Malawi/Essex The Life Swap Adventure

Many of us feel like we're stuck in a rut.

My heart sinks when I think about sitting in front of a screen for

another 20 years.

But what if you can experience a world which couldn't be further from

the one you know?

There's so much more to life than going to work.

Imagine being flown across the world

and opening your eyes...

Wow!

..to find yourself in someone else's life.

-Good grief!

-I'm certainly outside the M25 now.

In this series, six Brits...

Excuse me, do you speak English?

..will swap places with complete strangers...

Welcome to your new home.

..from across the globe.

I never dream to be in a place like this.

While their opposite numbers...

Are there any crocodiles in here?

No.

..test-drive life in Britain.

Oh, my gosh! Is that Big Ben?!

For seven days...

He's coming!

..both will be immersed in a culture

which is totally different from their own.

I'm not in Kansas any more, Toto!

LAUGHTER

Could walking in someone else's shoes...

It's been a wake-up call.

..pave the way to a better life back home?

I would really want to have a life just like this.

What can you learn by seeing your world through a stranger's eyes?

Hi!

What would you do if you were me?

I really don't know what the impact of this is going to be.

This time, two men from different sides of the world

have agreed to swap lives.

Take the blindfold off, but keep your eyes closed for me.

Both are at a crossroads.

Count to ten, and then open your eyes.

Both are facing dilemmas.

One feels trapped by his workaholic lifestyle...

This western world has a grip on you.

I'm sick to death of chasing money.

While the other is worried about his family's future.

I'd love to see my kids better off in life

and to leave something tangible.

They're about to get a window into each other's lives to see if

it could help improve their own.

50-year-old John runs his own consultancy firm,

as well as being a station manager in the Fire Service.

To pay for his lifestyle, he works an average of 90 hours a week.

The mortgage, the bills, everything that hangs over you, traps you.

You can't get off the rat run.

Frustrated by the daily grind, John is desperate for a change.

I'm sick to death of not having a life.

Essex boy John is about to swap lives with Malawian farmer George.

For generations, George's family have scraped a living from their

farm in southern Africa.

Being a farmer in Malawi means you

have to work very hard in the hot sun, and long hours.

George's hard work means the four-acre farm just about

keeps his family fed.

It is the only way I can make myself survive

and make a difference to my kids.

-That's the most important thing.

-HE LAUGHS

-Yes.

-Now he's about to get a glimpse of life in the fast lane.

I'm quite sure that you are more advanced in the UK

than here in Malawi. That is for sure.

I am nervous.

Depending where this person comes from,

it's going to be like a bomb going off.

Their adventure begins when they open their eyes.

Hi, you all right? Hiya.

I'm just trying to get my bearings,

trying to see if I can recognise anything apart from Coca-Cola signs.

Not a lot else.

It's a lot different from Essex.

Where do I go from here?

STATION ANNOUNCER: It is advisable to carry a bottle of water

with you. If you are taken ill on the train,

please wait until the next station to seek help.

It's like you've been dropped from an aircraft.

We have some cities which are busy, but not as busy as this one is.

-First job for both men...

-Where's Essex?

..find their way to their new home and their new identity.

I take it this is the man's name.

George Lunga, Kumbande village, Chitsulu.

All they have to go on is each other's name and address.

The information which I've been given on the paper is the place

where I want to be, but currently I don't know where I am.

I'm just a little baby trying to learn in this busy city! Yeah.

Chitsulu?

Bus?

Excuse me, madam. Could you do me a favour, please?

-Mmm-hmm?

-Where's that, and how do I get there?

Right, let's go and find a bus depot.

John's starting point is the small town of Liwonde,

40 miles from George's house.

-I need to go to Chitsulu.

-Yes, Chitsulu.

-OK?

-Yes.

-How much?

3,000. 3,000, that sounds good to me.

OK, thank you very much.

OK, cheers.

From here, he faces a two-hour journey, leaving Liwonde behind

and heading into the vast farmlands of central Malawi.

It does feel like an adventure.

It's nothing I could ever have dreamed I'd ever do, so it's...

It is surreal.

A former British colony,

the majority of Malawi's population still work the land,

something mirrored in John's own background.

My family come from North Wales originally,

my dad was a tenancy farmer.

But the farm was unsustainable and he just couldn't afford to keep it.

I've always wondered what it would be like to have my own land and to

be either self-sustaining or as a farmer.

How far to Chitsulu?

You'll tell me when we get there?

Having found his way out of the station,

George is speeding towards John's home in Grays, Essex.

We don't have trains like this in Malawi.

Here they are very fast.

I'm at Grays, finally.

George may have made it to Essex,

but it's not just the unfamiliar pace of life that's giving Grays a

foreign feel.

I've noted that people here, when they are walking, they go like this.

Or maybe they are like this, on their phones.

Which is not the case in my country. They walk normally like this.

You see? Not like this or like this.

No, it's abnormal.

