Central Heartland • 2017 • episode "S1E2" • Thailand: Earth's Tropical Paradise

58:58

On the last leg of his journey across the South American country, Michael explores the Brazilian south, where he is surprised by the rich diversity of European and Asian influences. Along the way he meets Dom Joao de Orleans e Braganca, second in line of succession to Brazil's defunct throne, goes flying with a man who has made a fortune out of rubbish and meets rap star Criolo, who believes social equality is a distant dream for most of his countrymen. Travelling farther south to Blumenau, the former Python's views on what makes a typical Brazilian are challenged when he finds German speakers and Bavarian dancers, before he catches piranha for sushi and helps cowboys treat a calf attacked by a jaguar

S1E4 • Brazil with Michael Palin • 2012 • Travel

59:07

Simon catches up with the people he met, including a Burmese undercover human rights campaigner, a homeless woman living in a Hollywood railway bridge, and a 10 year-old boy he met working in terrible conditions in a glass factory in Bangladesh.

S1E1 • Incredible Journeys with Simon Reeve • 2021 • Travel

59:09

Southern Thailand is the Thailand we think we all know. It is a place of both spectacular natural beauty and of wild parties, but behind this well-known image is also a place of unexpected surprise, where spirituality pervades every bit of life. For the animals that live here, this is natural wonderland.

S1E1 • Thailand: Earth's Tropical Paradise • 2017 • Travel

58:46

Adventurer and journalist Simon Reeve heads to Vietnam to uncover the stories behind the nation's morning pick-me-up. While we drink millions of cups of the stuff each week, how many of us know where our coffee actually comes from? The surprising answer is that it is not Brazil, Columbia or Jamaica, but Vietnam. Eighty per cent of the coffee we drink in Britain isn't posh cappuccinos or lattes but instant coffee and Vietnam is the biggest supplier. From Hanoi in the north, Simon follows the coffee trail into the remote central highlands where he meets the people who grow, pick and pack our coffee. Millions of small scale famers, each working two or three acres, produce most of the coffee beans that go into well known instant coffee brands. Thirty years ago Vietnam only produced a tiny proportion of the world's coffee, but after the end of the Vietnam war there was a widescale plan to become a coffee growing nation and Vietnam is now the second biggest in the world. It has provided employment for millions, making some very rich indeed, and Simon meets Vietnam's biggest coffee billionaire. But Simon learns that their rapid success has come at a cost to both the local people and the environment.

2014 • Travel

58:30

In the second leg of his journey, Simon Reeve travels down the Rocky Mountains. In Montana, Simon meets a former Silicon Valley executive who has envisaged a new future for the land.

S1E2 • The Americas with Simon Reeve • 2019 • Travel

46:55

The original Wild Carpathia gives you a unique insight into the beauty and rich culture of Romania exploring its chequered history from the mystical ruins of the Dacians to its medieval communities, many of which survive intact to this day. Presenter Charlie Ottley goes in search of ancient villages, crossing mountains, forests and alpine meadows in his quest to understand this vital region. Along the way he encounters counts, wild bears, shepherds, artists, environmentalists, craftsmen and even a Prince. Wild Carpathia captures the fragile glory of Europe's last surviving wilderness and shows why it needs to be preserved for the benefit of future generations and the survival of our most endangered carnivores.

S1E1 • Wild Carpathia • 2011 • Travel