Must Watch reviews Michael Palin: In Nigeria
Every week, the Must Watch podcasters review the biggest TV and streaming shows.
This week, Scott Bryan and Siobhan Synnot join 5 Live presenter Nihal Arthanayake to review Michael Palin: In Nigeria.
The former Monty Python star embarks on a 1,300 mile journey through the ‘Giant of Africa’ for the first time in his life. Starting in the capital Lagos, then travelling to the Islamic north, he experiences what life is like in this dynamic country, through the voices, opinions and experiences of Nigerians from all walks of life.
This latest series is a follow-up from his previous journeys in North Korea and Iraq.
‘I’ve seen every single travel series that he’s ever done’
Nihal: "So, is it a Must Watch?"
Scott: “It is. Michael Palin, for me, is, I think, just one of the greatest broadcasters. Honestly, I've seen every single travel series that he's ever done because, of course, he's had more than, I think, nearly three decades on the BBC travelling the world. Then he moved to Channel 5 in 2018, firstly doing a series with North Korea, then Iraq, and now this is the latest, Nigeria. I think what he's so good at, and why he stands out in regards to all of the travel series that you have, is just the way he chats with people. I think he is hardly presenting, he's completely and utterly himself."
Nihal: “Because he's open and curious. Michael Palin is amazing. The fact he's gone to Nigeria, I think, is an absolute master stroke from Channel 5, I think he's just brilliant."
Scott: “He's open, he's curious. He doesn't jump to assumptions. He also cares a lot about people rather than government and institutions. He really speaks with people on the ground. He's a writer at the end of the day. I mean, he does so many other things, but he's a writer, so you can see him sort of stewing on the interviews coming back and having an unstructured look at how a country operates.”
‘He also cares a lot about people’
Scott: “He also goes to places that don't really tend to get shown on TV that much. I haven't seen many documentaries on Nigeria, generally, in recent years, so he goes into this properly.
“I think the only challenge I have with this is that it can feel sometimes, partially because of the budget, but partially just because of the breadth of the show, he is no longer able to stick in places as long as he used to with some of his other travel series. It's very much 'I've been here, then I go here, then I go here'. But then also I have to go to myself, 'hang on, he is 80', so he's not able to, possibly, also down to the security, [which was] particularly the case with his Iraq series.
“You're not able to hang about really that much because there's so many security concerns in regards to where you're heading to next - so I get that too.
“So it isn't his finest travel series. I mean, he has had some huge, amazing series where he's been travelling from Pole to Pole and Around the World in 80 days. Of course, nothing will ever be able to reach that height that he did with the BBC - but I’m very, very happy that Channel 5 has made a show like this.”
Nihal: “And he's only 80!”
‘We rarely see Nigeria’
Siobhan: “Yes, he's an inspiration to us all, isn't he? I love the way he engages with people. 80-year-old Michael Palin is asked to address a classroom of 130 little kids, and he shows them an old map of Africa and tells them how, in order to represent a spherical earth, cartographers made Africa look smaller than other countries because it was at the centre of the earth’s curve.
"Then Palin shows them a second more modern map which gives Africa a more accurate representation as a continent. It’s a slightly academic point to make to kids, but it’s a good visual one and also a thoughtful one. Very Palin."
Nihal: “Is it a Must Watch?”
Siobhan: “I think it is a Must Watch. “We rarely see much of Nigeria, even at a time when we need to know more. And the fact that he's takes in the north of Nigeria, the dangerous area, the Boko Haram area, speaks to the boldness of Michael Palin and his filmmakers.”
Nihal: “Tell us about how he has the tricky conversation around colonial legacy and Britain's participation in the slave trade. How is that handled?"
Siobhan: “I think he does that rather well, because what can you say when faced with Britain's past involvement in slavery? I think that he's right to acknowledge the shame that's felt about it.
"Of course, he is Michael Palin; he did not load people onto slave ships himself, but he registers the shame of this and that a visit to this beach drives home the disgrace of it. He handled it extremely gracefully, but with due seriousness as well - because he’s Michael Palin. I'm not sure we would have sent John Cleese over to Nigeria in the same circumstances.”
Nihal: “I think that would be equally interesting because I think they're both incredibly curious individuals and as you said, it's just such a part of the world which is so culturally rich, Nigeria. Nigerian culture across its different religions, its different languages, its different fashion and music and style.
“It's an extraordinarily interesting country and one I hope to visit one day. And sadly, of course, we only see it like so many other countries around the world through the lens of negativity. So it's lovely for Sir Michael Palin, no less, to go in and get involved in that.”
Michael Palin: In Nigeria is available to watch every Tuesday at 9PM on Channel 5 with episodes becoming available on streaming service My5.
Must Watch is released as a podcast every Monday evening from BBC Sounds and all other podcasts providers.
This week the team also reviewed Red Eye and The Jinx: Part Two.
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