Michael Palin in Venezuela to air next week Michael Palin in Venezuela to air next week

Michael Palin’s latest series is set to air next week – and this time the comedian-turned-travel-presenter is exploring Venezuela.

The series, a follow-up to his previous projects focusing on North Korea, Iraq, and Nigeria, will begin airing on 16 September with three 60-minute episodes.

Filmed shortly after the controversial re-election of Nicolás Maduro as President, 81-year-old Palin begins his exploration of the country in Caracas, known as one of the deadliest cities in the world due to its high homicide rate, before venturing into Petare, the biggest slum in South America.

Alongside exploring the political landscape and the country’s slide into totalitarian rule with investigative reporter Ana Vanessa Herrero, Palin discovers Venezuela’s natural beauty, visiting the Canaima lagoon, Angel Falls, and the ancient Tepuis rock formations. The Monty Python star also meets with the indigenous Pemon people to hear about illegal gold mining and its environmental impact.

Speaking of the series, Palin said, “It’s all about exploring, which isn’t easy to do these days because most places in the world have been visited already. It’s very satisfying to go to somewhere like Venezuela – there’s always a risk, but that’s part of the excitement. I don’t really want to go somewhere where I just lie on a beach and drink daiquiris all day.”

He added, “Obviously there are places in the world that you just wouldn’t go to, like war zones, but many countries get a bad press in the West even though the people are very welcoming when you actually get there. In fact, they’re almost more welcoming than usual because they don’t get many visitors. So that takes the edge off the danger, and then you just hope everything will be alright.”

Palin’s journey wasn’t all plain sailing – he and the film crew were held in detention at gunpoint after being stopped by police while shooting. Thankfully, the mood seemed to lighten up once the guards discovered old Monty Python clips featuring Palin, with the group released at the end of the day.

Michael Palin in Venezuela will air on Channel 5 from 16 September. A book of the same title will go on sale on 25 September.

More information: channel5.com

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