Trouble in Paradise Bangkok Airport

'You are clear for landing.'

Bangkok Airport is like no other airport on Earth.

Welcome to Thailand.

This is my best smiling.

It's where East meets West...

-Ching, ching, ching. Ching ching ching.

-..Buddhist meets backpacker...

-That way to the beach.

-..and traveller meets trouble.

-Never see me in Thailand ever again.

-No, no!

-Yes.

-And if the culture seems strange...

-Free hugs?

-..the language seems foreign...

-Sawatdee ka.

-And you're 6,000 miles from home...

-I'm stuck in Bangkok.

Don't panic - there's an army of airport staff just waiting

-to help you out.

-SIREN BLARES

-One way...

-How may I help you?

-HE LAUGHS

-..or another.

Get in the line.

So whether it's your gateway

to a million once-in-a-lifetime experiences...

It's all about love, love, love and love.

..or just the ticket to a good old-fashioned holiday nightmare...

-Look at all the cancelled flights!

-..this is your final call.

Very happy, everyone.

-Welcome...

-Passport, please.

-..to Bangkok airport.

This programme contains some strong language.

There's trouble brewing at the Airport Of Smiles.

Walked out the hotel room and there's shooting going on.

As protesters take to the streets, the airport grinds to a halt.

Nobody. You can see nobody. This kind of sad situation that I've got.

A full moon party goes horribly wrong

for two young Britpackers.

-She just collapsed in my arms.

-The only explanation is that

I got spiked.

The English Thai-Boxing team touches down

and they are spoiling for a fight.

This is the one night that we've trained for, this is the big one.

And it all kicks off at Tourist Police HQ.

This is the first time somebody tried to kill officer!

There's trouble in paradise and the airport is on red alert.

MARCHING PERCUSSION PLAYS

Anti-government protesters are holding demonstrations

across the city hoping to bring Bangkok to a standstill.

The shutdown means roads are blocked and banks and businesses

are closed, and the airport could be next.

But the protests are already affecting the airport. As word

gets round, tourists like Tiffany and Matt are desperate to get home.

I knew about the riots

but I didn't think it was going to be that bad at first.

But when speaking to a few locals, the Thais and that,

and they were just like, "Yeah, yeah, get out. Get out if you can."

And then we just came straight to the airport.

-But getting out's not so easy.

-Delayed till 10.

Sammy was due to fly home today after a month in Thailand.

So this morning I was meant to get a shuttle bus at 4pm

and then I walked out the hotel room and there's shooting going on.

I was like, "OK, so there's a riot going on.

"Am I going to be able to get to the airport?"

And now my flight's been delayed.

The last time there were protests like this,

the airport was shut down for eight days.

This time, the police are ready for anything.

Staff are working overtime to advise anxious tourists how

to avoid the trouble spots.

Wow, there's a lot of demonstrations going on.

-Protests.

-Protests.

-Thank you very much for your help.

Many people come here to ask the way. How to go to downtown another way.

We just staying here and give them

some information about the protests in Bangkok.

Three, two, one... Beep!

MUSIC: Happy Jack by The Who

So far the troubles

haven't reached Captain Jack,

the airport's happiest

-immigration officer.

-I love my job.

He's hard at work stamping visas with his trusty stamping machine.

I love this machine. The sound is so good. See?

Ching, ching, ching. Ching ching ching. That makes my day.

Every visa Jack stamps means more money for Thailand.

It will go to government account.

This is the income of my country.

OK.

But if the tourists stay away, it could be bad news for Jack

and his country.

You know, I cannot have, like, the opinion for the politics right now.

Because we work as a government officer,

so we are in the middle and now we are working our best.

Work our best. So we work our best.

Not everyone's been scared off by the troubles.

The English Thai-Boxing team are here

to compete in the World Championships.

They love a good fight.

# My veins are blue and connected

# And every single bone in my brain is electric. #

This is the one that we trained for, this is the big one.

We've got to get the gold medal.

I promised my grandma.

# Como en madera y yeso. #

Thank you.

# Como en madera y yeso. #

Will's come with his girlfriend, Beth.

They fell in love when their eyes met over a crowded gym in Oldham.

-They've been fighting together ever since.

-He asked me out at the gym.

How romantic's that?

He was like looking at me and went, "Oh, Beth," I went, "What?"

He went, "Will you just go out with me?" And I was, "Oh, go on, then."

It's Beth's first time competing in the World Championships.

Will's been knocked out here before

but this time they've got each other.

I've got Beth with me for my biggest support this year

and I'm her biggest support.

Being there for each other and having someone there makes

you feel a lot calmer and a lot better

and he knows me more than anyone

and I know him more than anyone.

Beating the Thais at their own game won't be easy but Will

can't wait to kick some ass, which is probably allowed in the rules.

It's a lot more rougher than any other sports that I know about.

You get to use your elbows and your knees. I don't know many sports

that you can use your elbows and your knees in, anyway.