I'm not judging, but that's my observation.

HE LAUGHS

I'll keep my eyes wide opened.

After a journey of less than an hour,

George reaches his home for the week...

DOORBELL RINGS

-Hello! Come in.

-Thanks.

..which he'll share with John's partner Cheryl.

Who am I swapping my life with?

You're swapping your life with John. He works in the Fire Service.

He's been with the Fire Service for about, oh, 10 or 11 years now,

-I think.

-I see.

-What do you do?

-I'm a simple farmer.

-Lovely.

See you later, guys.

In Malawi, John has made it to Chitsulu Crossroads.

-Hello.

-How are you?

-I'm very well, you?

George's family farm is still a five-mile walk away.

It's getting more remote now. Very rural. Very rural.

Finally, John's reached Kumbande village, a small community of 500 people.

-Hello?

-Hi.

-I'm John.

-I'm good. I'm Sam.

-Hi, Sam.

Welcome to your new home for the next couple of days.

Thank you very much.

George's 26-year-old son Sam will

help John settle into life on their four-acre family farm.

-Nice to meet you.

-Hello.

John will spend the next week living with George's wife,

three kids and two-week-old granddaughter.

-It's lovely to meet you all.

-Let me just show you around.

-Thanks.

I couldn't imagine a white man living in this house, you know?

The type of life that you live there, it's totally different.

-What does your papa do now?

-OK, he's a farmer.

-A farmer?

-Yeah, a smallholder farmer.

-A smallholder farmer.

-Yes.

-I've got chickens at home.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah.

-OK.

ROOSTER CROWS

-So, I'll be sleeping upstairs...

-Yes.

-But no elevator.

No, no stairlift, I'm afraid.

-No stairlift.

-No.

-THEY LAUGH

After a long journey, both men can finally settle into their new homes.

-Let me show you your bedroom.

-OK.

-Yeah.

-That's brilliant.

-Thank you very much.

-This is where you'll be sleeping.

-Excellent.

I'm really looking forward to it.

Just hopefully, Sam won't break me on the farm tomorrow.

-HE LAUGHS

-Carry me back.

I was getting a bit worried about the holes in the ground, you know?

Maybe they're just preparing, you know?

"We'll put him where we put the last one that didn't make it."

CHICKENS CLUCK

That man is putting on a nice necktie.

Oh, I've never seen one of those.

George and John are waking up to the first day of their new lives.

-Toilet's great.

-So, my toilet has no seat.

You need some handles in there to hold on to, I tell you.

I thought I was going down it once.

As George and John start to learn more about the person they've

swapped with, they're discovering they have more in common

-than they might have thought.

-So, this is John's smallholding.

-Ah!

-He would have pigs if I'd let him.

-Oh, really?

John comes from a family of Welsh farmers, but before he was born,

financial hardship forced the family off their land.

The vision was that they would go back to farming...

-Sure.

-Unfortunately, that was never to be.

I like the way he is raising his chickens.

The only thing that I see is missing

is there is no rooster, so that the

chickens can multiply.

I'd like it if he had a cock.

What's your dad like as a man?

He likes to socialise with people.

-Is he kind?

-Very kind, I guess.

Because lots of people like him, even the Chief himself.

-Does that make you feel good?

-Yeah.

-I like him too.

-Yeah.

-He's a very good man, and very encouraging.

Today, Sam will give John his first lessons

-on life as a Malawian farmer.

-Let's go draw some water.

-OK.

-Yeah, you carry your jerrycan, and I carry mine.

-OK.

-Yeah.

Before the day's work can even begin, Sam and his younger brother

Tuck must trek three miles to the nearest borehole.

Today, John will join them.

-How often do you get the water?

-Daily.

-Daily?

We have to go maybe two times or three times.

He carries about three of these, which makes up to 60 litres.

This is just for the village, not for the crops?

No, no, not for the crops.

In Malawi, this commute is not uncommon.

Here, almost half the rural population travel for over

30 minutes to fetch water.

-And they don't spill any, look.

-Yeah.

-They're strong.

-Very strong.

Usually uneventful, today's trip to

the borehole has drawn quite a crowd.

When you normally go and get water,

-do you have this many people following you?

-No, no.

-OK.

-They're following us because of you.

-Because of me?

Yeah, they've never seen a white man going to draw at the borehole.

THEY LAUGH

-Something that you don't do in England, I guess.

-No, no.

-Very lucky.

-Very lucky.

-All right?

-You should go slowly.

You should not hit it.

Yeah. Yeah, like that.

The average UK householder uses 150 litres of water a day.

George's entire family uses less than a quarter of that.

But it all has to be carried by hand.

-Like this?

-Yeah. You cool with that?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, good.

So, he does that twice a day, and there's nothing of him,

but it's deceiving how strong they are.

Especially the girls.

If I'd had to carry one of those things on my head,

that would have killed me.

-How does it feel on your shoulders?

