5 has commissioned a new travel adventure series, presented by Sir Michael Palin.
The 3 x 60 minute show, Michael Palin in the Philippines is produced by ITN Productions.
“This was the most ambitious shoot we’ve ever done with Michael and the Philippines exceeded all our expectations,” said Neil Ferguson, Series Producer and Director for ITN.
“It’s a country of stunning contrasts and we often experienced paradise one day, followed by something much darker the next. And whether it was political protest marches, military flights to remote islands, sleeping on the deck of overnight ferries or swimming with thousands of sardines, Michael took it all in his ridiculously nimble stride. It’s a real adventure.”
Described by 5 as one of “the most historically complicated areas on earth” the area is still dominated by the legacy of the Marcos family and their 21 year rule between 1965-1986, which ended with an alleged $10 billion theft from the nation’s coffers, as their extravagant regime was exposed.
Part tourist paradise, it’s still shaped by extreme poverty for many and by political unrest and violence.
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Palin arrives in Manila to discover “a country on the edge” as Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos’s son, Bongbong, is strangely President, despite his family being exiled 40 years ago. The previous president, Rodrigo Duterte, is under arrest in the international criminal court in the Netherlands, accused of the deaths of 30,000 Filipinos and ‘crimes against humanity’.
He explores life in the city, before flying out to the militarised island of Pagasa in the middle of the contested South China Sea and he finds himself in the the middle of a conflict between a Philippine and Chinese coastguard ship.
“I find these journeys for 5 irresistible and revealing. Rarely does anyone have the chance to get as close to the great issues of a country as we did in the Philippines,” he said.
“I was a little nervous of taking on yet another journey, especially one so testing on the energy levels, but what we heard and saw was extraordinary and very different from any of the journeys we’ve done so far. A cracker, though I say it myself.”
The 3 part series will take in some of the most beautiful parts of the country’s 7,641 islands; as well as the southern island of Mindanao, a centre of Islamic extremism and an area on the UK Foreign Office’s ‘do not travel’ red list.
“Michael’s new series for 5 is as challenging, insightful, and visually stunning. He is energetic and interested in people’s stories as ever. I still can’t believe he’s on his fifth consecutive journey for us, and he’s as energetic, funny, and warm-hearted as ever,” said Guy Davies, Consultant Editor for Commissioning at 5.
