Nigeria TV trip a test for Sir Michael Palin
Octogenarian globetrotter new series of firsts
Sir Michael Palin may be an octogenarian, having turned 80 last year, but if his adventures in Nigeria are anything to go by, it is clear he has no plans of slowing down any time soon. He is back on screens in Channel 5’s Michael Palin In Nigeria, which sees him visit a country he has never been to be- fore.
Given that the comedian, writer and presenter has been making TV travelogues for the best part of 40 years, it is a rarity to find a corner of the globe he has not explored, resulting in a trip crammed with firsts for Sir Michael.
The three-part documentary sees the Monty Python star embark on a 1,300-mile 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”.
The series follows the 2022 series Michael Palin: Into Iraq and the Bafta-nominated Michael Palin In North Korea.
In addition, he has also become known for his globetrotting BBC travel programmes, which have seen him visit locations includingthe Himalayas and North and South Poles.
This trip though, was welcomed by the TV veteran for many reasons, not least because it comes following the loss of his wife of 57 years, Helen Gibbins, last year.
Sir Michael met Helen while holidaying in the seaside town of Southwold, Suffolk, and later fictionalised the encounter in a 1987 TV drama for the BBC titled East Of Ipswich.
“I was actually very glad togo in the end, because since Helen died my life is very, very different,” Sir Michael says.
“It is a bit like living in a vacuum if you’re not careful. We had 57 years of married life together and there are all those things you share, just the two of you, the little moments. I feel I’ve got to keep on working and Helen would want me to do that”.
He also 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”.
And there was another upside too.
“I also found it was very good for me in terms of my mental capacity – you’re seeing something new, you’re trying to understand it and hoping to find out what’s really happening in a country,” he says.
■ Michael Palin In Nigeria is on Tuesdays at 9pm on Channel 5.