I've always been a fighter

since I was younger. I used to fight at school and everything.

The tournament's taking place in the old capital city of Ayutthaya,

away from the worst of the protests. But Thai Boxing's a tough sport.

Will they still be smiling when the fighting's over?

Over at Tourist Police HQ, a new case has come up

for officers Teay and Baitong.

Sawatdee ka.

Case coming, case coming.

They're dealing with a traveller who's been spotted behaving

erratically in the airport.

Hello. Where are you from?

Sweden.

So what about your problem, sir?

Yes, the security said you looked so serious. So where are your shoes?

May I see your passport, please? Now, what's your name?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Just wait. Just wait, sir.

The man decides to enter the back office without permission.

Sir, stay here. Your passport, sir?

Just stay here.

You keep it.

No, you cannot go there, sir.

The longer he's questioned, the more agitated he becomes.

Security take him, come here, and then they tried to ask him,

but he really talked not nicely to me.

-But, OK, I do understand.

-Eventually Teay decides to let him leave.

Without his passport, he can't get far.

Teay knows that, sooner or later, he'll be back.

Under the airport concourse, the immigration squad is falling in.

It's not good news.

The protests downtown have claimed their first victims.

COMMANDER SHOUTS

ALL RESPOND

With tensions rising,

the team know they have to be in peak physical condition.

Some people take it more seriously than others. Take Captain A.

She's the airport's most motivated immigration officer.

HE SHOUTS ORDERS

No need to go to the gym, you can do that everywhere and make it harder.

Oh.

30... 43.

WHISTLE BLOWS

For my age, I need to do running two miles in 30 minutes.

If I want to get excellent, 12 minutes and 14 seconds.

A warmed up Captain A returns to doing what she does best -

sending people to the back of the queue.

SHE SPEAKS THAI STERNLY

But they're getting shorter -

the queues, not the people.

Since they know about the political crisis in Thailand,

seems like 40% of the chartered flights were cancelled.

The tourism, the hotel, they are also affected by the situation.

-So it's not good at all.

-Let me see your boarding pass, please.

Working alongside Captain A is Captain Sarik.

He's the airport's most helpful

immigration officer.

Passport, please.

Today, he's helping to reassure passengers

anxious about the political unrest.

-Have you heard protesting in Bangkok before?

-No.

HE CHUCKLES Yeah, we heard about it.

But we think it should be OK.

A lot of people in Hong Kong, where we live,

were cancelling flights but we thought it was OK.

Why cancel because of protesting, right?

Some people were scared, some people were not coming

-but we think it should be OK.

-OK, this way, please.

Nothing to fear. Right?

Do you think so?

-Are we going the right way?

-I don't know.

Hot off the plane are Tallie and Tirrie,

best friends from Maidenhead.

"Visa on arrival" up there, and then, what?

We get our visa and then go to baggage then?

Yeah?

They're here for a six-week trip around Thailand and Laos.

We have no idea what we're doing.

They're going to spend one night in Bangkok

-if they ever get out of this airport.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-We're just wondering where we need to go.

-Er, do you have a visa?

-No, we don't, we need to get a visa.

-Is this your first time in Thailand?

-Yeah.

-OK, this way, please.

The friends land on their feet with Captain Sarik.

Not only does he point them in the right direction,

he helps fill in their arrival cards.

-Thank you so much.

-You're welcome.

-Thank you.

-And this way, please. Stay in the line.

-Bless him.

He's the friendliest person we've met so far. Yeah. No, definitely.

Tallie and Tirrie might need all the help they can get

if they're going to make the Full Moon Party at Ko Samui.

It's like a big party where all travellers go.

Don't know what to expect.

-Tallie, what do we do once we get out?

-Search for a place to stay?

It's like first time on our own. Like, away from everyone.

-Yeah, we're kind of on a whim, aren't we?

-Maybe go to information.

-Yeah.

-OK.

-Which one is that? To the right?

We're kind of a bit... both unorganised trying to be

-organised together, trying to keep each other...

-Yeah.

-..going.

Trying to keep the balance of fun but not getting lost and kidnapped.

And in trouble.

-We're just looking for a hostel for one night.

-Hostel?

-Yeah.

Near here or in the city?

Near here because we've got to be back here tomorrow morning.

I don't think we really know what we want at the moment, it's just

an adventure, we're not expecting anything except sun and palm trees.

I don't really know what is going to happen.

-I think we're going to learn a lot.

-I hope so.

-Learn a lot.

-Yeah.

-It's an experience of a lifetime that many people don't get.

-Yeah.

-Thank you, you've been amazing.

-Enjoy Thailand.

-Is that the hotel name?

-Yeah, can you pronounce that?

Sava-rava-bhumbi. THEY LAUGH

The girls won't be getting up to any monkey business.

These are what our boyfriends gave us from home to keep

as a comfort kind of thing.

