> 00:35:48,400 We have to get our shots. 541 00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:52,480 I'm just travelling, filming in Burma, Myanmar. 542 00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:56,680 And I'm on a train heading into Yangon. 543 00:35:56,680 --> 00:36:00,720 The train lacks glass windows, which is wonderful, 544 00:36:00,720 --> 00:36:03,800 but also lacks proper closing doors, which means 545 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:05,840 people can do naughty things like this. 546 00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:10,960 And I find myself often having to do this. 547 00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:16,600 Not quite holding the underpants, but... 548 00:36:16,600 --> 00:36:18,240 ..he's a big bloke. 549 00:36:22,320 --> 00:36:23,920 Anyway, don't... 550 00:36:23,920 --> 00:36:26,720 ..just don't tell BBC health and safety, OK? 551 00:36:26,720 --> 00:36:28,000 Thank you. 552 00:36:33,880 --> 00:36:37,200 We're not stupid. All of us want to come home. 553 00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:41,320 Everyone wears a seatbelt and we're careful on the roads. 554 00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:49,680 So, a quick behind-the-scenes moment here in Myanmar, Burma, 555 00:36:49,680 --> 00:36:51,760 we are by the side of a road. 556 00:36:53,200 --> 00:36:57,440 And Jonathan is just setting up the camera there on a tripod. 557 00:36:58,520 --> 00:36:59,520 Jonathan! 558 00:37:01,480 --> 00:37:05,840 Thank you. Not entirely sure we've chosen quite the safest place to do 559 00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:09,400 this, as coming at us from both sides seem to be 560 00:37:09,400 --> 00:37:11,760 all of the articulated lorries in Asia. 561 00:37:16,520 --> 00:37:17,920 I'm sure it'll be fine. 562 00:37:19,400 --> 00:37:20,880 CHEERING 563 00:37:20,880 --> 00:37:23,960 Sometimes, danger has come from an unexpected direction. 564 00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:29,400 CHEERING 565 00:37:29,400 --> 00:37:34,000 My own team have manoeuvred me into tricky situations. 566 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:35,760 Buenas, hola. Hola. 567 00:37:36,840 --> 00:37:38,280 Buenos dias. 568 00:37:38,280 --> 00:37:40,920 I like being out of my comfort zone. 569 00:37:40,920 --> 00:37:42,960 Mucho gusto. 570 00:37:42,960 --> 00:37:45,000 But, I mean, this was bonkers. 571 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:48,360 So no broken bones, no dislocations. Is that a deal? 572 00:37:49,880 --> 00:37:51,720 HE SHOUTS 573 00:37:54,800 --> 00:37:57,360 Mexican female wrestlers. 574 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:03,240 Or super-fit Russian patriot, mixed martial artists. 575 00:38:06,920 --> 00:38:09,520 With our budgets, I don't get a stunt double. 576 00:38:10,960 --> 00:38:12,600 Bloody hurts. 577 00:38:27,200 --> 00:38:30,600 What about our serious questions that we've got to ask you... 578 00:38:30,600 --> 00:38:33,520 ..about female emancipation? 579 00:38:33,520 --> 00:38:34,840 Agh, that hurt. 580 00:38:36,160 --> 00:38:37,560 I think I'm going to puke. 581 00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:45,080 And they were gentle with me. 582 00:38:47,960 --> 00:38:51,600 I did have quite a few bruises after that, to be honest, 583 00:38:51,600 --> 00:38:55,840 but, of course, filming my journeys is much harder on the team 584 00:38:55,840 --> 00:38:57,000 than it is on me. 585 00:38:58,800 --> 00:39:02,160 They have to do everything I'm doing, but often going backwards 586 00:39:02,160 --> 00:39:04,200 carrying heavy cameras. 