The Palin effect
You know you’ve made it when you engender a phenomenon. The ‘Palin e ect’ occurs when bookings for a particular destination skyrocket after Michael Palin visits for one of his popular travel programmes.
This former Monty Python star, screenwriter, TV presenter and Britain’s Nicest Man reacts with typical warmth at the mention of this. ‘I’m delighted if people want to discover the world based on the way we’ve done it,’ he laughs, ‘as it’s certainly not luxury travel.’
The latest country to come under the Palin microscope is Brazil. Palin and his team, many of whom he has worked with for more than 20 years, spent four months exploring the enormous South American landscape.
‘Brazil is a bit of a dream,’ he says. ‘It has an escapist image of beaches and sun and samba and people who aren’t really taking life too seriously. But then there’s the great rainforest, which we know nothing about and rather fear. The country is this combination of a vaguely threatening interior, and a rather jolly coastline.’
Mestre Boa Gente teaches Michael capoeira
Traversing Brazil, from the frightening rainforest to the celebratory coast, Palin’s experiences are captured in the four-part series, along with the accompanying book, the majority of which he wrote while en route. ‘Filming is a physical satisfaction, while writing is much more of a mental satisfaction,’ he says.
‘It’s good to keep a personal record of your travels, and I see the book as a separate account of the journey seen through my eyes, with all of my emotions and feelings in there.’
Palin’s personality shines through in both media. While most of his witticisms are reserved for the book, his remarkable ability to handle people is captured on camera. From practising archery with the Yanomami tribe to cooking pancakes with ladies in the Wauja village, his ability to build a rapport with anyone is at the heart of his programmes.
‘I don’t speak the language so I have to rely on the basics of human interaction,’ he explains. ‘It’s just smiling at people, shaking their hand, watching what they’re doing and showing an interest. I don’t find that terribly difficult because I am genuinely interested in their way of life. I find on the whole that people are pleased to see you, and I like people who are not in any way patronising or pretentious.’
Charmingly British in his sensibilities, he adds, ‘I always feel, in a way, that I have to apologise for invading their world. But I don’t stand there as an expert making assumptions. I’m there to learn.’
Michael share his holiday snaps with children of the Yanomami
It is this desire to learn that is at the root of his passion for travel. Growing up in 1950s Sheffield, he was eternally fascinated by tales of exotic, strange places. ‘When I was young, I loved any book that was about the South Pole or exploration of Africa.’ Michael believes the interest was heightened by the fact that he thought he would never leave Sheffield. ‘Back then, people didn’t travel much unless they were in business or the army. The casual traveller simply didn’t exist.’
A bright young man, he did leave Sheffield when he won a place at Oxford University. It was there he met Terry Jones, forming a writing partnership that would create the infamous Monty Python series. ‘When we were making Monty Python we went abroad for publicity, but we’d only see an airport, a television studio and a hotel room, and that was about it. Inside me there was still a suppressed need to see the world.’
This need was to find fulfilment with a request that came quite out of the blue. ‘Just after I finished making A Fish Called Wanda in 1987, the BBC asked me if I wanted to be a presenter of a new series, which was to be quite difficult and dangerous. They flattered me until I said yes,’ he says wryly.
The result, of course, was the seminal Around The World In 80 Days. It was hard work, but hugely enjoyable. ‘It opened doors I never expected to walk through,’ says Palin, and there is a definite trace of that boyhood excitement.
His unique career means that he is often away from home, filming for weeks at a time. He could not be happier with this itinerant way of life: ‘I enjoy getting away from the familiarity of home and this country. I find it refreshes you, otherwise you could just take life for granted.’
Home game: Yanomami FC
What about his family – do they mind him continually setting off? ‘My wife is terrific at running her life, running the house and looking after the children. I was never made to feel that I was doing something selfish.’ While Michael and his wife, Helen, will holiday together (he lists New York and Barcelona as examples), she is happy to leave the intrepid travelling to him. It is a situation that has been working well since they wed in 1966.
‘We are still married, let’s put it that way,’ he smiles.
His own fascination aside, Michael believes that travel is an important force for good. ‘The more people connect with the rest of the world, the better. I think actually meeting people face to face in their own country can diffuse a lot of tension.’ Michael has scaled every continent, and has yet to find a place where he hasn’t come across a friendly face.
‘There’s a feeling that the world is falling apart and everyone is at each other’s throats. We’ve got a fear of terrorism everywhere. And actually whenever you meet people living their daily lives in any country – and I hate to use the word ‘ordinary’ because there are no ordinary people – they don’t want to chase you down the street, or kill anyone. People are far more interested in what we have in common than what keeps us apart.’
Emu outfits at the Bumba Meu Boi celebrations. Right: Itsautaku, the shaman of Wauja, Amazonia
With his 70th birthday next year, is there any chance of this adventurous spirit slowing down? ‘Oh, I can’t see myself ever retiring, quite the opposite. I shall forever be fascinated by foreign places, food and music and the way people are – the fact that they’re different. I always want to decode what these differences are, and try and make some sort of connection.’
He could be defined as an actor, TV presenter or by his myriad other talents, but Michael insists that he sees himself simply as ‘an observer of life’. It is a lifelong vocation. ‘As long as there’s a place to visit and people to meet, I’ll be dragging my ageing body out somewhere.’
Brazil With Michael Palin is on Wednesdays at 9pm on BBC One.
