Travel documentarian and national treasure Sir Michael Palin has revealed a harrowing ordeal from his latest adventure, describing the moment he and his film crew were held at gunpoint by jumpy soldiers in Venezuela.
The terrifying incident occurred not during his famed 80s journey but more recently, while the team was filming background material for his newest series, 'Into Iraq'. The crew found themselves confronted by armed military personnel who were deeply suspicious of their filming equipment.
'They were very, very twitchy,' Palin recounted to the Radio Times. 'They thought the tripod was some sort of weapon... We were all lined up against the wall. I thought, ‘This is it’ – it was like a TV show.'
The 80-year-old presenter admitted he genuinely feared for his life during the confrontation, a stark reminder of the very real dangers that can underpin the glamour of travel television.
Fortunately, the tense standoff was defused. The crew's local fixer played a crucial role in negotiating their release, calmly explaining to the soldiers that they were a British television crew and not a threat.
This brush with danger adds another dramatic chapter to Palin's storied career, which transitioned seamlessly from Monty Python comedian to one of the UK's most beloved and intrepid travel presenters. His latest project, 'Michael Palin: Into Iraq', sees him undertake a monumental journey from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf, exploring a country he has long wanted to visit.
The series, which promises to be both enlightening and fraught with tension, is set to air on Channel 5 later this month.
