MARTIN CLUNES: ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC
Martin Clunes continues his epic Pacific voyage in the Philippines
Moving on from Papua New Guinea, Martin Clunes experiences a change of pace this week as he continues his Pacific island-hopping adventures in the Philippines, starting in the capital Manila on Luzon island.
‘Twenty million people living cheek by jowl make
Manila the planet’s most densely populated city,’ says the 62-year-old actor and broadcaster, who takes a tour round the metropolis in a ‘jeepney’, one of the distinctivelooking modified cars that are used as public transport there.
‘It feels like a great introduction to Manila, because if I was sat at the back of an air-conditioned taxi or a minibus, I wouldn’t feel so immersed in it,’ he says.
‘You get the smells coming in, other people getting on, and you can see all the food on the market stalls! So I was getting a great sense of the place.’
Heading north into the mountains, Martin is intrigued by the hanging coffins of the Kankanaey people, an ancient tradition of suspending the deceased from cliffs so their spirits will be free, rather than burying them.
‘It is really extraordinary,’ he says.
Luzon is also home to a stunning terraced landscape that’s a World Heritage Site, sometimes dubbed the eighth wonder of the world. While there, Martin visits Banga-an village, and joins a local family planting rice in a paddy field using a method that’s not changed in thousands of years.
‘I didn’t quite have the aplomb at planting rice that the ladies had,’ he admits. ‘I think that’s why they were giggling!’ can’t get close to them, so the only way I could treat it was by darting it. It was the closest thing I’ve got to being James Bond!’
And whenever he is faced with something he hasn’t seen before, Matt turns to Peter, who has 40 years’ experience and was trained by James Herriot. ‘Peter often comes to the rescue and he’s so happy to pass on his knowledge and advice,’ says Matt. ‘He’s like my Siegfried Farnon, only he’s not as grumpy as Siegfried!’
‘I think viewers love the series because we’re living in dreadful times – you turn on the TV and it’s all bad news,’ says Peter. ‘The Yorkshire Vet brings people back to the natural world.’