I do think we'll look pathetic - the girls at the beach party crying

because they've lost their teddies.

-Oh, no.

-Sorted for B&B, Tallie and Tirrie head off.

Next stop, the Full Moon Party. Now, where's the way out?

-That's an exit. Big sign.

-Where?

-Over there.

A couple of hours north of Bangkok lies the ancient city of Ayutthaya.

Today it's hosting the opening ceremony

-of the World Thai Boxing Championships.

-You ready? Yeah?

Remember what all this hard work's for. You're here.

Will and Beth will be fighting for England

in the spiritual home of their sport.

You'll have it. It's yours, this. You've trained for it.

SHE SHOUTS

MUSIC: A Billion Girls by Elyar Fox

Will's stepping into the ring first

-and Beth's doing her best to fire him up.

-Yeah?

Remember what you know.

Will's team-mates know how tough it will be

fighting at the highest level.

As soon as that bell rings, he's got three rounds to just go for it.

Like, unleash the animal. All this hard training that he's put in.

He's just got to go, absolutely give everything he's got.

To represent your country is an honour, isn't it?

It's going to be a hard fight.

Come on, Will!

Come on, Will!

Keep going! Go Will!

Will's first opponent is from Uzbekistan

and with Beth's shouts ringing in his ears, Will unleashes the animal.

-CHEERING

-Yes, Will!

Yeah!

Go on, Will, you beast!

Go on, Will, fight for it!

APPLAUSE

With the first win under his belt,

Will's a step closer getting his hands on gold.

Proud of him.

-Really proud of him.

-SHE SNIFFS

I nearly knocked him out.

He slowed down a bit in the third, so I thought I would...

because I was a bit tired.

He's been worrying so much and then he steps in the ring

and he's just amazing every time.

Beth's had the supporting role tonight

but tomorrow it'll be Will in the crowd and she'll be centre stage.

Back at Bangkok airport,

it's eerily quiet as more holidaymakers cancel their flights.

Music: Ghost Town by The Specials

As you can see, the line... No passengers. So, what do you do?

SHOUTING ON TELEVISION

Foreigners don't come to Thailand because they have checked the news.

Maybe they are afraid.

In his immigration booth, Captain Jack is growing restless.

I'm waiting for the passenger coming to apply for visas.

But, this time, nobody. Nobody is here.

So, I'm kind of sad.

To keep spirits up,

Jack's been entertaining passengers with a dance routine.

I tried to find my video that I'm doing a performance.

Music: Gentleman by Psy

See? See? How professional...

..I am.

Back at Tourist Police HQ,

officer Baitong has welcomed back a familiar guest.

The head office of the Tourist Police called me here.

They said they have somebody abnormal over there.

And they let me go there and bring him to my office.

He told me I am RoboCop.

RoboCop has been identified as the tourist who gave Teay

a tough time on his last visit to the office.

I asked him, "Do you need some food?" He said, "Yes."

And my colleagues bring him some food.

As the man becomes increasingly erratic,

officers monitor his behaviour closely.

I think he have some problem in his brain.

Their fears are realised when the man suddenly turns violent.

OFFICER TUTS

THEY SPEAK IN THAI

The man is quickly subdued but it's a tense moment.

-Luckily Baitong can see the funny side.

-Training situation, that guy.

Swedish guy. It's the first time somebody tried to kill officer.

This is the first time.

The man is taken to the local police station down on the ground floor

where he can be held more securely.

Realising he's ill, they don't arrest him.

Instead, he's taken to a Bangkok hospital where he'll be

looked after and his mental state evaluated.

As the protests continue downtown, more tourists are trying

to leave Thailand but they're facing ever longer delays.

Eight hours early for our flight.

Because everything's been shut down due to protests.

Connor and his friends have been stuck here most of the day.

We've been here for five hours already.

We got told to come here early because of the protests,

otherwise we wouldn't be able to get everyone in the taxis and stuff.

To add insult to injury, Connor had to show his penis to a ladyboy.

Aw, yeah, when we were stressing about getting to a new hotel

last night, we went into a travel agent's.

I felt a tap on my shoulder,

I turned around and a ladyboy went, "Let me see your cock!

"Let me see your cock!"

Showed her it and she buggered off.

Connor's one of the lucky ones.

I was stuck in Bangkok because my taxi didn't show up

and all the streets were shut down, so nobody picked me up.

So I walked...

Lydia's missed her flight after getting caught up in the protests.

No, it's not open. I've gone to the fifth floor three times.

And she wasn't happy to find her airline desk closed

when she got here.

Yeah, well, I'm having a serious problem here

and I'm trying to get the fuck out of Bangkok. Excuse my French.

Yes, I missed a flight today because I can't get the fuck out of Bangkok.

Lydia nearly didn't get here at all.

I had to walk for, like, a mile.

And then I asked this guy on his motorbike if he would give me

a ride. It wasn't even a taxi.

