What to Watch
Monday 4 February - Friday 15 February 2019
Here we have put together a list of the travel related TV and radio programmes that are due to air over the coming week, that cover our destinations, and we think will be worth a watch. We’ve sorted everything into destinations for you, so, set your TV to record and watch at your leisure…
What to Watch - China
Blowing Up History: Secrets of the Forbidden City
Discovery History, 8pm, Mon 4 Feb 2019, Series 3 – Episode 11
Archaeologists examine what lies beneath China’s Forbidden City, and explore the dark secrets that have been buried for nearly 600 years.
Impossible Engineering: Qinghai – Tibet Railway
Yesterday, 8pm, Tues 5 Feb 2019, Series 4 – Episode 10 & 10:05pm, Sun 10 Feb 2019
A look at the Qinghai-Tibet line, the highest railway in the world, providing an insight into the engineering challenges faced at high altitude and in bitterly cold temperatures.
China: One Million Artists
Sky Arts, 9pm, Tues 5 Feb 2019 & 12am Fri 8 Feb 2019
Documentary charting the rise of Chinese art following the death of Mao, and how some artists embraced Western styles while other critiqued it by hijacking communist propaganda.
Blowing Up History: Great Wall of China
Quest, 10pm, Fri 8 Feb 2019, Series 1 – Episode 6 & 12am, Sun 10 Feb 2019
The documentary turns attention to the Great Wall of China, exploring the secrets of a great empire via the biggest man-made structure on Earth.
Secret of China’s Forbidden City
More4, 8pm, Sat 9 Feb 2019
Documentary exploring the Beijing palace that housed Chinese emperors for 600 years. The programme reveals the current conservation work being carried out and uncovers new details about past rulers, including trade with Europe and how a marble staircase was transported along an ice road. A scale model is used to demonstrate how the structure was built to withstand earthquakes.
The Great Wall of China: The Hidden Story – Secret History
More4, 9pm, Sat 9 Feb 2019
With access to the first nationwide survey and state-of-the-art drones mapping the Great Wall of China, this documentary offers new evidence that reveals its extraordinary magnitude, rewrites its millennia-long history and decodes its complex signals system. Using cutting-edge chemistry, the programme also finds out what has kept the wall standing for so long – a simple cooking ingredient found in kitchens across the world.
China: Treasures of the Jade Empire
More4, 10pm, Sat 9 Feb 2019
A look at the relics found in the tombs of China’s Han Dynasty. The era is generally considered the golden age of ancient China, rivalling the Roman empire for international power, and has been a defining influence on the country’s cultural identity ever since. The programme examines how the emperors arranged to have their dead bodies mummified in the search for immortality and looks at a newly discovered version of the famous terracotta army.
Jeremy Wade’s Mighty Rivers: Yangtze
ITV4, 9pm, Mon 11 Feb 2019, Series 1 – Episode 5, & 8pm, Weds 13 Feb 2019
The Yangtze – the longest river in Asia and the third-longest in the world – was once home to rare aquatic mammals and prodigious quantities of fish. Curious to know what still lurks in its murky currents, Jeremy explores Shanghai, the huge Three Gorges Dam and the wild uplands of Yunnan. The people he meets make him question his own preconceptions as a biologist and naturalist.
World’s Greatest Mountains: Everest
5Select, 10pm, Tues 12 Feb 2019, Series 1
Examining the wonder of the world’s most iconic mountains, beginning with Mount Everest, the highest in the world. There is archive footage of Edmund Hillary and the Sherpa Tensing Norgay, who battled to the summit in 1953, and a look at the forces that created the mountain 50 million years ago.
World’s Busiest Airport
Channel 5, 7pm, Weds 13 Feb 2019, Series 1
Documentary going behind the scenes at some of the most frequented places on Earth, beginning with Hong Kong International. The airport is sited on a man-made island in the middle of a typhoon zone and handles a fifth of the world’s air freight, as well as 53 million passengers every year. The film examines the people and the processes that keep the airport functioning, including the automated tracking devices holding records of where every package is stored in the six-storey warehouse, and the work of the air-traffic and ground controllers.
