Michael Palin: Journeys Through a Changing World

Released: 23rd November 2026. For almost four decades, Michael Palin has travelled the world with an unrivalled combination of curiosity, humour and humanity. In Journeys Through a Changing World, four of his most revealing recent adventures are brought together in one landmark collection. Michael begins in North Korea, where unprecedented access takes him beyond the carefully controlled images familiar to the outside world. Covering more than 1,300 miles, he travels from the capital, Pyongyang, to the snowy peaks of Mount Paektu, meeting local people and gaining a rare glimpse of everyday life inside this isolated nation. In Iraq, Michael follows the River Tigris on a thousand-mile journey through the cradle of civilisation. Ancient sites and vibrant communities stand alongside the scars of devastating conflict as his route carries him through Mosul, Baghdad, Babylon, the southern marshes and Basra. It is a country of sharp contrasts, where destruction and desperation exist beside remarkable resilience and hope. Venezuela presents another beautiful but deeply troubled nation. Michael travels from the crowded barrios of Caracas to the Caribbean islands of Los Roques, the Amazon rainforest and the shores of Lake Maracaibo. Along the way, he listens to people living through political repression, economic collapse and extraordinary uncertainty, revealing both the hardship they face and the spirit with which they endure it. His latest journey takes him across the Philippines, a vast archipelago of extraordinary natural beauty, complex history and remarkable cultural variety. From the energy of Manila and the pristine islands of Palawan to the contested waters of the South China Sea and communities in Mindanao, Michael encounters a nation full of compelling contradictions. These are countries often reduced to politics, conflict and alarming headlines. Michael Palin approaches them differently: by travelling slowly, listening carefully and allowing the people he meets to tell their own stories.Warm, witty, visually spectacular and consistently surprising, Michael Palin: Journeys Through a Changing World is an unforgettable portrait of four nations - and a celebration of the human connections that transcend borders.