So I paid some guy on the street to take me on his motorcycle...

-to get me here.

-The airline will transfer her ticket.

Can you book me for that flight? And not charge me.

But the next available flight doesn't leave until tomorrow.

I'm a little bit pissed.

Slightly. Want to get a beer?

After eight weeks backpacking through Asia, Lydia won't let

a one-day delay spoil the trip of a lifetime.

Oh, it's been phenomenal.

I've been on the road for two months and I feel like...

I feel like I've had an education of, you know,

a couple of years, really. Packed into two months.

I've learned so much more about the people around me

and how other people live.

And putting life in perspective. And what's important.

# I can go

# With the flow

# Don't say it doesn't matter

# With the flow... #

With a whole day to kill, Lydia's resigned to a long

and boring stay at the airport.

I just hope that I get on my flight tomorrow, cos...

Nobody knows what the fuck is happening.

I'll get out at some point. It's not like I'm going to die here.

Things could be worse.

With more protests expected tonight,

police are putting up roadblocks around the airport perimeter.

There's a chance some travellers won't make it to the airport at all.

Some tourists, they are booking a hotel in Bangkok

and they have a flight today. If they are going to come here...

maybe you miss a flight...

because of traffic.

-The United Kingdom awaits.

-I don't want to go back.

After a month in Thailand, Laura and Nina are due to fly home tonight.

-Let's stay, then.

-OK.

I'll just stay here in my bed, in my cosy bed.

You can go if you want to, but I think I'll stay.

With the roads outside gridlocked, they may have no choice.

-Just look at it. It's crazy.

-It's ridiculous. They're not moving.

But that's partly, I think... We're right in the middle of the protests.

-Yeah.

-There have been some... people getting killed.

-But we haven't been in the middle of it.

-Yeah.

-Fuck.

Are we going to make it home?

The girls have an added incentive for catching their flight -

their 30-day visa exemptions expire tonight.

I want to make sure we get to the airport way before midnight.

Past immigration, so we can say, "No, it's still the 17th."

Even though our flight leaves, technically, on the 18th.

No, I think that's good. Let's do that.

Let's not just risk anything, really.

Not on the last day that we're here.

-We could end up in jail.

-Aw!

-Can you imagine?

-No.

Down on the streets, there are signs of the protests everywhere.

Look at that.

Thai people usually are not violent, they are nice.

They are friendly. Look at that.

This is not nice.

Tori's on his way to meet an old friend at the airport.

They've closed a lot of roads. This one is closed - look.

You can't go anywhere. Unbelievable.

Tori came to Bangkok for a relaxing break.

But it's not working out.

This is a holiday. It's supposed to be a holiday,

but it became a little bit of a nightmare now.

Tori's friend Joan has flown in from Australia.

But now he's too late to meet her off the plane

and he can't seem to find her anywhere.

She's supposed to come out here.

At this gate here, the B.

-Yeah.

-As he sets off to look for her, he starts to lose focus.

That's a beautiful dress. Look at that. You see that? Nice colour.

Nice smile, don't they? Look at them. They've got a beautiful smile here.

She's not here. I hope she's OK.

I am worried.

Tori decides to charm the tourist police into helping him

find his friend.

-What is her name?

-It's Joan Wallace.

-Man?

-No, it's a woman.

If it's a man...I would go.

-I don't mind waiting for a woman.

-What flight?

I can't remember the number. But it's landed at 8.40 in the morning. Yes.

Unbelievable, eh?

I'm struggling.

Tori's friend has picked up her bags

and the officer thinks she may have left the airport.

If she get the bags, it means she passed already.

Why we have to check immigration again. Uh-huh.

Just...just peace of mind, anyway.

Mr Tori! Do you have...

-Cellphone?

-Pardon?

-Cellphone. Mobile number.

-Oh, I do,

but I just got it yesterday.

-I can't remember the number.

-OK, call me.

-I don't have the phone with me. I left it this morning at home.

-Um...

-I'm supposed to be on holiday, I don't need any phone, any...

-Yeah.

-It's necessary now.

-Now?

-Tori seems to be getting desperate.

-Can you do an announcement?

-No.

-Ask information?

We can't. Yes.

-You've got no power at all?

-No.

-OK...

My options are running out.

Probably help if I go and check my e-mails outside the airport.

Hopefully then, I'll...

The officer is only too pleased to point

Tori in the direction of anywhere else.

But when he tries to log onto his e-mail,

he can't remember his password, despite receiving a prompt.

They're asking me where I met my wife.

But which one?

Unbelievably, he can't log on.

I can't access it, eh? Unbelievable. Unbelievable.

-It's shaping up like a long day.

-Would you like a drink?

Up in Ayutthaya, another victory means Will's reached

the finals of the World Thai Boxing Championships.

Now he's hoping to find similar fortune for his girlfriend,

Beth, in her fight tonight.

I'm going to the temple...

getting this blessed for Beth.

