In this first episode, Romesh gets an insider's guide to Haiti to find out if his preconceptions about the Caribbean island are right, or if there is more to the country than the 'sensational headlines' he has seen on the news. Everything Romesh has ever heard about Haiti has been negative. They had dictator who terrorised the island, a 2010 earthquake that crippled the country and then a devastating hurricane. That is all before President Trump called it something unmentionable. But are all the bad news reports fair? Does Haiti deserve its reputation? Haiti is in the middle of the Caribbean, surrounded by Cuba and Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. It should be paradise - why doesn't anyone go there?
For years all that most people in Britain have heard about Ethiopia is famine. And drought. And Bob Geldof singing about famine and drought. Now comedian Romesh Ranganathan is heading to East Africa to discover if this reputation is justified. Is Ethiopia really a food-starved dust bowl? Or will Romesh find a warm welcome and place of unique natural beauty there?
Romesh Ranganathan travels to Albania to get an insider's guide to the country and to find out whether his own preconceptions about the Eastern European outpost are right. From a brief glance at an atlas, Albania has everything - beaches on the same coastline as Greece and Croatia, hills to trek in and stunning mountains. But for some reason all the average Brit knows about Albania is the old black and white clips from the communist era - and most of those have been mistaken for clips shot in Moscow.
Romesh Ranganathan travels far outside of his cosy comfort zone as he heads to one of the coldest and most hostile environments on earth. Romesh gets an insider's guide to the Canadian Arctic and finds out if his preconceptions about this remote part of the world are right, or whether there is more to this area than the prospect of freezing to death or being eaten by a polar bear. Travelling across frozen wastelands to spend a week in the largest territory of Canada, he is guided by his host - Inuit athlete, movie star, youth ambassador and renowned hunter Johnny Isaaluk.
Romesh travels around Zimbabwe, gets caught in biblical lightning storms, re-enacts the film Titanic on a Lake Kariba houseboat and tries the home-brewed beer he made in a bathtub in Bulawayo.
Romesh Ranganathan travels to Mongolia – a country which he has almost no prior knowledge of, save for the fact that it is famously in the middle of nowhere.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rom meets the Bosnian who claims to have discovered the world’s largest pyramid and stays overnight in a 'war hostel'.
Romesh Ranganathan spends a week exploring Colombia with a local radio host and journalist, discovering how much of the country's reputation for violence is justified. He investigates a new trend for narcotourism, where visitors seek out places associated with drug lord Pablo Escobar, and finds out how Colombians feel about foreigners' fascination with their nation's most infamous criminal. He also visits a Jesus statue shop, learns to make coffee the traditional way, and discovers a game involving explosions.
A year ago, Romesh Ranganathan visited the Arctic to film a Christmas episode of the Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan. It was the hardest trip he has taken in his life – it was minus 40 degrees, he had to camp in a tent on a frozen ocean and he had to go to the toilet in a bin bag. This year, he has agreed to do another Christmas episode - on the strict understanding that he will not go anywhere cold.
Romesh catches up with friends from Zimbabwe, Bosnia and the Sahara, revisiting some highlights and introducing never-before-seen moments, like trying to recreate a horror film in the desert.
Romesh catches up with old friends from Albania, Mongolia and The Arctic, revisiting some of the highlights and introducing never-before-seen moments.
Romesh catches up with old friends from Colombia, Haiti and Ethiopia, revisiting some of the highlights and introducing never-before-seen moments, such as the time he embarrassed himself trying to drive a tuk-tuk.
Everyone Romesh has ever met has told him how amazing the Scottish islands are - but nobody he knows has actually ever been there. Now, in a year when travel abroad has been all but forbidden, he is heading to the Hebrides to find out if you can really have a proper adventure so close to home, spending a week visiting the isles of Skye, Harris and Lewis.
Romesh visits Sierra Leone, a country with a dark past but great hopes for the future. With musician Gwyn Jay Allen as a guide, he explores its national parks and meets locals living truly off-grid.
Romesh heads off on a journey to Romania. With the help of activist and media expert Angi Serban, he explores the many amazing things that are overlooked in this vast slice of eastern Europe.
