Radio Times

Review by:

Jane Rackham

Mining for coal is hardly the cushiest job to have in this country, but in comparison to what the 100,000 small-scale gold miners do on the Mongolian steppes every day, it’s a doddle.

So you have to admire mining safety officer Craig for having a go despite the risks Sukhbaatar and his amateur miners take: there are no pit heads, props or machinery, just narrow self-dug holes that often collapse, burying the worker alive.

The wilderness is a honeycomb of holes and tunnels like a giant rabbit warren but more dangerous. And the results are minuscule — a few flecks of gold for a very hard day’s work.

About this programme

1/3. Three Britons perform their regular jobs in tough locations, beginning with Staffordshire mine rescue worker Craig Notman. As Mongolia's abundance of minerals turns it into one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, thousands of people are heading into the wilderness to stake their claims to the country's gold deposits. Craig spends time with two of these unofficial miners, married couple Sukhbaatar and Gansuvd, and gains an insight into the risks they take every day digging dangerous shafts and tunnels in an attempt to make a living.

Cast and crew

Crew

Director

Simon Muriel

Executive Producer

Sam Bagnall

Producer

Simon Muriel

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