Brazil by Michael Palin, with photographs by Basil Pao, is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, priced £25.
This former Monty Python star, screenwriter, TV presenter and Britain’s Nicest Man reacts with typical warmth at the mention of this. ‘I’m delighted if people want to discover the world based on the way we’ve done it,’ he laughs, ‘as it’s certainly not luxury travel.’
The latest country to come under the Palin microscope is Brazil. Palin and his team, many of whom he has worked with for more than 20 years, spent four months exploring the enormous South American landscape.
‘Brazil is a bit of a dream,’ he says. ‘It has an escapist image of beaches and sun and samba and people who aren’t really taking life too seriously. But then there’s the great rainforest, which we know nothing about and rather fear. The country is this combination of a vaguely threatening interior, and a rather jolly coastline.’
Mestre Boa Gente teaches Michael capoeiraTraversing Brazil, from the frightening rainforest to the celebratory coast, Palin’s experiences are captured in the four-part series, along with the accompanying book, the majority of which he wrote while en route. ‘Filming is a physical satisfaction, while writing is much more of a mental satisfaction,’ he says.
‘It’s good to keep a personal record of your travels, and I see the book as a separate account of the journey seen through my eyes, with all of my emotions and feelings in there.’
Palin’s personality shines through in both media. While most of his witticisms are reserved for the book, his remarkable ability to handle people is captured on camera. From practising archery with the Yanomami tribe to cooking pancakes with ladies in the Wauja village, his ability to build a rapport with anyone is at the heart of his programmes.
‘I don’t speak the language so I have to rely on the basics of human interaction,’ he explains. ‘It’s just smiling at people, shaking their hand, watching what they’re doing and showing an interest. I don’t find that terribly difficult because I am genuinely interested in their way of life. I find on the whole that people are pleased to see you, and I like people who are not in any way patronising or pretentious.’
Charmingly British in his sensibilities, he adds, ‘I always feel, in a way, that I have to apologise for invading their world. But I don’t stand there as an expert making assumptions. I’m there to learn.’
Michael share his holiday snaps with children of the YanomamiIt is this desire to learn that is at the root of his passion for travel. Growing up in 1950s Sheffield, he was eternally fascinated by tales of exotic, strange places. ‘When I was young, I loved any book that was about the South Pole or exploration of Africa.’ Michael believes the interest was heightened by the fact that he thought he would never leave Sheffield. ‘Back then, people didn’t travel much unless they were in business or the army. The casual traveller simply didn’t exist.’
A bright young man, he did leave Sheffield when he won a place at Oxford University. It was there he met Terry Jones, forming a writing partnership that would create the infamous Monty Python series. ‘When we were making Monty Python we went abroad for publicity, but we’d only see an airport, a television studio and a hotel room, and that was about it. Inside me there was still a suppressed need to see the world.’
This need was to find fulfilment with a request that came quite out of the blue. ‘Just after I finished making A Fish Called Wanda in 1987, the BBC asked me if I wanted to be a presenter of a new series, which was to be quite difficult and dangerous. They flattered me until I said yes,’ he says wryly.
The result, of course, was the seminal Around The World In 80 Days. It was hard work, but hugely enjoyable. ‘It opened doors I never expected to walk through,’ says Palin, and there is a definite trace of that boyhood excitement.
His unique career means that he is often away from home, filming for weeks at a time. He could not be happier with this itinerant way of life: ‘I enjoy getting away from the familiarity of home and this country. I find it refreshes you, otherwise you could just take life for granted.’
Home game: Yanomami FCWhat about his family – do they mind him continually setting off? ‘My wife is terrific at running her life, running the house and looking after the children. I was never made to feel that I was doing something selfish.’ While Michael and his wife, Helen, will holiday together (he lists New York and Barcelona as examples), she is happy to leave the intrepid travelling to him. It is a situation that has been working well since they wed in 1966.
‘We are still married, let’s put it that way,’ he smiles.
His own fascination aside, Michael believes that travel is an important force for good. ‘The more people connect with the rest of the world, the better. I think actually meeting people face to face in their own country can diffuse a lot of tension.’ Michael has scaled every continent, and has yet to find a place where he hasn’t come across a friendly face.
‘There’s a feeling that the world is falling apart and everyone is at each other’s throats. We’ve got a fear of terrorism everywhere. And actually whenever you meet people living their daily lives in any country – and I hate to use the word ‘ordinary’ because there are no ordinary people – they don’t want to chase you down the street, or kill anyone. People are far more interested in what we have in common than what keeps us apart.’
Emu outfits at the Bumba Meu Boi celebrations. Right: Itsautaku, the shaman of Wauja, AmazoniaWith his 70th birthday next year, is there any chance of this adventurous spirit slowing down? ‘Oh, I can’t see myself ever retiring, quite the opposite. I shall forever be fascinated by foreign places, food and music and the way people are – the fact that they’re different. I always want to decode what these differences are, and try and make some sort of connection.’
He could be defined as an actor, TV presenter or by his myriad other talents, but Michael insists that he sees himself simply as ‘an observer of life’. It is a lifelong vocation. ‘As long as there’s a place to visit and people to meet, I’ll be dragging my ageing body out somewhere.’
Brazil With Michael Palin is on Wednesdays at 9pm on BBC One.
Brazil by Michael Palin, with photographs by Basil Pao, is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, priced £25.