-Heavy.

-Yeah.

-It's a long way.

-It's a long way.

It's the dry season, when temperatures can reach 40 degrees.

A far cry from life in suburban Essex.

That pump is a real eye-opener.

I mean, I turn the tap on, don't I? An unlimited supply.

We are home, finally.

You are a man. A strong man.

LAUGHTER

Domestic chores done,

for John, the hard work starts here.

Make sure you don't push it too far.

-All right.

-George's family have been farming this four-acre patch of land

-for generations.

-It's very sandy.

Yeah. When you grow crops like groundnut, sweet potatoes, cassava,

-they do well.

-In this soil? They do well?

-Yeah, yeah.

This is a far cry from the commercial farming model

of the Western world.

Like 80% of Malawians,

Sam and George grow enough to feed the family.

Only occasionally does a bumper harvest mean they have a surplus

to sell on.

-I'm getting the hang of it now.

-OK?

-Yeah.

-Yeah. Yeah. Good.

I do miss being out in the country

and working with my hands.

You know, the couple of acres of

ground they've got is what I want to do at home.

Honest graft, as my dad would say.

THEY SPEAK IN OWN LANGUAGE

-She says it's good that you managed to do it.

-Thank you.

-Yeah.

It's a good feeling, you know?

4,000 miles away, in Essex,

George is getting the chance to walk in John's shoes for the day.

Oh, my goodness. Ah-ha-ha!

That means hitting the shops with his wife for the week, Cheryl.

Oh, lovely.

-You like this one?

-Sure.

-Right. Coconut it is, then.

-Wow.

It's really incredible.

You have almost everything, all under one roof.

These are all leather belts.

So convenient. So convenient.

While some aspects of British shopping are a fun novelty for George...

Maybe this will fit.

..as a farmer, others will take some getting used to.

-They're New Zealand.

-Oh, that far.

-Yeah.

-Most of the vegetables are imported, though you have the land,

you have the climate good enough,

the soil good enough for that product. Why waste money?

-It suits you, pushing that trolley.

-THEY LAUGH

Good. I prefer to raise my own.

Why should I wait for someone to do it for me?

Self-reliance. Self-reliance.

I prefer it that way.

In Malawi, after a day of manual labour,

John is starting to understand the realities of that self-reliance.

-How long before you plant?

-It depends on when the...

-Rain.

-..first rainfall sets in.

Unlike Essex, rain here is far from a safe bet.

It's just fighting all the time.

For the last two years, the community have suffered a drought.

Sam and his family have no choice but to plant in hope that the rains

arrive. But every year, more and more farmers like them are being

forced from their land as crops fail.

In a good year, with their surplus, they'd make £50 a year.

I'd just spend that on a night out, on a meal,

a few beers with my mates.

It saddens me to know that they have to struggle so much.

It does trouble me.

-Shall we get to the next one?

-Yeah.

-Let's go.

It is hard graft.

After his first full day in Essex, George, too,

is in a reflective mood.

The British life is quite simple life.

They don't expend much of their energy doing the hardest work, as

opposed to those that work in the fields tirelessly.

George wants to make the most of his time in the UK,

and see the Western approach to farming.

Tomorrow we'll be going to visit another farmer who is quite

advanced, and I want to see what crops that he grows at his farm, so,

until tomorrow, we'll catch up. Good. Thanks for the day.

Bye.

ROOSTER CROWS

My hands are ruined.

Soft office hands, these days.

-DOG BARKS

-Yeah. You'll be fed, don't worry.

Pussy, here.

Both men are starting to get to grips with their new worlds.

-No, no, not here, not here.

-DOG BARKS

I've noted that you live very close with pets.

-Yeah.

-So, I see the picture of him.

-Lots of pictures of Alfie.

-Lots of pictures of Alfie.

-He's my favourite.

-I see, I see.

I put them up high so the others don't see it.

HE LAUGHS

In Malawi, John's getting an insight into George's self-sufficient

-lifestyle.

-We're going to start scouting that jungle.

Farming here is about more than planting crops.

People like George and Sam have to make the most of all their natural

-resources.

-OK, so, John?

-Yeah?

-I want you to look at this tree.

They should not exceed this size.

-OK.

-Then, this is what we do.

What do they use this bark for?

This bark will be used like a string to tie the knot when we are making

-the fences.

-So, to lash the fence together?

-Yeah.

-As a potential heir, Sam has been taught how to manage and look

after the farm from an early age.

So, when Dad and I are doing this, he's always doing the hard ones,

and I do the easy ones.

Yeah, that's what dads do.

You've got a good mentor, there.

The relationship Sam and George have got reminds me of me and my father's

relationship later in life.

-You make it look easy.

-Really?

I mean, me and my dad, we didn't get on in my early years,

and I used to think he was a terrible father...

until I became a father. And then I realised,

he didn't do a bad job.

When he was dying, I nursed him, looked after him.

He lived with me for 18 months.