587 00:39:04,200 --> 00:39:07,800 And big cameras can become a bit of a liability for us sometimes, 588 00:39:07,800 --> 00:39:10,280 perhaps when people are angry with us 589 00:39:10,280 --> 00:39:11,720 or when we're trying to be discreet. 590 00:39:11,720 --> 00:39:14,760 So then we can switch to smaller cameras, of course, or, nowadays, 591 00:39:14,760 --> 00:39:16,720 we can film on our phones. 592 00:39:18,440 --> 00:39:22,040 Some situations are so dangerous, even covert filming 593 00:39:22,040 --> 00:39:23,680 is out of the question. 594 00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:28,280 Having armed guards wouldn't keep us safe, but there are still ways 595 00:39:28,280 --> 00:39:32,760 of operating and filming if you can find the right person. 596 00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:37,960 In 2015, I was lucky enough to travel around the Caribbean Sea, 597 00:39:37,960 --> 00:39:40,600 through Central America, to Honduras. 598 00:39:44,440 --> 00:39:47,640 I headed to its biggest city, San Pedro Sula. 599 00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:52,520 It's actually much lighter outside than it appears from in here. 600 00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:58,400 For safety reasons, for security reasons, the vehicle 601 00:39:58,400 --> 00:40:03,200 we're in has got heavily tinted windows and even windscreen as well. 602 00:40:04,520 --> 00:40:08,840 It means people can't see there's some foreigners in the vehicle. 603 00:40:12,840 --> 00:40:16,600 Honduras is one of the most violent and dangerous countries in the world 604 00:40:16,600 --> 00:40:21,440 outside of an active war zone, terrorised by drug gangs. 605 00:40:21,440 --> 00:40:23,440 The gangs have thousands of members 606 00:40:23,440 --> 00:40:26,240 and I wanted to meet some of their leaders. 607 00:40:26,240 --> 00:40:28,040 There was only one place to go. 608 00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:33,360 We're now going to what's said to be the headquarters 609 00:40:33,360 --> 00:40:35,280 for many of the gangs. 610 00:40:35,280 --> 00:40:37,680 We're going into the city's prison. 611 00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:41,160 It turned out the prison guards only controlled certain areas. 612 00:40:43,080 --> 00:40:47,400 Inside the main part of the jail, the prisoners were in charge. 613 00:40:47,400 --> 00:40:48,640 Buenos tardes. 614 00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:51,280 At one point, I'd suggested to our local fixer 615 00:40:51,280 --> 00:40:55,200 a small squad of special forces guys could protect us inside. 616 00:40:55,200 --> 00:40:58,160 He just responded with a hollow laugh and said none of us 617 00:40:58,160 --> 00:40:59,560 would leave alive. 