I'm going to give it to her just before her fight, for good luck.

I got it from...from the shopping centre, really.

The monks are busy at the moment, so they can't bless the Buddha for Beth.

Having come all this way, Will decides

to bless the Buddha himself, before

heading back to training camp, where he finds Beth sick with nerves.

Beth?

Can I come in? I've got you something.

SHE SNIFFS

-You'll be fine.

-I know.

Oh, God.

Your hand's shaking.

Thank you.

It's Beth's day today.

It's all yours, innit?

-Give it me best.

-Go for it.

I've messaged me mum. She always says,

"Why can't I pick something like synchronised swimming?"

But, then again, that's not me, so...

Beth's just a few hours away from the fight of her life.

-And Will's praying the lucky Buddha does the trick.

-I'll come with you.

Back at the airport, Tori still hasn't found his friend, Joan.

He doesn't have a phone,

he can't pick up e-mails and his beer's starting to froth.

-Unbelievable.

-He enlists the help of an officer at the information desk.

My problem is I'm waiting for a friend

-and I think she's lost in the airport.

-Really?

-All I need is just you announcing her name...

-Oh, yes.

-If you can find her, that would be very nice.

-OK.

-Whoo!

We're getting somewhere.

-But that's already five hours?

-Yes.

Probably she's lost somewhere.

How about... She might get to the hotel already or something?

What hotel? I don't know.

-It's a lady.

-It's a lady?

-A Miss Joan Wallace.

-With big boobs.

-Big ones.

-She's pretty sure Tori's friend has left the airport,

but she can offer some free advice.

You shouldn't be drinking.

-If you drink here, you will discredit yourself...

-Really?

Yeah, exactly. And no-one will like to help you as much without drink.

Maybe that's why, then. It's my first beer for the day.

I'm in trouble already.

It looks like Tori's never going to find his friend Joan.

-Unbelievable, that.

-I hope you will find her.

You can always come back to this counter.

-I don't think I want to come back here.

-Really?

-No, that's enough.

For today, it's enough. Thank you.

There's only one word for it...

Unbelievable.

With more protests expected tonight,

police are guarding all the roads to the airport.

Laura and Nina are heading back to London, and are hoping

to avoid the worst of the trouble. But it's going to be tight.

Are we going to make it on time?

And to make matters worse,

their standard 30-day visa exemption is about to expire.

See what happens. Let's hope he...he hurries up.

Oh! We just made it.

When the girls finally reach the airport...

No! Oh, my God.

-Cancelled!

-What?!

-No way.

-Look at all the cancelled flights.

What's going on?

We're fucked.

With no chance of catching their connection to London,

they go in search of an alternative flight.

Right now, the visa is the least of my worries, to be honest.

-I just need to get back to London.

-We need to get the second flight.

That's really important.

Because otherwise, we're going to have to buy...

-One new flight is OK, but two?

-No, it's not going to happen.

At the airline desk, there's a lifeline.

Oh, wow, that's better. Shorter waiting times and shorter arrival.

-Much better.

-They are offered a free transfer onto a better flight.

They've put us on a flight to London via Dubai.

So we're now off to Dubai.

-Just like that, in five minutes.

-And we're actually saving four hours.

So we get to London a lot earlier than we thought

-we would be, which is nice.

-Yeah. A blessing in disguise.

Yeah, it is actually. A blessing in disguise.

-And no mentioning of visa...

-Well, not yet.

-Oh, right.

This is it now, immigration.

Fingers crossed.

Will the visas be spotted? Laura's first to go.

When she makes it, Nina slips through after,

and the friends are cleared for takeoff.

Laura and Nina may have slipped the net, but as the protests continue,

Captain Jack is stamping his visas in a state of heightened alertness.

I hear it, like, every day. Ching, ching, ching, ching.

But you need at least a page for Jack's stamp

and this passenger is running out of space. Time for a friendly reminder.

Sir, I want you to understand that when you are making

a visa on arrival... You need a visa on arrival in Thailand.

We need one page full.

And this time we really, really assist you to get in. OK?

Because we know that you will be a very good tourist,

but it will be the last time for you to use this passport.

Renew it, OK?

This passenger got off lightly.

Jack's not the toughest officer in the department.

I'm not the one who's strict.

I'm not the one...who's strict.

-That title goes to Inspector Muay.

-SHE SPEAKS THAI

In the current climate, she's watching out

for any suspicious behaviour.

Yana from Seattle has been hanging around the airport for nearly

24 hours, so Muay has asked Captain Bert to investigate.

-Do you have a ticket for your next flight?

-Yeah, I do.

Do you want to see? It's from the other airport.

Yeah, Don Mueang Airport.

-Oh, it's just an electronic ticket?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-Yeah?

Yana tells Bert she's waiting for a connecting flight to the

island of Ko Phangan.

But she didn't realise she had to transfer to Bangkok's other

airport, Don Mueang.