Don't get me wrong, sometimes he got on my nerves,

but we'd always end up laughing.

And he was proud of me.

I know that.

So, here we go, George, we'll have a quick look round.

Back in the UK,

George is taking the opportunity to visit a local farm, to see how a

modern agribusiness is managed in the Western world.

That's a 90-acre field there that's just been combined.

At home, he's always looking for

ways to make his small farm more profitable.

He's keen to see if the other end of the farming spectrum could provide

him with some inspiration.

You have a very big farm.

Most English farmers like to talk in acres because it makes their farms

-sound bigger.

-THEY LAUGH

Essex is home to a hugely profitable agricultural sector, worth around

£400 million a year.

Owner of one of the country's largest farms, Jeremy Finnis,

has agreed to give George a tour.

OK, George, see how you get on pulling a few onions.

-Yes.

-They can earn good money, but you'll see it's quite hard work.

Fast-growing and low-maintenance,

things like spring onions can be lucrative.

Oh, you're very fast.

But without a large workforce,

it would be an impractical crop for George.

This type of work, it's too heavy,

and I don't think it would be done

single-handedly, even if you are a hard worker.

So, that wouldn't work.

Spring onions cast aside,

George's focus shifts from cash crops to boys' toys.

So, I think you're off to combining now, aren't you?

THEY LAUGH

Press the button, it's now driving itself.

Oh, really?

Whereas George relies on hand tools to raise his crops,

this is mechanised farming on a major scale.

Beautiful. Making farming more enjoyable.

-Yes.

-Machines are crazy.

-LAUGHTER

The difference between Western farming and George's smallholding

couldn't be clearer.

If machines like this had been made available,

Malawi would be self-reliant.

-This is luxury farming, isn't it?

-Yeah. Exactly, exactly.

-It's luxury farming.

-THEY LAUGH

George's hope for a self-driving tractor may be parked for now,

but he and Jeremy do have some things in common.

This farm, too, is a family affair.

Sixth generation, these guys.

-Yes.

-A very good example, you see?

We are here because somebody started the ball rolling.

That's right. We have an expression in this country,

"Live as if you'll die tomorrow, farm as if you'll live forever."

Oh. I like that, I like that.

-Because you're always investing for the next generation.

-Exactly.

In Malawi, farming is treated as one of the lowest jobs,

and the farmers are not highly respected,

so it has thrilled my heart seeing that some people in Britain take

agribusiness seriously and as a way of our living.

Which one of your children, George, do you think will take over?

Samuel. I need to persuade him.

He has the ability to do that, but he's not prepared now,

so I need to persuade him. Yes, that's the point.

-He can look after you, then, when...

-Sure, sure, sure. Yes, yes.

God forbid, anything happened to your father,

would the farm come to you? Would it become yours?

Yes, it will become mine,

but that's not something that I want to take over from him, you know?

-OK.

-Farming life is something very hard, you know?

Should the weather get very bad that year, maybe having, like, not much

rainfall, then you are doomed, see?

Yeah. So what is it that you want?

I want to get employed, you know?

Yeah, all I want is to get employed. I should maybe be waiting for a

salary at the end of the month. Yeah.

I don't imagine myself here forever, because it's a hard life, you know?

Is good to have family around me, but, you know, you need...

everyone needs money, OK?

I need money to support myself, I need money to support Mummy,

I need money to support my future family, my kids, you know?

So, despite the fact that I love to be with my family,

I'm going to have to leave them and fight for a job somewhere.

-Yeah.

-Then you have to be careful what you wish for,

because I have a job with a salary at the end of the month,

-but I also want this life.

-Oh, really?

-You see?

My family, many years ago, used to be farmers.

-The lost their farm.

-Oh, sorry.

You must always keep that link, no matter how hard it is.

-I will give you that advice. Keep that link.

-OK.

Today's given John an understanding of just how much is at stake for

George's family. If they can't find a way to make the land pay,

their future is uncertain.

I just worry for Sam. I worry what he's going to do.

How he's going to find a job.

He'll either end up disappearing one day and going into the town and

never coming back, like many of them do,

or he'll have to stay here.

He can't... The farm can't sustain them all.

It heart-rending when you see how much potential there is here,

and because they don't have natural resources, they don't have a chance.

At home, we go like...

HE WHISTLES

-Oh, they come.

-Yeah, birds are stupid.

THEY LAUGH

In Malawi, John's been taken on an outing to see life outside the farm.

-Your weather's lovely.

-Yeah.

-The weather's lovely when you don't have to work.

-Yeah.

Although largely self-sufficient,

some things just can't be grown at home.

-Is this our bus, yeah?

-Yeah.

So, today, the family are making a rare trip to the market.

Here, nipping to the shops means a 50-mile bus trip.

Are you feeling like a Malawian now?

I'm getting there slowly.

After a two-hour journey, they reach Sagano.

