Although this documentary - following Jonathan Dimbleby (pictured, centre) as he journeys from one end of Russia to the other - is high-quality, you begin to lose the plot after a while.
An often fascinating insight into a country shrouded in myth, there seems no logic in Dimbleby's 10,000-mile trek. One minute he's with flirty babushka deep in the strange and remote rural world of Karelia (pictured), the next he's hob-nobbing with boorish sophisticates in St Petersburg, then he's on a fishing boat with a disabled fisherman, before being pummelled within an inch of his life by a masseur in Moscow's gloriously ornate Sandunovsky Baths. If that wasn't bewildering enough, the wizzy-wizzy map graphics showing Dimbleby's rambling route are totally confusing, doing nobody any favours, especially when they rotate 180 degrees.
So sadly the whole thing - the first of five parts - lacks focus. This is annoying because there's a lot to enjoy here. It's also quite an eye-opener, giving you some idea of how some Russians view their post-Communist world.
Stopping off points tonight include Murmansk (a vital port during the war when Russia and the Allies joined forces against the Nazis), beautiful and elegant St Petersburg, the first Viking settlements along the River Volkhov and frighteningly busy Moscow.
Fingers crossed that the series - which has potential - becomes more focused as it continues. Paul Strange
Excellent Programme beautifully filmed and unique footage of cormorants trained to fish and stunning shots of st petersburg. (The elite not impressed with UK democracy- more cameras than the KGB!)
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