Russia: A Journey with Jonathan Dimbleby

- Season 1

(2008)

Having lived through the Cold War, Jonathan makes his first stop in the city of Murmansk, which stands as a reminder to the years when England and Russia were close allies in a war of survival against the Nazis. But soon he moves on, savoring the sophisticated elegance of St Petersburg.

Jonathan finds himself at a reception for a Madonna concert, attended by anyone who's anyone in Moscow, including top restaurateur, Arkady Novikov. But the next day he takes the train to a different world: the family estate of Leo Tolstoy, arguably the greatest of all Russian writers.

Not far from the port of Astrakhan is a tiny village that was once the great capital of the Golden Horde. Jonathan arrives there in February when the biting wind chills to the bone, and is astonished to find how little remains of the western capital of Genghis Khan's massive empire.

Siberia is Russia's treasure chest. Jonathan starts off in an emerald mine, then heads to the great city of Ekaterinburg. Its heavy industry turned out armaments during Soviet days - and spawned a great tradition of heavy metal music. Jonathan meets Vladimir Shakhrin, an icon of rock 'n' roll.

In this 5-part journey through the vast and varied landscapes of Russia, the resourceful Jonathan Dimbleby travels from one end to the other, killing cliche's on this heart-warming and compelling trek. From outside, Russia is forbidding but enticing. Inside it becomes an exhilarating adventure.