618 00:40:59,560 --> 00:41:01,000 Flippin' heck. 619 00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:04,640 There was only one man who was trusted by all sides 620 00:41:04,640 --> 00:41:07,080 and could hopefully keep us safe. 621 00:41:07,080 --> 00:41:09,080 So the gentleman in the white shirt there, 622 00:41:09,080 --> 00:41:11,400 he's the bishop of San Pedro Sula, we just had a quick chat 623 00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:12,800 and a meeting with him. 624 00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:16,320 He is helping us... Or he is facilitating us being here. 625 00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:19,600 He is effectively going to be our security, we think, in some parts 626 00:41:19,600 --> 00:41:23,480 of the prison. Being with him will hopefully guarantee 627 00:41:23,480 --> 00:41:24,640 that we are safe. 628 00:41:26,200 --> 00:41:29,920 Bishop Emiliani had helped organise negotiations between the gangs 629 00:41:29,920 --> 00:41:31,720 and the government, earning respect 630 00:41:31,720 --> 00:41:34,320 from the most dangerous gangs in the world. 631 00:41:37,160 --> 00:41:40,760 OK, we're about to enter the 18th Street area of the prison 632 00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:43,480 and the monsignor is taking us inside. 633 00:41:43,480 --> 00:41:47,480 The 18th Street gang has a brutal reputation. 634 00:41:47,480 --> 00:41:50,960 It's an international gang and drug trafficking organisation with roots 635 00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:52,040 in Los Angeles. 636 00:41:56,520 --> 00:41:58,600 Chief of the gangs? Yes, yes. 637 00:42:04,200 --> 00:42:07,560 They want us to put the cameras down. Cameras down? 638 00:42:10,560 --> 00:42:14,920 After some negotiation, gang leaders allowed us inside. 639 00:42:14,920 --> 00:42:17,120 There were no guards in sight. 640 00:42:17,120 --> 00:42:18,960 Families were visiting. 641 00:42:18,960 --> 00:42:20,400 It was astonishing. 642 00:42:21,720 --> 00:42:23,000 Here are people working. 643 00:42:24,200 --> 00:42:26,680 Wow. This is incredible. 644 00:42:28,080 --> 00:42:31,600 There's shoes, soles, here being cut out. 645 00:42:34,240 --> 00:42:37,080 There's some people up here working away. 646 00:42:37,080 --> 00:42:39,920 This was supposed to be a maximum security jail, 647 00:42:39,920 --> 00:42:42,080 but the inmates were in control. 648 00:42:42,080 --> 00:42:44,800 Everybody is working. Everybody is doing something. 649 00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:48,240 They handed out the food, kept keys to the cells and decided 650 00:42:48,240 --> 00:42:50,760 who received a decent bed or a punishment. 651 00:42:50,760 --> 00:42:53,320 It felt like a combination of sweat shop and market 652 00:42:53,320 --> 00:42:54,800 with cafes and shops. 653 00:42:54,800 --> 00:42:56,200 This is astonishing. 654 00:42:57,160 --> 00:42:59,400 This is like...like a town. 655 00:42:59,400 --> 00:43:01,280 Yes, like a town. Yes. 656 00:43:01,280 --> 00:43:07,720 Apparently, there is 80% employment inside the prison. 657 00:43:09,560 --> 00:43:14,200 That's not only impressive in most countries, it's a hell of a lot 658 00:43:14,200 --> 00:43:17,680 higher than it is outside in the rest of Honduras. 659 00:43:19,320 --> 00:43:22,600 It was a crazy place, as dodgy as life gets. 660 00:43:23,800 --> 00:43:26,640 I was told the guys in charge of one area took control 661 00:43:26,640 --> 00:43:30,480 after beheading their predecessor and feeding his heart to a dog. 662 00:43:30,480 --> 00:43:33,360 I have never seen anything like this. 663 00:43:33,360 --> 00:43:36,560 We're inside a prison, I have to keep telling myself that. 664 00:43:36,560 --> 00:43:40,280 Many of the inmates were in for serious crimes like murder. 