Located near the border of Malawi and neighbouring Mozambique,

it's home to one of the region's busiest markets.

-How much did they cost?

-One and a half pounds.

-Is that good?

-Yeah.

George and Sam sell their surplus crops at similar markets

two or three times a year, but, for all their hard work,

rarely make more than a few pounds on each visit.

But today, they're here to buy rather than sell.

Meat, tomatoes and cabbages and beans.

I've not seen any of that food since I've been here,

so they're obviously pushing the boat out because I'm here and want to

give me...give me a meal that I recognise, bless them.

Although it's a far cry from his shopping trips back home,

some aspects of life in a town

feel all-too-familiar to Essex boy John.

There is a different atmosphere here from the village.

They're not so friendly. It's hard.

Towns like this, when people want business, it becomes dog eat dog.

I'll be glad to get back to the village, actually.

-Do you grow these?

-No.

-Raspberries.

Mm.

Well, let me have some more.

-Yeah.

-It is good.

-They are good.

-LAUGHTER

In an allotment close to John's home,

George has found evidence of farming on a scale he is more familiar with.

Watch your head. I've just bashed mine.

-Are you OK?

-Yeah. Be careful.

And something on one of the nearby plots has caught George's eye.

We've got seven hives here,

with thousands and thousands of bees.

And you can see, they are pretty busy.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-They are busy.

-Yes, yes.

They are probably the best workers we've got up here.

Yeah, yeah. And you can see there is the possibility of having even more

than that within this area.

-See?

-Yeah.

-Because they are these, one, two, three...

Three more places, which means you can have at least 10 or 12.

-Yeah.

-It's quite possible.

-You could.

-And it's manageable.

-Oh, yeah. Maintenance-wise...

-Yes.

-..this lady comes up once a week.

-Really?

-Yeah. Once a week.

-Oh.

-She comes up once a week...

-Wow.

-..she has a look round, she keeps the grass cut down...

Yes, yes.

And then she'll come up two or three times a year and take the honey.

-Hmm.

-And there is a lot of money in it.

-Perfect.

-Yeah?

When he mentioned about the beekeeping,

I was very impressed for the first time and shocked, because it is not

as hard as the farm work is.

African honeybees thrive in hot climates,

and with relatively low start-up costs,

honey could be the answer to keeping George's family on the farm,

as well as satisfying Sam's entrepreneurial spirit.

Yes, my kids are changing, they are thinking.

Because seven or eight beehives is quite achievable,

and very profitable.

So, my primary mission is to find out more about the beekeeping

so that when I get back home, I know exactly what I'm doing.

Can I help you?

Back from the market in Malawi,

John has volunteered to help prepare the evening meal.

What is this I'm making?

-Nshima.

-Nshima. And I just keep stirring this?

Wait for it to get hot, a little bit like porridge.

A cooked mixture of maize, flour and water,

nshima is the staple carbohydrate in Malawi,

and many people eat it three times a day.

I can see it's starting to thicken now.

Less common is the sight of a man cooking,

so John has attracted a few spectators.

I've got a great audience of little heads that keep popping up.

Good husband material, eh?

THEY SPEAK IN OWN LANGUAGE

-They say you've done very well.

-Thank you, ladies.

THEY APPLAUD

I'm here all week.

George's friends and family often gather to share a meal

and chew the fat at the end of the day.

It's good.

When I see you carrying the water on your heads...

It would would've killed me. It would have broke my neck.

LAUGHTER

It seems when you come out here,

the village and the communities are a lot tighter.

The all know each other.

Here, they look after each other.

Don't get that at all down my street.

I know two people in my street, I've lived there ten years.

SHE SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE

She was asking if you've got any kids. How many?

I have a son, who is 30, and a daughter who is 27.

The family are a lot closer. Everyone's there together.

I don't have that.

I probably see my daughter four times a year,

and my son hardly at all.

I can't remember the last time all of us were together,

and that's not good.

In the UK, George, too, is thinking of home.

I've been away for a while, and

I've missed my family members, their laughters.

I know we are just really good when we are with each other,

when we are together. We share stories,

we talk together and we plan things together as a family.

Home is a sweet, good thing.

Bye-bye.

Hi.

It's halfway through the swap.

I would love to have a go.

I feel a lot calmer here.

The longer I've been here, the more relaxed the people are, as well.

I know it's hard work,

and you certainly can't sit here in the evening on the sofa,

having a few beers, watching the telly.

I mean, I was in bed last night at half past seven

and I was out like a light.

Frankly speaking, in Britain, the grass is greener than in Malawi.

Life for the working class is much, much better.

They have nice time, just leisure.

All sorts of fun.

Life is full when you accept it to be that way.

'Thanks for riding, everyone.'

It seems to be quite a natural thing for me to want to do this.

Although it wouldn't be my choice of building a home like this

in the English countryside, I do feel at home here.

I'm quite happy to be a quiet man in a little place

with some land and some animals.

I am absolutely loving it.

