Michael Palin: Into Iraq
Duration: 3 x 52'
Play Trailer Play Screener Contact Sales Collection: Michael PalinMichael Palin embarks on an epic and revelatory journey through Iraq. An extraordinary view of a place scarred by conflict - this is the real Iraq.
These fantastic films follow Michael as he embarks on a 1000-mile odyssey, following the course of the great Tigris river from its source in eastern Turkey to the Persian Gulf. Most of his journey will be through Iraq and Michael will visit Mosul and Erbil, before following the river to Tikrit. He then moves on to Baghdad, exploring bustling city life and the Green Zone. As he heads further south Michael sees the legendary sites of Babylon and Ur before completing his journey on the coast of Iraq.
During his travels Michael is driven by the urge to meet the people of this vast but young and troubled country, as well as discovering a huge variety of breath-taking landscapes, and extraordinary historic sights and cultures. He experiences what life is like for the 40 million people who live in Iraq today and explores its ancient history as Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilisation.
His journey, which starts at Lake Hazar in eastern Turkey, includes visits to Kurdistan where he spends a day in the mountain village of Akre for the Kurdish New Roz celebrations, a chaotic festival of torchlit processions, fireworks and gunfire; a visit to Tikrit, where he uncovers the truth about the terrible Speicher massacre, before moving on to Babylon to explore Saddam Hussein’s palace that towers over the ancient city. He then heads on to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, into the Green Zone created after the war and discovers the joys of life in the bustling old city before visiting the famous Ziggurat of Ur.
Security concerns were paramount during the trip, (there’s not a press flack jacket in sight) with Michael and his team needing to negotiate bureaucratic borders, endless military checkpoints and access intelligence on the ground to navigate volatile areas and the reported presence of ISIS.
Michael Palin said: “I’ve never visited Iraq and it’s not the easiest country to work in, which is why we chose it as the focus for this series. Scarred by conflict, Iraq is also the birthplace of civilisation. Our story is one of survival, of a nation pulled back from the brink. The films show how a country so long associated with war and violence is dealing with a fragile peace.
“The journey was an eye-opener, a succession of new experiences, new places and new people to meet, a fascinating adventure in a land where past, present and future are unlike anywhere else I’ve ever been. It was a pleasure and a privilege to be back on the road.”
What the Press Say:
AIB Award Winner
The Times - 'No one does travel better than him'
The Telegraph - 'At nearly 80 he is still the master of travelogue'
For Channel 5
Other programmes in this series
Michael Palin In North Korea
Also in this genre
Darcey Bussell’s Wild Coasts of Scotland
Stacey Dooley Investigates: Kids Selling Drugs Online
Prisoners' Wives: Visiting Hours
Sheridan Smith: Becoming Mum
The Dogumentary
School of Hard Tricks - Format
Paul O'Grady's Little Heroes
Farther And Sun, A Dyslexic Road Trip
Stacey Dooley Investigates: Mums Selling Their Kids For Sex
Dr Xand's Con or Cure - Format
Naughty Toddlers Caught on Camera
Prince Andrew and Scandal in the Royal House of York
Born On The Breadline
Britain's Child Drug Runners
The Hidden World of Hospitality with Tom Kerridge
Life On The Psych Ward
Bring Back the Bush: Where Did Our Pubic Hair Go?
Deliveroo: How Do They Really Do It?
Lawn and Order: Keep off the Grass
Stutter School - Format
Stacey's Lockdown Heroes
Hannah Spearritt: Me & Breast Implants
Xmas Excess: Parents Splash The Cash
Coronavirus: A Day in the Life
Stacey Dooley: Face to Face with The Bounty Hunters
Michael Palin In North Korea
Stacey Dooley Investigates: Gypsy Kids In Crisis
*LATEST SERIES - Katie Price's Mucky Mansion
Celebs On The Ranch
Valentine Warner Eats Scandinavia
Royals in Wartime - Monarchy & the Military
Cats Do the Naughtiest Things
Britain's America's Cup Challenge 4K
A Place In The Sun: Winter Sun
*Latest Series - Celebrity Farm
School of Hard Tricks
25 Siblings & Me
The Trouble with Crossrail
The Knowledge: The World’s Toughest Taxi Test
A Place In The Sun: Summer Sun
Meghan & Harry: The New Revelations
Retreat: Meditations From A Monastery
Stacey Dooley Investigates: Sex In Strange Places
Clean Eating's Dirty Secrets
How To Be A Young Billionaire
Incredible Christmas Trees and How to Decorate Them
Fake Homeless: Who's Begging On The Streets?
Stacey Dooley: The Young And Homeless
Prison, My Parents And Me
Living with the Boss - Format
Paul O'Grady's Great British Escape
Royals in Wartime - Monarchy & World War II
The Titan Sub Disaster: Minute by Minute
National Trust: My Historic Home
Funniest Ever Pets At Christmas
Stacey Dooley Investigates: Spy Cam Sex Criminals
Our Soldiers: Return To Civvy Street
A Place In The Sun: Home Or Away
Britain’s Refugee Children
Celebrity Road Trip: Lost In Transylvania
Celebrity Ghost Hunt: Haunted Holiday
A Place in the Sun: A Place by The Sea
Growing Up Poor: Britain's Breadline Kids
Scarlett's Driving School - Format
Stacey and the Lockdown Babies
Living With My Supersized Pets
Poundland: How Do They Really Do It?
Ross Kemp: On the NHS Frontline
Growing up Poor: Britain's Hidden Homeless Kids
Kashmir's Torture Trail
Stacey Dooley: On The Psych Ward
Diana: The Last Princess Of Wales
The Secret Lives Of Slim People
The World’s Worst Place To Be Disabled?
Face The Consequences - Format
Inside the Bruderhof
Heal Me In The Name Of Jesus
Psycho Pussies: Mad Cat Attacks
of
Format Info
Michael Palin: Into Iraq
Michael Palin embarks on an epic and revelatory journey through Iraq. An extraordinary view of a place scarred by conflict - this is the real Iraq.
Series Duration: 3 x 52'
Resolution: HD
Genres: Human Interest & Lifestyle