Afrobeat, slums and slaves put Sir Michael in uncharted territory
Comedian, writer and presenter Sir Michael Palin has been making TV travelogues for the best part of 40 years, so it is a rarity to find a corner of the globe he has not explored.
He is back on screens in Channel 5’s Michael Palin In Nigeria, during which he visits a country he has never been to before. And the trip is crammed with firsts for Sir Michael.
The three-part documentary sees the Monty Python star embark on a 1,300mile journey across Nigeria, known as The Giant of Africa, with estimates that within 50 years it will be the third most populated country in the world after India and China.
“I’m interested in countries that have great potential but for some reason and in some particular ways, don’t seem to be fulfilling it at the moment,” he explains.
“That happens in lots of countries including our own, but it’s of particular interest when you’re a traveller and you’re curious, and it gives a documentary an edge instead of looking around and just saying that everything is absolutely fine.”
He was also “interested in finding out what is really going on beneath the surface” and dives straight in during the first episode, where viewers will get to see him visit Makoko, often characterised as the biggest slum in Africa, as well as the coastal town of Badagry, which was once a slave port. He also gets a glimpse at Lagos’ bustling nightlife and meets Yeni Kuti, the daughter of late musician Fela Kuti – who is regarded as the father of Afrobeat.
He wanted to “test” himself physically, he explains, “to see if I could still do this at 80 years old – and I found that I could”.
“I also found it was very good for me in terms of my mental capacity,” he says. “You’re seeing something new, you’re trying to understand it and hoping to find out what’s really happening in a country.”
One escapade in Nigeria involved nearly losing a vehicle.
“Most of the infrastructure in the country wasn’t working terribly well, be it the electricity or the roads, and nobody seemed to do a great deal about it,” he says.
“We lost one of our vans at one point, because it got stuck and we didn’t really have proper towing equipment. We tried our best, and the local villagers heard about the film crew getting stuck, so lots of them helped push us out of the puddles to great cheers, but the vehicle never really recovered.”
Channel 4 can do… well, differently but just as well. The former has become obsessed with air fryers recently, launching numerous documentaries about them every week. Now the latter is jumping on the bandwagon by getting Jamie Oliver to teach us how to make the most of them. Each episode features numerous tips as well as a batch of tempting recipes, all of which can be cooked in the popular device, from grilled vegetables and a whole roast chicken to a baked Alaska.