-Bert reports back to Inspector Muay.

-Will they put me in jail?

I don't know. I hope not. Cross my fingers, knock on wood.

But Muay wants to find out more.

Oh, I told them. I have a flight tomorrow morning at 7am.

I thought it was from here, I didn't know there was

more than one airport here.

But it's from the other airport.

Just on seats, on my computer and sleeping.

Officers believe that some passengers

wait for the busiest time to pass through immigration,

hoping they'll be processed quickly and smuggled items won't be found.

I thought my connecting was in this airport.

I didn't know there was another one.

And then I found out that there was another one, so I went out and...

I was supposed to take the shuttle from here. But I just found out.

Misunderstanding cleared up,

Bert points Yana in the direction of the shuttle bus.

My boss advised her to, next time, check the flight.

For Yana, it's a lesson learnt.

Don't hang out at Bangkok Airport in the middle

of a national emergency when Inspector Muay's on duty.

I didn't think anything bad could happen, but you never know, so...

especially in a foreign country,

just about anything can happen.

Next up through immigration is 24-year-old mum of two, Marika.

-Hello.

-Marika.

-Nice to meet you.

It'd have to be something important to make her brave

the troubles in Bangkok.

Yeah, I'm a little bit nervous about this rioting thing.

I've just arrived in Bangkok to get some plastic surgery done.

Breast augmentation and a tummy tuck. All at the same time.

Can I see your passport, please?

My whole life I was really overweight and then I had two kids

and I lost heaps of weight. So... Body's not what it should be

for a 24-year-old. So...getting it fixed up.

2.5 million people come to Thailand each year for surgery.

Marika meets her fellow medical tourists.

-So, your doctor... What's his name?

-Dr Titty.

-Dr Titty, yeah?

-What's your doctor?

-His first name's Pornthip.

So I don't know if he does porn stars or not, you know.

In fact, Dr Titi is one of the pioneers of Thailand's

plastic surgery boom.

I think people come to Thailand for cosmetic surgeries

because we do quite a standout job

with a cheaper price.

Dr Titi doesn't stop at tummy tucks and breast enhancements...

The other group is transgender patients.

We are very favoured for that.

They come from all over the world for the transgender...

for the sex change surgeries.

Nothing so drastic for Marika,

but it could still be a life-changing experience.

This time tomorrow I'll have a new body.

Back at the World Thai Boxing Championships,

it's the moment of truth for Beth.

Lose this one, and she's on the plane home.

I feel more nervous than I do for my fights, to be honest.

-I don't know how she'll do.

-Will's right to be nervous.

Thai boxing takes no prisoners

and the fighter from before is still coming round.

Beth's opponent in the red corner is one of the tournament favourites.

Just go for it. Just go for it. Straight in.

Come on, Beth, this is your time. Come on.

SHOUTING AND CHEERING

Don't let her in! Keep her out.

Almost from the off, Will's fears are confirmed.

He should have waited for the monks to bless the Buddha.

Beth's taking a beating.

Hands up, hands up.

Leave her!

In!

Come on. Another one.

Get in there! Come on! Hands up!

Beth battles bravely, but Will knows the game's up.

She's a bit upset. That's understandable.

I'll try and make her feel better later.

You did really good.

I don't mind, I got a few elbows in,

she's got a few big lumps on her head,

so I'm all right as long as she's got some marks.

I've got my lump.

I'm still smiling,

she's not got my heart down.

And at the end of the day, you've come over, fought for England,

you're in Thailand, one of the most amazing countries in the world,

and it's an honour to be here, you know,

with your second family, the England team.

Beth's putting on a brave face,

but the pressure's now on Will to win gold for her,

England and his gran.

It's a new day at Bangkok airport.

The night's passed off relatively peacefully

and the airport's keen to show it's business as usual.

After the success of Captain Jack's dance routine,

they're laying on even more entertainment

for anxious passengers.

And up in the food court,

a real-life Thai celebrity has dropped in.

People, when they see me, they are hungry,

and that hungry must be very yummy as well.

Thailand's top food critic Khun Rit

is filming her top rating food show right here,

right now at the airport.

I'm the food restaurant endorser.

And having the programme every day,

Monday to Friday on Channel 3.

I must say that Channel 3 now is a top rating in Thailand.

Khun Rit's come to check out an Italian restaurant

up on fourth floor departures.

Jan Filippo's excited.

Khun Rit is a very important superstar in Thailand.

She come in our shop for film our Italian food

in the airport of Bangkok.

Not only does Khun Rit have her own show on Channel 3,

she's got her own version of the thumbs up.

My sign, that means, "OK, Channel 3,"

whether their food is OK or not.

When people meeting me,

they will do like this.

And when she's wrapped, Khun Rit is happy to spend time

with her adoring fans.

My fan club.

I have a lot of fan club in Los Angeles.

They know me very well.

When they see me at the airport...

