5 COMMISSIONS FURTHER TRAVEL ADVENTURES WITH SIR MICHAEL PALIN   

MICHAEL PALIN IN THE PHILIPPINES 

3x60’ Episodes

5 has commissioned a new 3 x 60’ travel adventure series with Sir Michael Palin - Michael Palin in the Philippines produced by ITN Productions.    

Michael Palin’s latest adventure takes him into the heart of one of the most fascinating, politically-charged and historically complicated areas on earth - the Philippines. A place still dominated by the legacy of the Marcos family and its most infamous husband and wife couple Ferdinand and Imelda, whose 21-year rule from 1965-86 ended with an alleged $10 billion theft from the nation’s coffers, as their extravagant regime was exposed.    

Now part tourist paradise, it’s still shaped by extreme poverty for many and by political unrest and violence, Michael’s journey will take him across the entire, beautiful archipelago of the Philippines.  

As soon as he arrives in the capital of Manila, Michael discovers a country on the edge.  Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos’s son, Bongbong, is now strangely President, despite his family being exiled 40 years ago. And the previous president, Rodrigo Duterte, is under arrest in the international criminal court in the Netherlands, accused of the deaths of 30,000 Filipinos and ‘Crimes against humanity’.  Michael explores life in this vibrant and fascinating city challenged under this unusual political situation, before flying out to the militarised island of Pagasa in the middle of the contested South China Sea.  China is aggressively asserting its claims over one of the most important shipping lanes in the world and Michael suddenly finds himself in the middle of a conflict between a Philippine and Chinese coastguard ship.  

Michael Palin says: “I find these journeys for 5 irresistible and revealing. Rarely does anyone have the chance to get as close to the great issues of a country as we did in the Philippines. I was a little nervous of taking on yet another journey, especially one so testing on the energy levels, but what we heard and saw was extraordinary and very different from any of the journeys we’ve done so far. A cracker, though I say it myself.”   

Michael will also see some of the most beautiful parts of the country’s 7,641 islands, sleeping in remote beach camps in El Nido, travelling through underground rivers and swimming with thousands of sardines in Moalboal.  But as he arrives in the southern island of Mindanao, Michael will experience a very different part of The Philippines, a centre of Islamic extremism and an area on the UK Foreign Office’s ‘do not travel’ red list.  Under military escort, Michael explores the extraordinary and haunting remains of the destroyed city of Marawi, and on the island of Jolo he meets a member of the terrorist group, Abu Sayyaf.   

It’s the only country in the world where you still can’t get divorced, and extreme poverty makes life very hard for millions.   But despite the challenges and at the end of this epic journey, Michael discovers the people in the Philippines are some of the warmest and friendliest he has ever met.    

This series is Michael’s latest journey for 5, after the success of his previous series - hugely popular  journeys to Venezuela, Nigeria, Iraq, and North Korea - for the channel.    

Guy Davies, Consultant Editor for Commissioning at 5 added: “Michael’s new series for 5 is as challenging, insightful, and visually stunning. He is energetic and interested in people’s stories as ever. I still can’t believe he’s on his fifth consecutive journey for us, and he’s as energetic, funny, and warm-hearted as ever. ”   

Neil Ferguson, Series Producer and Director for ITN commented: “This was the most ambitious shoot we’ve ever done with Michael and the Philippines exceeded all our expectations.  It’s a country of stunning contrasts and we often experienced paradise one day, followed by something much darker the next.  And whether it was political protest marches, military flights to remote islands, sleeping on the deck of overnight ferries or swimming with thousands of sardines, Michael took it all in his ridiculously nimble stride.  It’s a real adventure.”   

Michael Palin in The Philippines - (3x60’) is commissioned by Guy Davies, Consultant Editor for Commissioning at 5. 

Produced by ITN - Series Producer and Director, Neil Ferguson.  

Executive Producer at ITN Productions, Jeremy Daldry.    

The Guardian - “Palin is still effortlessly the best in the travelogue business”   The Times – “Michael Palin continues to show us how the TV travel game should be done…”  

*Hutchinson Heinemann will also publish a book about his travels called Michael Palin in the Philippines this autumn in hardback, ebook and audiobook*  

For further enquiries please contact:   

Julie Jack | Julie.Jack@paramount.com  

Hannah Allan | Hannah.Allan@paramount.com  

Book PR - Olivia Thomas - othomas@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk   

For images, please contact the picture desk: picturepublicity@paramount.com   

About 5:   

5 is the home of award-winning content from the UK’s third largest commercial PSB, a culmination of the creative transformation of Channel 5 over more than a decade. 5 is part of the Paramount Skydance Corporation.   

Through a mix of live TV channels and bingeable boxsets, the free-to-air service allows UK audiences to watch or stream the breadth of programming from the 5-branded portfolio, the dedicated preschool brand Milkshake!, and a wide selection from the wider Paramount family of brands, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV Entertainment Studios, Paramount+ and more.   

In keeping with its PSB remit, 5 tells the story of modern Britain by reflecting the lives of people across the UK, featuring well-known faces and fresh new talent. Its programme roster spans original UK drama, premium factual, true crime, science, news & current affairs, and kids’ content, which continue to attract critical acclaim.   

Recent wins include ‘Channel of the Year’ at the 2025 Edinburgh TV Awards, BAFTA Television and RTS Awards for the documentary White Nanny, Black Child in 2024, along with a BAFTA nomination for Endurance Race to the Pole. Factual hit The Yorkshire Vet and the broadcaster’s series on air fryers also won RTS Yorkshire awards, while Michael Palin received the Radio Times Special Judges Award for his Channel 5 documentaries.   

About ITN Productions:   

Founded 70 years ago, ITN is one of the UK’s leading production companies, home to three public service broadcaster newsrooms—ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5—and delivering 14 hours of live television each day. This includes flagship news bulletins, ITV’s Good Morning Britain and 5’s weekday daytime shows—Jeremy Vine, Storm Huntley, and Vanessa. ITN’s digital content reaches mass global audiences, generating over 7 billion views online in 2025.     

ITN’s content division, ITN Productions, also produces more than 1,000 hours of commissioned programming annually for UK broadcasters and global streamers, spanning documentaries, factual entertainment, education, and archive-based formats. From January 2026, a newly formed digital team will drive ITN’s direct-to-consumer strategy—building creator partnerships, trialing formats, and launching new digital content across genres including entertainment, crime, and royals.     

ITN is headquartered on Gray’s Inn Road, London, with state-of-the-art studios and post-production facilities. It also operates a newsroom and offices in Leeds, and maintains a global footprint with international bureaus including Washington D.C.