665 00:43:40,280 --> 00:43:43,880 Brutality enforced a bizarre sense of order inside the prison, 666 00:43:43,880 --> 00:43:48,360 which only highlighted the failure of the Honduran state outside. 667 00:43:48,360 --> 00:43:52,120 Across Central America, poverty, violence and corruption have led 668 00:43:52,120 --> 00:43:55,720 to hundreds of thousands of young men joining brutal gangs. 669 00:43:55,720 --> 00:43:58,240 Several of the prison inmates told me they joined when they were 670 00:43:58,240 --> 00:43:59,720 just young children. 671 00:44:02,360 --> 00:44:06,240 Monsignor, how...how can we understand this? 672 00:44:06,240 --> 00:44:11,000 The gangs will take children as young as eight years old. 673 00:44:36,960 --> 00:44:39,520 Life is so often about luck. 674 00:44:39,520 --> 00:44:43,640 Where you are born can gift opportunity or scar you for life. 675 00:44:43,640 --> 00:44:47,600 The guys in the prison are responsible for their actions. 676 00:44:47,600 --> 00:44:50,200 But many of those recruited young would have had little chance 677 00:44:50,200 --> 00:44:53,040 to escape the clutches of the gangs. 678 00:44:53,040 --> 00:44:54,800 My God, that was, um... 679 00:44:56,160 --> 00:45:00,400 That was a very intense and rather overwhelming experience. 680 00:45:00,400 --> 00:45:06,200 It's very hard to really convey anything but a fraction 681 00:45:06,200 --> 00:45:11,840 of the incredible sights and sounds and senses that you experience 682 00:45:11,840 --> 00:45:14,080 in a...in a situation like that. 683 00:45:16,920 --> 00:45:19,680 I've seen the reach of the global drug trade on my travels 684 00:45:19,680 --> 00:45:21,400 around the world. 685 00:45:21,400 --> 00:45:24,280 In Colombia, Central Asia, Africa 686 00:45:24,280 --> 00:45:25,480 and in southern Italy, 687 00:45:25,480 --> 00:45:29,120 when I travelled around the Mediterranean in 2016. 688 00:45:35,240 --> 00:45:38,080 We needed permission from the highest levels of the Italian 689 00:45:38,080 --> 00:45:41,120 government to film a dangerous and sensitive mission. 690 00:45:41,120 --> 00:45:43,320 What are we doing? What's your plan? 691 00:45:51,040 --> 00:45:54,400 So we are on overwatch duties 692 00:45:54,400 --> 00:45:56,960 for a convoy of narcotics 693 00:45:56,960 --> 00:45:59,880 that's being taken for destruction. 694 00:45:59,880 --> 00:46:03,040 The value of the drugs in the convoy is anything 695 00:46:03,040 --> 00:46:05,840 up to around £200 million. 696 00:46:05,840 --> 00:46:10,880 It is a load that would inspire almost any gang 697 00:46:10,880 --> 00:46:13,200 to attack a truck at the back. 698 00:46:16,440 --> 00:46:18,280 My God, look at them all. 699 00:46:18,280 --> 00:46:19,720 The convoy is just below us. 700 00:46:20,920 --> 00:46:23,720 There's an unmarked car at the front 701 00:46:23,720 --> 00:46:27,200 and then marked vehicles surrounding an armoured van. 702 00:46:31,680 --> 00:46:35,320 All the time, they're looking for anything unusual on the roof 703 00:46:35,320 --> 00:46:37,440 for spotters, for people following them. 704 00:46:39,040 --> 00:46:44,080 Here we are in Italy, at the heart of the European Union, 705 00:46:44,080 --> 00:46:48,160 and there is a...paramilitary convoy 706 00:46:48,160 --> 00:46:50,360 escorting drugs for destruction. 707 00:46:53,880 --> 00:46:58,080 This is the front line in Europe's war on drugs. 708 00:47:06,840 --> 00:47:10,080 They've put the perimeter around the van. 709 00:47:10,080 --> 00:47:12,680 They've taken up armed positions. 