Yeah, I am absolutely loving it.

In Essex, keen to find out if bees

can help his farm to turn a profit...

I've opted for Gloria.

..George has been hunting online for honey experts.

She seems to be very strong.

I would like to have an eye-to-eye contact

and learn more from her experience, yes.

Yes, this gives me more hope and confidence in beekeeping.

Have you got everything, George?

Good.

The bee farm George wants to visit is 200 miles away in Derbyshire.

-DOG YELPS

-Shush.

So he and Cheryl are making a road trip of it.

OK, George?

-What do you think?

-Very impressive.

It's like as if I am in an aeroplane.

OK, George, are you ready?

Yes, quite ready.

Is it like being at home when you see the sunshine?

Yes, yes, yes.

It makes me feel at home, very much so.

It does? Yeah.

John and Cheryl bought a motorhome nearly ten years ago,

but don't use it as much as they'd like.

Do you sometimes go for picnics?

-Not really.

-Not really?

All right. What about mountain hikings?

We don't have many mountains that are close to us.

I see.

-So, yeah.

-Right.

But for John, there is no time to relax.

Help me hold it here. Here.

Today, he's helping some of Sam's neighbours

slaughter and butcher a goat.

Closer?

The skin is used for making drums.

-Drum skin?

-And some guys are crazy enough to make even shorts.

-Shorts?

-Yeah.

-Goat shorts?

Yeah.

I dare say every single boy here will do this with his father.

They'll have a goat, slaughter it,

and they'll do this process together.

It's doing it just right.

Just like an African man.

Passed down from father to son.

We don't have that tribal thing any more.

-The men get the blood?

-Yeah.

Then again, my father taught me a lot.

He did teach me a lot. He taught me how to tie flies,

he taught me how to tickle trout, he taught me how to do loads of things,

so he passed that down to me, but unfortunately,

I didn't pass that down to my son.

We never did... You know, we never had the chance to do any of that.

90 hours a week working,

it was hard to be Mr Bubbly when you're shattered.

So, John, how do you feel?

Are you feeling being part of this group?

I am feeling part of this group.

-Thank you.

-Really?

And everyone's happy.

Men are always happy when they are eating.

Yeah. Especially when it comes to meat.

THEY LAUGH

Back in Blighty, Cheryl and George

are still on their motorhome mini-break.

Here we are, George. That's quite a nice spot.

Have you got any questions you want to ask?

Sure. Where are we?

We're in Bungay in Suffolk.

Very beautiful scenery.

Tomorrow, George and Cheryl will continue their journey

to the bee farm.

Tonight, a chance to take in the countryside.

Are there any crocodiles in here?

-No.

-No crocodiles?

-No.

-What about hippos?

-No hippos.

-No hippos, no crocodiles.

-Quite different.

-No elephants.

-No elephants?

-No giraffes.

None of that!

I see some strange animals over there?

-What are they?

-They are cows.

Cows.

George is well and truly out of his depth.

-I'll help you.

-OK.

So, you need to go that way.

-This way?

-That way.

-This way?

-That way.

You need to paddle...

This way. OK.

Having George here has been quite enlightening for me.

One, two, three.

We have such a different home life to what George has

because he never gets time to relax.

I'm really surprised how well we've got on.

He's quite a character.

-Oh, dear.

-OK.

We are just going to go round in circles.

The British take their outing from their busy schedules

to enjoy themselves.

SHE LAUGHS

It is not the same in Malawi,

simply because of the financial strains.

-There we are.

-Yes.

Finally. It was really nice just to relax a bit.

Oh, no!

Oh, my God!

Unfortunately, we found ourselves sinking into the river.

Oh, no!

SHE LAUGHS

That...that was another thing which cracked me to laugh so far.

Anyway, goodbye for now.

Thanks.

The next day, Cheryl and George arrive in picturesque Derbyshire.

Oh!

-There's some beautiful places in the UK.

-You are right.

But before heading to the bee farm,

George has asked to make a detour to the spa town of Buxton.

-Hello. I'm Emma, John's daughter.

-I'm George.

To better understand the life of the man

whose world he's living in,

he has asked to meet John's daughter, Emma.

-Tea.

-OK.

It's like, proper English tea in a little pot.

It's well cool.

Are there any things that you do in life which keep you busy?

I've got a daughter who I look after.

-I see.

-She's four years old.

She's my little princess.

So, how often do you meet your daddy?

Last time I saw my dad was...

..Christmas last year, I think.

That was probably for just the day.

I don't think my dad has been up to my new place yet.

If there was one thing you would have to express

or to explain about your father,

what is it that you would say?

Obviously, I love him,

and I'm very proud of my dad because I know he's done a lot,

but he's always...

He's a very busy person.

So when I look at him, I just see him as a busy person.

-I see.

-I would love to see him more.

-Mm-hm.

Do you see your family, like, all your...

children together?

Yes.

I don't get to do that.

