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  • BBC One

Pole to Pole

  • 1992
  • Ended
  • Documentary
  • ~50m / ep
  • 1 season
  • 7.9/10

Michael Palin undertakes an epic journey of 23,000 miles, traveling from the North to the South Pole across 17 countries with a minimum of air travel, all on a tight deadline.

Latest: Miniseries · 1992

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  1. E1. Cold Start

    Oct 21, 1992 · 50m

    The first leg takes Michael Palin from the North Pole to the gates of Russia.

  2. E2. Russian Steps

    Oct 28, 1992 · 50m

    Second leg of the journey: Palin has 12 days to cross Russia and reach the port of Odessa.

  3. E3. Mediterranean Maze

    Nov 4, 1992 · 50m

    Palin travels from Istanbul to Aswan on the Nile.

  4. E4. Shifting Sands

    Nov 11, 1992 · 50m

    In this part of the journey Michael Palin crosses the Sudan. He crosses the Nubian desert in the north of the country and traverses a region ravaged by drought, poverty, famine and civil war. Unable to follow the line of 30 degrees east, he is forced to take a route along the border with Northern Ethiopia.

  5. E5. Crossing the Line

    Nov 18, 1992 · 50m

    Having struggled through the Sudan, Michael Palin is now faced with the difficulty of getting across Ethiopia, where the armed remnants of the fallen dictator Mengistu's defeated army roam. He makes a dash to Addis Ababa with a military escort. He continues his journey to reach the Kenyan border and travels on to Lerata. He passes Mount Kenya, the significance of which is that now he has completed half of his journey.

  6. E6. Plains and Boats and Trains

    Nov 25, 1992 · 50m

    Michael Palin begins this week with a tented safari in a Kenyan game park. He travels via the Ngoronoro Crater and arrives at Lake Tanganyika.

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