710 00:47:14,320 --> 00:47:15,760 Bloody hell. 711 00:47:25,400 --> 00:47:26,720 Look at this. 712 00:47:31,000 --> 00:47:34,840 One is 200... 200,000 euro. 713 00:47:40,320 --> 00:47:41,960 It's just unbelievable. 714 00:47:41,960 --> 00:47:43,800 There is just masses more. 715 00:47:45,840 --> 00:47:49,040 I have never seen it on this sort of scale before. 716 00:47:49,040 --> 00:47:51,120 It's astonishing to see this much. 717 00:47:58,160 --> 00:48:00,160 The traffickers in this region 718 00:48:00,160 --> 00:48:03,480 are an Italian mafia called 'Ndrangheta. 719 00:48:03,480 --> 00:48:07,400 They're the most powerful organised crime group in Europe. 720 00:48:07,400 --> 00:48:11,000 But there's a paramilitary special forces unit hunting down the 721 00:48:11,000 --> 00:48:12,840 crime bosses, called the Cacciatori. 722 00:48:16,360 --> 00:48:18,920 Are you military? Are you police? 723 00:48:18,920 --> 00:48:20,560 We do both things. 724 00:48:20,560 --> 00:48:25,040 So we get the information to know where people is and then also 725 00:48:25,040 --> 00:48:27,480 have the training and the tools to 726 00:48:27,480 --> 00:48:30,280 go in their house and arrest these people. 727 00:48:32,440 --> 00:48:33,800 Heading out. 728 00:48:33,800 --> 00:48:38,840 Lieutenant Dario and his armed team took us along on an active operation 729 00:48:38,840 --> 00:48:40,880 deep inside 'Ndrangheta territory. 730 00:48:42,760 --> 00:48:45,600 It's not territory of Italy, you know. 731 00:48:45,600 --> 00:48:48,360 It's territory of 'Ndrangheta. 732 00:48:48,360 --> 00:48:50,760 There is no state there. That's an incredible thing to hear. 733 00:48:50,760 --> 00:48:53,280 They don't want any form of state. 734 00:48:54,320 --> 00:48:56,720 Using violence and intimidation, 735 00:48:56,720 --> 00:49:00,800 the 'Ndrangheta control whole towns and villages in this area. 736 00:49:00,800 --> 00:49:03,640 They have an elaborate system of hideouts and safe houses. 737 00:49:08,520 --> 00:49:10,520 Simon. Oh, my God! 738 00:49:10,520 --> 00:49:12,360 This was the entrance. 739 00:49:12,360 --> 00:49:14,320 So this house was raided, 740 00:49:14,320 --> 00:49:19,240 and there was a fugitive, who'd, what, hidden under the floor here? 741 00:49:19,240 --> 00:49:21,280 You can see the stairs. 742 00:49:21,280 --> 00:49:25,560 Oh. So the whole step that was here is mounted on rails, 743 00:49:25,560 --> 00:49:27,800 to pull it backwards and forwards. 744 00:49:27,800 --> 00:49:30,440 I mean, that is ingenious. 745 00:49:32,080 --> 00:49:36,320 And this leads to the room where actually they hide themselves. 746 00:49:37,800 --> 00:49:39,400 OK, it's a little bit tricky. 747 00:49:41,200 --> 00:49:43,640 Can you believe what they've done? 748 00:49:44,640 --> 00:49:47,080 Four. Four beds. 749 00:49:47,080 --> 00:49:48,520 This was their life. 750 00:49:52,320 --> 00:49:53,720 What's this? 751 00:49:53,720 --> 00:49:55,800 Oh, my God! There's a whole other tunnel here? 752 00:49:55,800 --> 00:49:56,840 Let's go. 753 00:49:58,080 --> 00:49:59,280 Totally bizarre. 754 00:50:03,360 --> 00:50:05,120 Is this in the same house we were in? 755 00:50:10,040 --> 00:50:11,280 It's another house. 756 00:50:14,120 --> 00:50:16,440 A network of tunnels and bunkers 757 00:50:16,440 --> 00:50:18,280 extends beneath much of this village. 758 00:50:20,400 --> 00:50:22,440 I've never seen anything like this. 759 00:50:26,920 --> 00:50:28,480 The tunnels were so tight, 760 00:50:28,480 --> 00:50:32,840 I had to film myself and cameraman Craig behind me on my phone. 