Pole to Pole

1992 - 1992

Cold Start

21st October 1992

Episode 1

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

Russian Steps

28th October 1992

Episode 2

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

Mediterranean Maze

4th November 1992

Episode 3

Palin travels from Istanbul to Aswan on the Nile.

Shifting Sands

11th November 1992

Episode 4

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.

Crossing the Line

18th November 1992

Episode 5

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.

Plains and Boats and Trains

25th November 1992

Episode 6

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.

Evil Shadow

2nd December 1992

Episode 7

In this week's episode, Michael crosses Zambia and Zimbabwe towards Johannesburg.

Bitter End

9th December 1992

Episode 8

Michael Palin fails in his attempt to get a berth on board the SA "Agulhas" on its once yearly sail to the South Pole. The search is on to find some other way of reaching the South Pole, abandoning all self-imposed restraints such as following 30 degrees east or using only surface transport.

Top Cast

Director

Roger Mills

Writer

Michael Palin

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.

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Full Cast

Michael Palin Image

Michael Palin

Self

Full Crew

Michael Palin Image

Michael Palin

Writer

Roger Mills

Director

Clem Vallance

Producer

Clem Vallance

Director

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