I do have an older brother, as well,

but he hasn't seen my dad in years.

It would be good if we could all spend time together.

Yes, sure.

-It's definitely needed.

-Exactly.

-Yeah.

They don't get to see each other.

It sounded strange

because the daughter verifies that they cannot be able

to see each other.

To me, fatherhood doesn't just mean fathering the kids,

but it goes way beyond that,

you need to associate yourself with the kids as they grow up

because this is what binds the family ties together.

You never say, "I'm done,"

because you are always there for the service of the future generation.

This is how you become a man in Africa.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

-I've been doing it all wrong.

How old are the boys, when you start doing this?

They must start at a very tender age

because the boys normally stay in touch with their father...

-Yeah?

-So wherever the father goes...

-They follow their father?

-They follow their father

because they learn the works, so they become men.

Yeah. And strong.

Very strong.

A man needs not to be lazy because he has to take care of his family.

Yeah, I think a lot of people forget that.

I'm thinking about my family.

You know, I don't see my daughter very often, and my son.

The way Sam talks about his father,

I don't suppose my son talks that way about me.

That upsets me.

I love my son, love him to pieces.

We don't see a lot of each other, maybe once a year.

He lives 20-odd miles away.

He doesn't drive. I'm always working.

I miss them.

I do miss him. I miss my family.

Yeah.

George has arrived at the bee farm he found online.

"Troway Hall, a honey trail."

Oh, wow.

Hidden in the grounds of 200-year-old Troway Hall

are an army of busy bees.

George has come here to learn how to turn honey into hard cash.

Hello, young man. Can we help you?

-I'm George.

-George, my name's Gloria.

-How are you?

-Fine. How are you doing?

-I'm doing very well.

-Great.

Right. Have you been here before?

-Never.

-Come on.

With over 30 years in the business,

Gloria knows everything there is to know about beekeeping,

but George needs to start with the basics.

Right, if you'd like to put that on first of all.

That's good.

Now, this is what we call a veil.

So, put this over you.

In, you've got two layers.

You are in. OK?

-Does it feel comfortable?

-Sure.

-OK.

-I don't know what it would be like if it was a sunny day.

It would be really hot.

-Shall we go?

-Sure.

Gloria keeps around 70 beehives on a plot of land

similar in size to George's farm back home.

Go and stand at the side.

Now, George, bees don't like loud noises.

They don't like that. And the beekeeper who is very loud

-will never make a good beekeeper.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Keep your voice down.

-OK, OK.

Bees fly for miles around,

collecting nectar from the sort of flowers

which Malawi has in abundance.

-They seal up the hive so there's no wind or draft.

-I see.

They require just a small amount of water,

perfect for the arid conditions around George's village.

That's the first time you've seen in a beehive?

-Yeah.

-They are filling in these hexagons here.

They are actually filling it with wax,

and as soon as it's all enclosed in wax, the honey is ready to eat.

-Would you like to hold one?

-OK.

There are an estimated 10,000 hives in Malawi,

mostly owned by small-scale producers

and there's room for growth.

-What about that, George?

-Oh, wonderful.

Around 120 tonnes of honey currently has to be imported to Malawi

every year in order to meet demand.

100 million years, they've been at this, George.

We take the wax off and spin it, and all the honey comes running out.

Impressed with what he's seen,

George wants to find out more about the bottom line.

So, when you can have some hives like those,

it means you are in a position to earn a living.

Oh, yes. We will probably get...

This time, we've got about 80 to 100 lb of honey off each beehive.

That's good. And they might fill it three, four, five times in the year.

Probably six for you because you've got the weather.

And you've got the flowers.

-Yes.

-And you've got the trees.

You can earn a good living.

-Yes.

-A good living.

-A good living.

Not just a living, but a good living.

Thank you for coming from Africa, George.

It's been wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.

Have you felt good in your bee suit?

-Great.

-Yes.

-Great.

If George can replicate a small part of Gloria's business back in Malawi,

it could change the way he supports his family.

My coming to Britain, and, particularly, coming here,

is going to change my life tremendously.

Gloria explained everything,

and if Sam could see this, he wouldn't wait,

he would get the beehives put in place because this is profitable.

So I will be going home a happier man,

and this has been one of the precious moments in my life.

It's John's last night in Malawi.

That's our chief with his arms folded.

He's been invited to a community gathering.

To give the people something to do?

Yeah. People come and socialise.

-Otherwise, it can be very isolating?

-Yes.

And the dancing, he's, like, holy?

Yeah, associated with magic, you know?

Magic? Yeah.

Since I've been here, I've had a lot of time to think,

and it's been eye-opening, enlightening.

We close that door and we're isolated.

Here, they are social all the time.

I envy his family life.

I think that I would certainly take that away with me.

It's been a wake-up call.

I suppose I would like to have the big house in the country

with a little bit of land and the animals and my career as well.

But I've got a lot to do when I get home.