There may be bloodshed on the streets of Bangkok,

but it's more sprained ankles and diarrhoea

at the airport's medical centre.

Whatever the ailment,

sick passengers need a fit-to-fly certificate

from Dr Art and the team.

HE SPEAKS THAI

When you travel by air, there is a risk any time

if you have your medical problems.

You have to make sure that everything is OK before flying.

That's especially true when you're nearly nine months pregnant,

like Wambui.

She's on her way back home to Finland via India.

And I have a flight to Mumbai this evening.

And then I'll be five days in Goa,

and then I fly back,

cos then I'll have reached 36 weeks of pregnancy,

and you can't fly any more after that.

I'm going to hopefully give birth in Finland.

That's the plan...

..if all goes well.

-How are you?

-I'm fine, how are you?

-I'm Dr Chainikom, nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

-This is your first baby?

-My first baby, yes.

-And are you having any contractions right now?

-No.

-No?

-The baby moves well?

-Baby moves well.

Dr Art's worried about Wambui taking a long haul flight

just a few weeks before she's due to give birth.

After 36 weeks, you can go in labour any time,

so you shouldn't fly during that period.

Does he kick a lot?

Yeah, a lot.

The main risk of flying whenever you're pregnant

is that you can go into labour,

because, you know, nobody can help you during the flight,

the aircrew cannot help.

They have to call the emergency landing for you,

because they are afraid about the safety of the baby and the mother.

But on the plus side,

the first leg of Wambui's journey to India

is only three hours.

I think the baby move the head down already, but not engaged yet.

For the three hours it's OK.

-Good, good.

-You can fly.

-That's it?

-Yeah, that's it.

-Can I have a document

saying that I can fly, please?

I will write it down for you, wait for you later on.

-Thank you, thank you so much.

-OK.

Cool.

Wambui's OK to leave Bangkok,

but she'll need a second certificate from doctors in Mumbai

if she's going to make it back to Finland to give birth.

The fit-to-fly certificate is valid only one day,

because I gave her for the day that she's going to Mumbai.

But when she stays in Goa for a week,

when she needs to go back home,

she needs another one from India.

-This is fit-to-fly?

-Fit-to-fly, yes.

OK.

-Thank you.

-Have a good day.

-Thank you very much.

You're welcome.

All right.

Success.

So Wambui's free to continue her journey,

if only for now.

In downtown Bangkok,

mum of two Marika's getting ready for her afternoon

in the operating theatre.

It's all been painless so far,

except for the blood test.

She's having a boob job and a tummy tuck all in one go.

Yeah, I'm getting more excited now.

I'm not nervous or anything yet.

I guess that will be when I'm, like, being wheeled in.

It'll take some serious recuperation

and a whole new wardrobe.

This is sort of like after the really heavy-duty stuff,

like to wear for about six months.

This is like the girdle belt,

thingy... SHE GROANS

Doesn't even fit yet.

And then this one's for...

..like the bra.

Super glamorous.

Marika's in the capable hands of top plastic surgeon,

Dr Titi.

He's already made his mark.

It's like Ti-ti, but everyone calls him "Dr Titty".

I saw him this morning at eight.

So, these are my markings now.

It's like he's a carpenter or something

and he's like measured everything.

This is just about a three to four hour surgery.

For cosmetic surgery, for plastic surgery,

it's definitely an ordinary procedure for us.

He's going to cut there and then cut down there,

and take that away,

and then just stitch it back up.

And then with the bellybutton, cos it's still attached,

they'll cut a new hole and then kind of stick the old bellybutton

through it and stitch that back up.

Before they wheel her into surgery,

Dr Titi talks through the op.

-We uplift your nipples a little bit.

-Mm-hm.

That for breasts.

And for tummy,

we do the full tummy tuck on you without liposuction.

Yeah, OK.

Thank you.

Tomorrow she might be feeling some soreness,

but the day after tomorrow she should be fine.

She can even go for shopping.

-It doesn't matter.

-Good.

Shopping's for another day.

It's the surgery Marika's here for

and she's been planning it for years.

I'm normal size now, but in my head I'm still a fat kid,

so I think once I've got this surgery done,

I can actually move on,

be normal.

This is it!

Up in arrivals are backpackers Tallie and Tirrie,

just back from their full moon party in Ko Phangan.

They spent three days on the island,

but it didn't go exactly as planned.

Not the best couple of days.

We've been sunburnt,

she lost her card and left it in a cash machine.

But their real trouble started when the party began.

Well, we were being really careful, like we were fine.

We had like two beers and a vodka and Coke,

checking they were sealed beforehand,

and next thing I know, I'm waking up six hours later,

and you said I just collapsed.

You were just being sick,

crying, hysterically crying.

She wasn't tripping or anything, she was just panicking.

Tallie reckons she knows what happened.

The only explanation is that I got spiked,

somehow.

