Michael Palin in Nigeria
Discussion
Did anyone see this (three episodes on Channel 5, ended on Tuesday)?
I found it very interesting, though it was only possible to give a superficial look at the issues facing the country, and there wasn't much scenery to look at apart from the gorgeous river trip in the final episode.
However, he touched on various things, including the chaotic bustle of Lagos, followed by a vast slum built on water, then a departure point for the Atlantic slave trade, the dangers of militants in the north of the country, a schoolgirl who'd been kidnapped by Boko Haram, a colourful festival in Kano, a polo game at a wealthy country club, a palm oil farm, the impact of the oil industry around Port Harcourt (including a village where there are no jobs and people have been killed or injured through illegal oil refining), and finally a megachurch where up to a million people can worship at once.
An interview with the Emir of Kano was an anticlimax as all we saw was one question and one answer, which didn't answer the question anyway but was a comment about Palin himself. Presumably the Emir didn't have anything else interesting to say!
I'm thankful that Palin, who is about to turn 81, is still doing these programs. He's obviously not as energetic as during his prime, but he can still get about, showing us places, interviewing local figures, and investigating what's going on, even in places where he's in some personal danger.
I've seen comments online that he looked uncomfortable during this series. I can see what they mean, he doesn't express so much humour in this one (though he still sparkles at times), and there is a constant emphasis on the need for a security escort. There was a suggestion that the Nigeria trip took place shortly after the death of his wife, which could explain him not feeling on top form. I thought he looked a bit dazed a few times, such as when a woman started berating him while he was looking at a statue in the street. But generally he remains very sharp in his questions and comments in interviews, and his commentary.
I have fond memories of watching Palin's adventures unfolding in Around the World in 80 Days in the 1980s. At that time, I found his style fresh and exciting in contrast to what seemed to me the slightly smug and staid approach of Alan Whicker, the then king of travel documentaries. That's probably very unfair to Whicker, but that was my perception as a teenager. Palin had this enthusiasm to go through seemingly any hardship asked of him, with a gentle, mostly self-effacing humour, while also educating us about the places he was seeing.
Many others have attempted this sort of show since, with varying success. A few years ago I started watching Sue Perkins in India but I had to switch it off after a few minutes, she seemed to be desperately shoe-horning in unfunny jokes all the way through. Again maybe unfair, but I just didn't enjoy it. On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised by Gregg Wallace in Barcelona, as he seemed to have toned down the OTT persona that I find so irritating in some of his other shows.
One odd thing in Palin's shows is that from time to time they do little things to pretend he's travelling alone - particularly any time he goes on a train or a ferry, we see him queuing up alone at the ticket office and asking for one ticket. This is a bit silly when we know he's got a crew of half a dozen people with him, who also need tickets. In the Nigeria series they're a bit more open about showing members of the crew and their vehicles, but we still get the ticket office charade a couple of times. Doesn't really bother me, just an endearing oddity.
I found it very interesting, though it was only possible to give a superficial look at the issues facing the country, and there wasn't much scenery to look at apart from the gorgeous river trip in the final episode.
However, he touched on various things, including the chaotic bustle of Lagos, followed by a vast slum built on water, then a departure point for the Atlantic slave trade, the dangers of militants in the north of the country, a schoolgirl who'd been kidnapped by Boko Haram, a colourful festival in Kano, a polo game at a wealthy country club, a palm oil farm, the impact of the oil industry around Port Harcourt (including a village where there are no jobs and people have been killed or injured through illegal oil refining), and finally a megachurch where up to a million people can worship at once.
An interview with the Emir of Kano was an anticlimax as all we saw was one question and one answer, which didn't answer the question anyway but was a comment about Palin himself. Presumably the Emir didn't have anything else interesting to say!
I'm thankful that Palin, who is about to turn 81, is still doing these programs. He's obviously not as energetic as during his prime, but he can still get about, showing us places, interviewing local figures, and investigating what's going on, even in places where he's in some personal danger.
I've seen comments online that he looked uncomfortable during this series. I can see what they mean, he doesn't express so much humour in this one (though he still sparkles at times), and there is a constant emphasis on the need for a security escort. There was a suggestion that the Nigeria trip took place shortly after the death of his wife, which could explain him not feeling on top form. I thought he looked a bit dazed a few times, such as when a woman started berating him while he was looking at a statue in the street. But generally he remains very sharp in his questions and comments in interviews, and his commentary.
I have fond memories of watching Palin's adventures unfolding in Around the World in 80 Days in the 1980s. At that time, I found his style fresh and exciting in contrast to what seemed to me the slightly smug and staid approach of Alan Whicker, the then king of travel documentaries. That's probably very unfair to Whicker, but that was my perception as a teenager. Palin had this enthusiasm to go through seemingly any hardship asked of him, with a gentle, mostly self-effacing humour, while also educating us about the places he was seeing.
Many others have attempted this sort of show since, with varying success. A few years ago I started watching Sue Perkins in India but I had to switch it off after a few minutes, she seemed to be desperately shoe-horning in unfunny jokes all the way through. Again maybe unfair, but I just didn't enjoy it. On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised by Gregg Wallace in Barcelona, as he seemed to have toned down the OTT persona that I find so irritating in some of his other shows.
One odd thing in Palin's shows is that from time to time they do little things to pretend he's travelling alone - particularly any time he goes on a train or a ferry, we see him queuing up alone at the ticket office and asking for one ticket. This is a bit silly when we know he's got a crew of half a dozen people with him, who also need tickets. In the Nigeria series they're a bit more open about showing members of the crew and their vehicles, but we still get the ticket office charade a couple of times. Doesn't really bother me, just an endearing oddity.
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