761 00:50:32,840 --> 00:50:36,440 It's like Alice in Wonderland meets Narcos. 762 00:50:40,720 --> 00:50:42,360 SIMON LAUGHS 763 00:50:42,360 --> 00:50:43,960 Look at you! All right, mate?! 764 00:50:43,960 --> 00:50:46,000 What the hell are we doing?! 765 00:50:46,000 --> 00:50:48,280 CRAIG: Come to the Mediterranean, go to the beach! 766 00:50:48,280 --> 00:50:49,320 SIMON LAUGHS 767 00:50:50,880 --> 00:50:52,400 What? What is that? 768 00:50:52,400 --> 00:50:53,520 Drainage. 769 00:50:53,520 --> 00:50:54,920 What, you mean the sewer? 770 00:50:57,040 --> 00:51:00,520 Of course, so, as soon as they can get into here, 771 00:51:00,520 --> 00:51:02,400 they can move around the whole town. 772 00:51:11,400 --> 00:51:13,240 Less than an hour later, 773 00:51:13,240 --> 00:51:16,680 I was back inside a relatively comfy hotel room. 774 00:51:16,680 --> 00:51:19,520 It was completely surreal, 775 00:51:19,520 --> 00:51:21,960 but that is so often life on this planet, 776 00:51:21,960 --> 00:51:25,800 madness and normality. 777 00:51:25,800 --> 00:51:30,480 It's easy to think that the world is a violent and dangerous place, 778 00:51:30,480 --> 00:51:32,240 and parts of it are, 779 00:51:32,240 --> 00:51:35,400 but, in my experience, the overwhelming majority of people 780 00:51:35,400 --> 00:51:40,240 are friendly, honest, and often keen to help. 781 00:51:40,240 --> 00:51:43,280 And, even in the most unlikely situations, 782 00:51:43,280 --> 00:51:46,720 people can surprise and inspire. 783 00:51:53,240 --> 00:51:56,640 My recent travels down through the Americas took me to El Salvador. 784 00:52:00,160 --> 00:52:03,000 Like Honduras, and so many countries in Central America, 785 00:52:03,000 --> 00:52:05,240 El Salvador is another dangerous place. 786 00:52:10,800 --> 00:52:13,760 Every year, hundreds of people there are murdered by drug gangs. 787 00:52:23,560 --> 00:52:26,760 It's astonishing how, 788 00:52:26,760 --> 00:52:29,400 openly, the police, wearing balaclavas, 789 00:52:29,400 --> 00:52:32,240 are holding a man on the ground, and people just walk around, 790 00:52:32,240 --> 00:52:33,960 as if it's the most normal thing 791 00:52:33,960 --> 00:52:35,600 because it is here. 792 00:52:38,720 --> 00:52:41,160 But people here don't just submit to the violence. 793 00:52:43,640 --> 00:52:47,440 I found an organisation that inspired and offered hope. 794 00:52:52,680 --> 00:52:55,800 In the gang-torn capital, San Salvador, 795 00:52:55,800 --> 00:52:59,640 18-year-old student Sandra works 24-hour shifts 796 00:52:59,640 --> 00:53:01,920 for the Commandos De Salvamento, 797 00:53:01,920 --> 00:53:04,520 a group of volunteer emergency paramedics. 798 00:53:10,640 --> 00:53:12,040 On a 24-hour shift, 799 00:53:12,040 --> 00:53:15,080 Sandra and her team will respond to dozens of calls, 800 00:53:15,080 --> 00:53:17,760 from traffic accidents to gang shootings. 801 00:53:17,760 --> 00:53:19,520 They allow me to tag along. 802 00:53:23,440 --> 00:53:26,280 They've just said that we're going to a dangerous area. 803 00:53:26,280 --> 00:53:27,880 They weren't sure about taking us, 804 00:53:27,880 --> 00:53:29,920 but we said we're just going to stay in the ambulance, 805 00:53:29,920 --> 00:53:31,480 we're not going to get out. 806 00:53:50,840 --> 00:53:54,160 MAN GRUNTS AND GROANS 807 00:54:45,680 --> 00:54:48,760 He's been beaten up by a lot of people? Yeah. 808 00:54:53,200 --> 00:54:55,200 Who speaks English? 