Celebrity adventurer Charley Boorman set off from London this morning on his latest and most challenging round the world expedition - By Any Means. The star of last year’s smash BBC television series Long Way Down has been undergoing a rigorous training regime in preparation for the journey which will see him travel all the way to Sydney using any means of transport, other than commercial aircraft. Boorman will use means of transport appropriate to the countries that he visits including steam train, horse, boat, dugout canoe, cargo boat, motorcycle sidecar and tuk-tuk. The latest expedition will be filmed for a six-part series to be broadcast on BBC Two in the autumn.
Gritty adventurer Boorman left his hometown in Ireland on 13th April, and arrived this morning in a convoy of around 500 motorcyclists at the famous motorcycle mecca – London’s Ace Café – at the start of a journey that will include a crossing of the Black Sea, trekking through Nepal, riding elephants in Laos and hiking through the forests of Borneo. He is due to arrive in Australia in mid-August. The unique expedition will provide the opportunity to meet fascinating people and explore extraordinary places including Serbia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Nepal and China. It will also provide Boorman with the chance to continue his long-standing association with the world’s leading children’s organisation UNICEF who he will join along the way as they deliver life saving vaccinations and supplies to children in remote and isolated communities.
By Any Means is being put together by leading television production company Big Earth, the organisers of many high profile filmed expeditions including Long Way Round, Race to Dakar and more recently Long Way Down, which was watched by four million viewers on the BBC. This latest trip is set to be his most challenging yet as he interacts with local communities and covers vast distances across diverse and inhospitable terrains, travelling only with producer Russ Malkin, and their cameraman Mungo. The trip is intended to demonstrate to the modern traveller the diverse cultures and evocative sights they could see and experience by taking this overland method of travel. Each country that Boorman will visit has been chosen for its beauty and fascination as the project looks to offer an insight into the extraordinary people and cultures in some of the most diverse destinations in the world.
Talking ahead of his departure from the Ace Café this morning, Charley Boorman said:“I cannot wait to get on the road and begin this latest adventure. It’s always nerve-wracking but incredibly exciting as you get closer to the departure date but we’ve been planning for months now and I’m ready to go. It’ll be strange to be out there on my own with only the two camera crew for company but road trips are often the most fun part of any journey and I’ll be driving buses, tuk-tuks, and anything else I can get my hands on so I won’t be short of things to do. Mostly though I’m looking forward to meeting the people behind the cultures and experiencing places that very few westerners ever get to reach.”
Fans can follow Charley’s progress from next week on the new website
www.byanymeans.co.uk. By Any Means (working title) will be broadcast on BBC Two in the autumn.
