Joanna Lumley embarks on the world’s greatest train journey for this epic new three-part documentary series, The series sees Joanna travel from East to West, departing from Hong Kong across 5777 miles of both Asia and Europe, through seven time zones, taking in an immense panorama of vistas and cultures, people and places, before her final arrival in Moscow. Everything about this legendary journey is of epic proportions. It cuts across three distinct countries, cultures, landscapes and languages and crosses some of the worlds most geographically challenging, yet resource rich and scenically splendid regions. Joanna will be hopping on and off the train visiting people and places as she travels.
Train travel can be delightful as a tourist or tiresome as a commuter, but what is it like to experience life aboard trains that have the toughest jobs on the planet? Zay Harding rides with those who operate in conditions ranging from desert furnaces to frozen wastelands. Siberia’s ice trains are vital to the Russian economy as a means of exporting condensed gas from the region. In average temperatures of minus 20 degrees centigrade, even the snowplough trains work 24 hours a day to keep the lines open. On the other end of the scale, Bolivia is land-locked and without access to coastal ports. As compensation, both Chile and Brazil built railways to their coasts but they haven’t received proper investment since. Zay attempts the tortuous journey to the Pacific coast, requiring a 4,000m descent to sea level, which forces him to the floor with an oxygen mask. Keep the line open and keep the train moving – that’s the Tough Trains mantra.
An English anthropologist has discovered a frozen monster in the frozen wastes of Manchuria which he believes may be the Missing Link. He brings the creature back to Europe aboard a trans-Siberian express, but during the trip the monster thaws out and starts to butcher the passengers one by one.