809 00:54:55,200 --> 00:54:57,640 Somebody right there? Somebody right here. 810 00:54:57,640 --> 00:54:59,480 Hey, hey, hey, I can hear you. 811 00:54:59,480 --> 00:55:00,920 How are you doing? 812 00:55:00,920 --> 00:55:02,760 Great. I'm BLEEP up, hey?! 813 00:55:02,760 --> 00:55:06,000 Oh, my God. I'm just going to the hospital, 814 00:55:06,000 --> 00:55:08,640 but I got, I got stabbed in my head, 815 00:55:08,640 --> 00:55:11,280 and they're taking me to... BLEEP ..to the hospital. 816 00:55:11,280 --> 00:55:12,520 To the national hospital. 817 00:55:12,520 --> 00:55:14,960 That's right. National hospital. How you been? 818 00:55:14,960 --> 00:55:17,600 I'm not a volunteer. I'm from, I'm from British television. 819 00:55:17,600 --> 00:55:19,640 Oh, you're British? Yeah, you look... 820 00:55:19,640 --> 00:55:20,840 Oh... BLEEP! 821 00:55:20,840 --> 00:55:22,680 Give me... Come on. I thought you were British! 822 00:55:22,680 --> 00:55:23,880 Give me the BLEEP! 823 00:55:23,880 --> 00:55:25,920 Hey. All right. How you been doing? 824 00:55:25,920 --> 00:55:27,120 Welcome to El Salvador! 825 00:55:27,120 --> 00:55:28,320 Thank you, mate. Yeah. 826 00:55:28,320 --> 00:55:30,760 Oh, God, yeah. All right, I've got to come out of your way. 827 00:55:30,760 --> 00:55:31,800 OK. Good luck. Hey. 828 00:55:39,960 --> 00:55:43,880 So he's being taken into hospital there. 829 00:55:43,880 --> 00:55:46,520 Helping people injured in the violence here 830 00:55:46,520 --> 00:55:48,480 is the work of brave angels, 831 00:55:48,480 --> 00:55:51,320 but the Commandos do even more than that. 832 00:55:51,320 --> 00:55:53,520 They recruit youngsters, like Sandra, 833 00:55:53,520 --> 00:55:57,360 who are risk of either joining drug gangs or being targeted by them 834 00:55:57,360 --> 00:55:59,600 and teach them to work as paramedics. 835 00:56:16,760 --> 00:56:19,280 Well, Sandra, sorry for just busting in here like this. 836 00:56:22,320 --> 00:56:24,400 Is this where you stay, as a volunteer, 837 00:56:24,400 --> 00:56:26,240 or are you actually living here? 838 00:56:48,560 --> 00:56:50,840 You're 18. What do you, 839 00:56:50,840 --> 00:56:52,840 what do you want to do with your life, Sandra? 840 00:57:07,880 --> 00:57:10,920 So I think we're going to see Dr Sandra in the future. 841 00:57:17,720 --> 00:57:20,720 This group gives youngsters family and identity. 842 00:57:20,720 --> 00:57:23,320 They teach the value of each human existence. 843 00:57:23,320 --> 00:57:26,960 Perhaps most importantly, they show that, even in a country ravaged 844 00:57:26,960 --> 00:57:30,200 by the violence of the drug trade, amid immense danger, 845 00:57:30,200 --> 00:57:31,880 there is hope. 846 00:57:31,880 --> 00:57:36,760 Personally, I find everything here, and everything they're doing, 847 00:57:36,760 --> 00:57:38,760 completely inspiring. 848 00:57:38,760 --> 00:57:40,760 In a very dark place, 849 00:57:40,760 --> 00:57:42,000 in a very dark situation, 850 00:57:42,000 --> 00:57:44,640 they are a candle burning bright. 851 00:57:50,320 --> 00:57:51,520 Good luck, guys. 852 00:57:57,600 --> 00:58:00,920 Next time, I'm on sea and land, 853 00:58:00,920 --> 00:58:03,640 sharing my journey through our wild world... 854 00:58:03,640 --> 00:58:05,800 Here they come. Oh, my God! 855 00:58:05,800 --> 00:58:08,000 That's not supposed to be like that. Come, come, come.