I need a better relationship with my children, because I do love them.

I need to stop working so much and make more time.

I need to make more time for everyone, before it's too late.

Not going to be here for ever, are we?

I said I wouldn't get upset on camera.

Yeah.

HE SNIFFS

That's the closest you're going to get!

-INTERVIEWER: You all right?

-Yeah.

Yeah, I am. I just find it very hard to show emotion that way.

It's part of being a man...

..act like you don't care.

After a week living in each other's worlds,

it's time for George and John to say goodbye to their hosts

and head for home.

I think the most thing that I've missed about home

is the laughter of my kids and my wife.

The more smiles you get, the more happier you become.

Hey, Cheryl, I'm leaving now.

Thank you very much for making me smile and laugh,

and I hope you've enjoyed it here with us.

You must keep in touch.

I've loved having him here.

He's a really nice guy.

And shall miss him a little bit.

Saying goodbye will be hard.

I'll miss him.

-Thank you.

-So you shall always remember you were in Africa

when you see these seeds. These are African seeds.

I'm surprised how close we got, what good friends we are.

I'll miss you, buddy.

Having John around, somebody from a totally different culture,

being assimilated to your culture, is something very amazing,

something that happens maybe once in a lifetime.

I'm going to miss him.

Thank you for looking after me.

George is a very lucky man.

THEY LAUGH

Parting like this, it feels sad,

but on the other hand, I am excited to see my family.

Thank you for looking after me.

Before they return home,

George and John will get to meet for the first time.

It's like these guys exchanged their families,

so you always want to see the man who was in your house.

I've asked lots of questions about him.

Apparently, he's quite quietly spoken, he's quite reserved.

He only speaks when he's got something to say.

Walking in his feet has been something very important

and very memorable.

Now I meet the man whom I was longing to meet.

It will be interesting to meet him,

see what he thinks of Sam, let him know what Sam thinks of him.

You don't always get to find that out.

You often wonder, it's not something you can ask your son.

-Hello.

-George.

-Hi, John.

TRANSLATION:

Oh, thank you. You have learnt already.

-Yeah, a little bit.

-You're a very fast learner.

-A little bit.

-Did you have a good time?

-Yes, I did.

-What about you?

-Brilliant.

Sam was lovely.

He looked after me so well.

-Thanks.

-What a great son.

Do you know, it was like looking at Sam in 40 years?

Felt like I had known him all week.

When I look at where you are with Sam...

-Yes.

-He thinks so much of you.

If he had to give his hopes up to help you, I know he would.

He is torn because he wants so much to be a man himself

-and go and earn money.

-That's right.

And you can see,

no matter how much he works hard,

the farm is never going to pay wages to everyone.

-That's it.

-It's a family thing.

-Sure.

-Which I think is a shame.

-That is...

-Because it's a lovely way to live.

If I was to ask you a question, what world would you live in?

Would you live in my world or would you live in your world?

That is a very good question,

because, looking at the Western culture, life seems to be easier,

but because this is where I am, I've no choice.

I always remind myself that home is sweet.

-Yes.

-No matter what.

-That's your home.

-It is your home.

You have to do the best you can to change the home.

Yeah, that's right.

Yeah.

My life is easier in many ways.

The fact I've got food, heat, warmth, water easily.

But his life is richer in family, culture, heritage...

..and just the people around him.

I had the chance to meet your daughter.

This is what I will suggest.

In the family bond and intimacy,

there's the need to periodically meet and chat.

Chatting on the phone, yes, it's good, but seeing a person,

looking in the eyes straight, that's a different thing, as well.

Yeah.

So, I asked her to do that and I shall put it to you in the same way.

Yeah. I agree.

It's been interesting, having someone critique my life

from another world

and see what he thought of it.

It's been humbling. I mean, I'm 50 now.

My mother and her brother all passed away within four years of this date,

and so that puts it into perspective.

All I do is work.

Maybe I should just make do with what I've got and be grateful.

Need to find somewhere in the country.

Got to be a farmer, man.

HE LAUGHS

OK, George. It's been a real honour and a pleasure to meet you.

-Did you enjoy it?

-Very much.

-So did I.

-I am very grateful.

-Thank you.

-Yeah, cheers, George.

You're a good man, mate.

Give my regards to your family.

You too. Do the same to Cheryl.

-Thank you. Bye.

-Bye-bye.

Would you like to pick names for them?

-Yeah. Rainbow.

-Rainbow?

I called them all Rainbow.

Rainbow. It's easier that way.

-Next time...

-Wow.

A lifelong Army wife from Nottingham

tries to break free in the wilds of Alaska...

I have never felt so like the real me.

..while an all-Alaskan small-town girl...

Is there a kingdom around here?

Well, no. You're in Nottingham now.

..steps into her very own British fairy tale.

I feel like a princess.

What will they learn from each other's lives?

Guns don't kill people, people kill people, you know.

Oops. Sorry.