What to watch and Listen to - Japan
Shine Like Tokyo: Northern Soul Goes East
BBC Radio 4 Extra, 8:30pm, Mon 4 Feb 2019
Annie Nightingale sets out to discover why Northern Soul, a musical movement that emerged from the British mod scene in Manchester, Blackpool and Wigan in the 1970s, has found a new home in parts of metropolitan Japan. Annie explores the sub-genre’s origins at Wigan Casino, where DJ Russ Winstanley’s all-night raves raised the club’s profile enough for it to rival New York’s Studio 54, and whether there are any other parallels between the north of England in the 1970s and the Japan of 2013.
Monty Don’s Japanese Gardens
BBC Two, 9pm, Fri 15 Feb 2019, Series1 – Episode 1
The first of two programmes in which Monty travels to Japan in spring to explore different aspects of the nation’s gardens. Amidst the cherry blossoms, he begins his journey by visiting the earliest surviving boating garden of the Heian period. He also looks at the rolling green moss of a Buddhist garden and learns the secrets of creating a Zen landscape before visiting an unconventional garden created by a modern design legend. The presenter also learns about the art of Japanese stonemasonry, the famous tea ceremonies and receives a lesson in the delicate art of traditional flower arranging.
Japan: Between Sky and Earth
National Geographic Channel, 8pm, Fri 8 Feb 2019, Episode 1 of 3
A journey of discovery through little-known areas of Japan, beginning with Hokkaido in the far north, a vast natural paradise and sacred land of the Ainu people.
Japan: Between Sky and Earth
National Geographic Channel, 9pm, Fri 8 Feb 2019, Episode 2 of 3
Exploring Honshu, the largest and most heavily populated of the four islands that make up Japan, which has endured through wars and natural disasters.
Japan: Between Sky and Earth
National Geographic Channel, 10pm, Fri 8 Feb 2019, Episode 3 of 3
Exploring Japan’s southern islands, Kyushu and Okinawa, which are famous as the birthplace of much of the nation’s spiritual culture.
What to Watch - Vietnam
Warrior POV: Search & Destroy
Discovery History, 11pm, Sat 9 Feb 2019, Series1 – Episode 1
Docu-drama exploring well-known conflicts from the perspective of the soldiers involved. In the first edition, troops of the US 4th Infantry Division run into a massive force of Vietnamese soldiers on the Cambodian border in 1967.
Warrior POV: Tet Offensive
Discovery History, 11pm, Sun 10 Feb 2019, Series1 – Episode 3
Docu-drama examining the Tet Offensive of 1968, during which an elite band of US Special Operations troops was called in to rescue civilians trapped in the border town of Chau Doc.
What to Watch - Thailand
Thailand: Earth’s Tropical Paradise – The Secrets of the South
Eden, 7pm & 11pm, Tues 12 Feb 2019, Series 1 – Episode 1
Exploring the wildlife and culture of the Southeast Asian nation. The first episode examines the south of the country, a popular tourist destination for Westerners, and examines the role of spirituality in daily life.
Thailand: Earth’s Tropical Paradise – The Central Heartland
Eden, 7pm & 11pm, Weds 13 Feb 2019, Series 1 – Episode 2
Exploring the forests, plains and bustling cities of Central Thailand, an area known as the nation’s rice bowl. The programme explores how people live alongside animals in these areas, and the spiritual fulfilment to be found in these relationships.
Thailand: Earth’s Tropical Paradise – The Mysterious North
Eden, 7pm & 11pm, Thurs 14 Feb 2019, Series 1 – Episode 3
The mountains and forests of Northern Thailand, an area that is home to a variety of wildlife, leading to unusual partnerships developing between animals and people.
Inspired by the above?
Tours to China, Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Thailand
-
View this packageJapan Group Tour Nature
Cherry Blossom Tour
A 13 day tour that explores the very best of Japan’s culture and nature, during the popular cherry blossom season.
-
View this packageChina Tailor Made Rail
Train to Tibet
This exciting journey takes you to Tibet's astonishing landscapes via a thrilling journey aboard the highest train in the world.
-
View this packageThailand Tailor Made City
Vietnam and Thailand
A fascinating 17-day itinerary of Vietnam and Thailand
-
View this packageChina Tailor Made City
Hong Kong
Spend three days exploring bustling Hong Kong.