Siberia is Russia's treasure chest. Jonathan starts off in an emerald mine, then heads to the great city of Ekaterinburg. Its heavy industry turned out armaments during Soviet days - and spawned a great tradition of heavy metal music. Jonathan meets Vladimir Shakhrin, an icon of rock 'n' roll.
Jonathan finds himself at a reception for a Madonna concert, attended by anyone who's anyone in Moscow, including top restaurateur, Arkady Novikov. But the next day he takes the train to a different world: the family estate of Leo Tolstoy, arguably the greatest of all Russian writers.
Having lived through the Cold War, Jonathan makes his first stop in the city of Murmansk, which stands as a reminder to the years when England and Russia were close allies in a war of survival against the Nazis. But soon he moves on, savoring the sophisticated elegance of St Petersburg.
In this landmark five-part series, he explores the extraordinary changes that are taking place in Russia today and reveals the contours left by history on this vast land. From the Arctic Circle, where the summer sun never sets, to the breathtaking cities of Vladivostok and St Petersburg, from white witches to hirsute masseurs, from oil wells to shamans, Dimbleby’s journey by boat, train, truck and foot is heart-warming, entertaining and compelling. This is television’s first comprehensive look at a country shrouded in myth. Look through one window and you see an authoritarian regime trying to modernise itself into an oil-rich economy. Look through another and you see exuberant people enjoying new opportunities, struggling with old problems. Everywhere, the marker stones of their turbulent past. Uncover an enormous and diverse country in transition in this beautiful and exhilarating series