Michael Palin says next travel documentary could be his last

He described good television as an "empathy machine" and stressed the continued importance to "educate, entertain and inform"; three missions set out when the BBC was founded.

He continued: "For me, informing is a matter of working hard with a good team to make something that people want to watch. If you educate people and they say, 'You’ve changed my mind about this country,' that’s enormously important.

"And to entertain, without trying to sell anyone anything, is a generous impulse. It’s about connecting with people."

He went on to reflect on his time filming 1989 documentary Around the World in 80 Days, which made him a star of the travel documentary genre after years working in film and comedy.

Though hard to believe now, he admitted that he "didn't know" exactly how to approach the project at first, but came to a simple conclusion that proved highly effective.

"In the end, I realised that the best thing to be was myself. That gave me more freedom, because I asked questions that I was interested in and reacted to things honestly," he revealed.

"A new kind of travel programme came out of that, something less formal. Alan Whicker would never have been seen in the shower or eating camel, but people want something more personal now, and to feel as if they’ve been taken on a journey."

Although he said he feels "very lucky" to have had the chance to see the world, Palin did confess that he wasn't sure how many more travel programmes he wanted to do.

"Channel 5 are currently working out somewhere really uncomfortable for me to go to next, in a location I can’t disclose," he added. "That could be the last journey, but who knows? Everything has been 'the last journey'."

You can read more from Palin and other major stars in this week's edition of Radio Times.

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