Michael Palin: Into Iraq


2:00 pm - 3:00 pm, Sunday, June 21 on 5SELECT (46)

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About this Broadcast

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As he begins the final part of his journey into Iraq, Michael finds a local school in Baghdad and talks to the children about their lives and future hopes. He also heads to Kerbala and the shrine of Imam Husayn, one of the most sacred religious sites in Iraq, visited by millions of Shia pilgrims each year. A truly humbling and extraordinary sight that is very rarely seen, it makes Michael weigh up this country's recent troubled past and its incredible history


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Documentary Education/Science/Factual Topics Foreign Countries/Expeditions News/Current Affairs

Cast & Crew

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Michael Palin (Presenter)
Neil Ferguson (Series producer)
Will Smith (Executive producer)

More Information

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Did You Know..

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Michael Palin (Presenter)
Born: May 05, 1943 in Sheffield
Best Known For: Monty Python's Flying Circus.
Early-life: Michael Edward Palin was born in Sheffield on May 5, 1943. His father was a Cambridge-educated engineer working in the steel industry. Michael recalls he was an angry, frustrated man with a stutter whose bad moods created tension in the Palin household. This upset his son and prompted him to be as pleasant as possible. Michael was educated at public school in Shrewsbury, and studied history at Oxford University, where he appeared on stage and met fellow student and future Python Terry Jones.
Career: After graduating, Palin presented TV show Now! and worked in light entertainment. In 1966, he and Jones began writing for BBC comedy shows. Three years later, they joined forces with John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle and Terry Gilliam to front ground-breaking sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus. A huge hit, 45 episodes were made between 1969 and 1974, as well as five films. Palin has also starred in movies including A Fish Called Wanda, A Private Function, and American Friends (which he also wrote), and appeared in acclaimed TV drama GBH. Since the mid-1980s, he's become famous for globetrotting programmes such as Around the World in 80 Days and Pole to Pole. He's written books to accompany each series, as well as two novels; three volumes of his diaries have also been published. He delivered 2013's Royal Television Society lecture.
Quote: 'I am not a great cook, I am not a great artist, but I love art and I love food, so I am the perfect traveller - on the cultural scrounge.'
Trivia: Palin has three children with his wife Helen. He also has an asteroid and a train named after him.
Neil Ferguson (Series producer)
Will Smith (Executive producer)
Born: September 25, 1968 in Philadelphia
Best Known For: Men in Black and a string of hit movies.
Early-life: Born Willard Christopher Smith Jr on September 25, 1968, in Philadelphia, the second of four children. He received his Fresh Prince nickname from a teacher who noted his ability to talk his way out of any situation. In high school, Smith teamed up with Jeff Townes to form rap duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. Turning down a university scholarship to concentrate on music paid off when the duo became platinum-selling recording artists.
Career: Smith's charm swayed Quincy Jones and the NBC TV network to give him a starring role in The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, a series that ran for six years. In 1992, he made his film debut with Where the Day Takes You. Since then, he's enjoyed a steady string of box-office hits, including Bad Boys, Independence Day, Men in Black and its two sequels, and Ali, which gained him an Oscar nomination. Other projects include Enemy of the State, Six Degrees of Separation, I, Robot, I Am Legend, Seven Pounds and Hancock. His recent work includes Men in Black 3, After Earth, and new movie Focus.
Quote: 'Give me a problem, I'll give you a solution. I just love living. That's a feeling you can't fake. I'm glad every single day. I think that even the camera can feel that I'm a happy man.'
Trivia: He married actress Jada Pinkett in 1997. They have two children, Jaden and Willow.