A Journey Through The End of The Soviet Empire

Across nine time zones and through all extremes of weather, the resourceful Jonathan Dimbleby makes an epic journey from one end of Russia to the other, disproving clichs and revelling in the unpredictable.

China—the world's oldest continuous civilization—has undergone an astonishing transformation in a brief span of recent history. Since the collapse of its once-glorious empire in 1911, China has seen decades of epic turmoil and upheavals, emerging in the new century as both an authoritarian megastate and an economic powerhouse, poised to become an imposing global force.

Get a unique and rewarding view of world history by immersing yourself in the fascinating story of the discoveries, inventions, upheavals, and ideas that shaped the modern world. What do the fall of Constantinople, the French Revolution, the Transcontinental Railroad, and the invention of the Internet all have in common? If any one of these turning points had not occurred, or had occurred differently, the trajectory of modern history—and even your life—would have been dramatically altered.

Michael Palin explores the countries that were for much of his life hidden behind the Iron Curtain but now are part of the new Europe.