THE STORY BEHIND ALL 4’S POWERFUL DOCUMENTARY SERIES
In 1955, a young TV producer named David Attenborough was approached by six graduates determined to drive the entire length of Eurasia from London to Singapore. It was the 'unclimbed Everest of motoring' – many had tried, none had succeeded. Sensing this time might be different, Attenborough gave them enough film reel to cover their attempt. The 19,000-mile journey, captured in the BBC’s series TRAVELLERS’ TALES and in Tim Slessor’s book THE FIRST OVERLAND, captivated a nation. But fifty years later, Attenborough said he didn’t think the journey could be made again today.
Inspired and desperate to prove Attenborough wrong, Alex Bescoby contacted Tim Slessor and together they planned to recreate the trip, this time from Singapore to London. In awe of the unstoppable Tim, and haunted by his own grandfather's deterioration due to tragedy and dementia, Alex soon finds himself on the defining trip of his lifetime and discovers how the world has changed for better – and for worse – since the First Overland.
“This is a fabulous adventure – reckless, insanely ambitious and filled with sweat, tears and laughter...irresistible reading.” JOANNA LUMLEY