Michael Palin will reveal the story behind his trip to the Himalayas in a special 90-minute ‘bonus’ episode of Travels Of A Lifetime.
Last month BBC Two audiences saw the comic and presenter share the untold stories from his most iconic travel shows Around The World In 80 Days; Pole To Pole; Full Circle; Sahara.
Now at Christmas he’ll be turning his attention to Himalaya, an astonishing journey of discovery made in 2004.
Palin said: “For me, the word Himalaya evoked the spectacular, the beautiful and the downright dangerous. It’s a name everyone had heard of, but most people, myself included, didn’t really know.
“Since I was a boy reading about the adventures of Hillary and Tensing, the Himalaya had been one of those epic destinations that seemed more mythical than real.
“I wanted to find out about the people who lived in and around the roof of the world. To see how the mountains affected their lives, and shaped their cultures and beliefs. To discover the realities of life in lesser-known lands like Bhutan and Nepal.
“And to immerse myself in one of the most awe-inspiring landscapes on Earth. In the end, the journey exceeded all my expectations. I’m greatly looking forward to revisiting it.”
Iain Scollay, Executive Producer, added: “It’s thrilling to see how Michael Palin: Travels Of A Lifetime resonated so well with its audience, and to see viewers return week after week to accompany Michael on his journeys.
“We thought it was only right to take one more trip down memory lane, with an adventure that was possibly one of the biggest challenges he faced throughout his career.”
Beejal Patel, Commissioning Executive for the BBC, said: “We hope viewers will be taken with this bonus instalment of Michael Palin: Travels Of A Lifetime just in time for Christmas, as they have been with the rest of the show.
“During a time when global travel presents such a challenge for us all, this series has allowed us to embark on a round the world adventure with television’s most loved TV traveller.”