Eureka!: Traveller's Century (Icon Films for BBC4)
- Published: 24 July 2008 08:50
- Last Updated: 24 July 2008 08:50
- Reader Responses
Executive producer Harry Marshall on his 25-year attempt to celebrate an iconic travel book.
Where did the idea come from?
I was a great admirer of Eric Newby, particularly his book A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, and in 1983 I got in touch with him to suggest he retrace his steps for TV to mark its 25th anniversary. The project never got off the ground but we stayed in touch. Ten years ago, I spotted Laurie Lee in his favourite pub and asked him about a film, As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, which also got stuck in limbo.
How did the idea evolve from there?
It was like assembling The Magnificent Seven in slow motion over 25 years. And then both Lee and Newby died. I'd presumed the third writer I wanted to feature, Patrick Leigh Fermor, was dead too but he was living in Greece at 94 and after some persuading agreed to be interviewed in early 2007. The 50th anniversary of Newby's book finally proved the catalyst. The last piece was getting a presenter. I knew Benedict Allen and not only had he been on expeditions and encountered life-threatening situations, but he'd met all three writers.
How did you pitch it?
Most travel books are by British writers - as a nation, we're great travellers. In presenting it to Janice Hadlow, I said I was interested in what they told us about themselves.
What was the reaction?
She'd read all three books and understood that the one thing you can't leave behind on an expedition is yourself. She liked that the authors were a cross-section of the British class system and was as interested in holding up a mirror to society as she was in the journeys themselves.
What was the biggest challenge?
Afghanistan was a much more peaceful place 25 years ago. The BBC initially refused to film there, saying it couldn't insure us. I contacted Lieutenant General Anthony Palmer, the former chief of defence staff, who used his contacts among the British commanders in Afghanistan to ensure Allen would be fully supported in Kabul. We were also lucky to secure cameraman Peter Juvenal, who filmed John Simpson in Kabul and has interviewed Osama Bin Laden and lived with the Taliban. He's got balls of steel.
