Michael Palin in North Korea

Michael Palin’s fascinating North Korea travelogue was the jewel in Channel 5’s 2018 crown. As you’d expect from Palin, it unveiled a more human side to the country than previous docs have managed. Whether this intimacy was down to looser restrictions on foreign media, or the potency of Palin’s charisma, it’s hard to tell. Likely a bit of both.

This extended remix is essentially both episodes spliced together, with some bonus footage lobbed in. Highlights include an eerie, dystopian wake-up call that “sounds like Brian Eno”; a schoolgirl’s poignant poetry recital; and the spring festival where the locals lose their inhibitions — with help from some rice wine.