So many people offered to help me lift her away

from all the, like, craziness,

or were buying us bottles of water to give to her,

offering me money, offering us to take their hostel room

for the night.

It was just gutting that I missed it.

-We obviously just caught one bad person.

-Yeah.

Do you know whether it's safe for us to go to Khao San Road today

cos of the protests?

The friends will spend two nights in Bangkok before heading north.

-No problem.

-No problem?

-Yes.

OK, thank you.

They're understandably keen to avoid any further trouble.

She didn't sound completely convincing, did she?

We were like, "We've heard about protests, is it OK?"

She said, "In taxi, yeah."

So... We'll just have to take a risk.

Let's hope there's no protest in the taxi.

Civil unrest, spiked drinks,

Tallie and Tirrie won't let anything spoil their holiday.

It just goes to show that you can't be too careful,

so we're just going to carry on as we were and hope for the best.

So, the great adventure continues.

There.

Back in Bangkok, Marika's ready to unveil her new look.

She's had the classic Dr Titi tummy tuck.

Do you want to see it?

I think they've done a really good job,

like I've looked at so many before and afters, and I'm really happy.

It's like my old belly button but in a new position.

When I move sometimes like that or whatever,

you can feel it sort of wobble inside.

But it's not too crazy.

He cut off like over a kilo of skin and stuff,

and they left that at the end of the bed for like 24 hours.

And the nurse was like, "What do you want me to do with this?"

I was like, "Can you get rid of it?"

Then there's the boob job, just to balance things out.

It doesn't feel that different, like I don't look down and think,

"Oh, they're huge," or anything, but I'm sure they

look different to other people.

They're like half a kilo each,

so what I got cut off, I got put in here.

-Row G?

-G, G. Right, G.

Later at the airport,

Marika's sister Erica turns up to admire the work

and take the new look Marika home.

Oh, Dairy Queen!

And what better way to celebrate extensive weight loss surgery

than by sampling the delights of the airport food court.

-What did you get?

-Caramel almond or KitKat?

-Caramel almond.

-Yeah, I got that for you.

SHE CHUCKLES

Back up north in Ayutthaya,

it's the closing night of the World Thai Boxing Championships,

and Will's one fight away

from keeping the promise he made to his family

of bringing home gold.

I'm going to bring it home this time, Mum.

Yeah, tell Grandma.

I promised her that I'd win, didn't I?

I'm going to kick arse, Mum, don't worry.

If he's to live up to that promise,

Will needs to Thai box a Thai Thai boxer,

the reigning champion and crowd favourite.

APPLAUSE

He's last, he's got six minutes to show what he's got

for this gold medal.

Oh, he wants it a hell of a lot.

Go on, Will!

Nailing it.

So it's his time to take the gold now,

he's worked his way up and it's his chance now to get what he wants.

Go Will!

Get up, up!

Within seconds of the bell,

Will's opponent goes on the attack.

SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Inside the first round, Will hits the canvas.

It's a technical knockout.

APPLAUSE

You all right, Will?

This year, Will's gran is going to have to settle for silver.

ANNOUNCER SPEAKS THAI

APPLAUSE

It happens, doesn't it?

You win, you lose some.

It's going to take experience and you're still second in the world,

and you're the one that's gone through three rounds,

three fights for that.

So, you fucking earned it.

With the tournament over for another year,

they can now start their holiday in the traditional British way.

I want to get pissed.

-Right.

-That's a good idea.

Back in Bangkok, the protests are subsiding.

Including the two officers,

28 people lost their lives in the unrest.

But through it all, the airport stayed open

and life's slowly returning to normal.

The Tourist Police are out playing on their Segways...

LAUGHTER

With the immigration hall bursting at the seams,

Captain Sarik is busy welcoming people from all nations...

-I am Russian.

-Russian? I'm Thai.

..and Captain A is busy sending them to the back of the queue.

Excuse me?

Just get back in the line.

Back to the line.

I do love this job.

Back in the line.

Down in the medical centre,

tourists are dropping like flies...

Sorry.

..and Dr Art couldn't be happier.

No, I'm just kidding.

That's what I love about, yeah, working here,

being among people, yeah.

Up in Visa on Arrival,

Captain Jack's back stamping for Thailand.

Everybody is here,

every country, every nation comes here,

visit us.

So, you have a good trip.

Yeah. HE LAUGHS

Yeah, bye-bye.

I love my country very much, yes.

For the passengers too, there's a happy ending.

Wambui made it back to Finland and give birth to a baby boy.

Unbelievable, Joan. Come on.

Tori eventually found his friend Joan

and they went for a drink.

-To Bangkok.

-Bangkok.

So, it's time to say goodbye to Bangkok airport,

to all the characters who make it such an unusual place.

-Bye-bye!

-Bye-bye!

See you, bye-bye!

But you've got to say it in Thai...

Which means, "See you again."

"Leo pop gan mai."

"Goodbye, see you again."