Michael Palin continues his series of epic journeys, this time crossing the Sahara - an environment as alien and hostile as any on earth.

As the immense journey unfolds, the Sahara exposes not just extremes of temperature and a vast emptiness of endless sand dunes, but a diverse range of landscapes, including lakes, waterfalls, crocodile-infested rivers and extraordinary mountain ranges. There are also a wide variety of cultures and a long record of civilization, trade, commerce and conquest stretching from the ancient monuments preserved like nowhere else on Earth; Michael visits the massive creations of the Pharaohs, the castles of the Carthaginians, the amphitheatres of the Romans and the battlegrounds of World War II.

There is no easy way to cross the Sahara, Michael encounters the same problems that have plagued travelers for centuries but with his customary wit and humor the journey is as enjoyable as ever.