0:00:02 > 0:00:06I have crossed the Atlantic to ride the railroads of North America
0:00:06 > 0:00:09with my faithful Appletons' guide.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13Published in the late 19th century,
0:00:13 > 0:00:19it will lead me to all that is magnificent, charming,
0:00:19 > 0:00:23confusing, invigorating
0:00:23 > 0:00:26and wholesome in the United States and Canada.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30As I journey through this vast continent,
0:00:30 > 0:00:37I'll encounter revolutionaries and feminists, pilgrims and witches,
0:00:37 > 0:00:39and ride some of the oldest
0:00:39 > 0:00:42and most breathtaking railroads in the world.
0:01:04 > 0:01:11I've swapped my usual Appletons' for a special 1899 Canadian edition
0:01:11 > 0:01:15to explore a brand-new railway destination.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Please have your tickets ready now, thank you for travelling.
0:01:29 > 0:01:35My rail journey through North America resumes in Canada, which,
0:01:35 > 0:01:39in 1867, attained Dominion status, with its own government,
0:01:39 > 0:01:41but still part of the British Empire,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44with Queen Victoria as Head of State.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49That British domination was irksome to a large majority
0:01:49 > 0:01:53of French-speakers concentrated in Quebec, who, until the
0:01:53 > 0:01:57British conquest, had owed their allegiance to the King of France.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02My journey will begin there in the largest city, Montreal.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04"Mon-ray-al" to French speakers.
0:02:04 > 0:02:10I hope to discover how the railways helped to unite a newly-minted
0:02:10 > 0:02:15nation, and how Canada's French and colonial roots continue to shape
0:02:15 > 0:02:17the country today.
0:02:17 > 0:02:22My North American tour commenced in the United States,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25at the birthplace of the American Revolution - Boston.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30Having explored the New England coast, I travelled north,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34via the resort of Lake Placid, towards the Canadian border.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38I'm now embarking on a journey through French-speaking Quebec
0:02:38 > 0:02:42Province, before crossing into English-speaking Ontario,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44bound for my final stop - Toronto.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49On this leg, I'll explore the island city of Montreal,
0:02:49 > 0:02:53where I'll plunge into the history of the St Lawrence River...
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Imagine doing this in a paddle steamer!
0:02:56 > 0:03:00..uncover some surprises in Montreal's top university...
0:03:00 > 0:03:01As far as I know,
0:03:01 > 0:03:04I'm the only librarian whose library has a body count.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07..and run away to join the circus.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Time to put the sunshine in the Circus of the Sun!
0:03:21 > 0:03:25My Canadian journey will follow the route of the Grand Trunk Railway,
0:03:25 > 0:03:27which, by the time of my guidebook,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30linked the Eastern Seaboard of the United States with Toronto.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39First stop is Montreal,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42which Appletons' calls "the great railway centre of Canada."
0:03:47 > 0:03:49I'm alighting at Montreal Central,
0:03:49 > 0:03:54and going in search of the city that an 1899 tourist would have seen.
0:04:03 > 0:04:04What a beautiful view.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08Appletons' says, "Before undertaking to do this city,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11"one should view it from the mountain,
0:04:11 > 0:04:16"to get a proper realisation of the magnificence of the city's island
0:04:16 > 0:04:21"throne. We stand on what was once an active volcano.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25"Far below, between the mountain and the river, lies the broad confusion
0:04:25 > 0:04:27"of the city roofs and towers."
0:04:27 > 0:04:30The Royal Mountain, le Mont-Royal,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34was named after the French King Francis I.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36And, today, with all its skyscrapers,
0:04:36 > 0:04:43nearly 500 years later, it remains a symbol of the pride and the success
0:04:43 > 0:04:44of French Canada.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52The first French explorer arrived in Montreal in 1535,
0:04:52 > 0:04:56and it soon became an important trading post for New France.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00Conquered by Britain in 1760,
0:05:00 > 0:05:06my guidebook describes it as "the commercial metropolis of Canada."
0:05:06 > 0:05:09And goes on... "With 250,000 inhabitants,
0:05:09 > 0:05:12"an unrivalled site at the head of ocean navigation,
0:05:12 > 0:05:17"with enormous wealth and with all the resources of the north-west
0:05:17 > 0:05:20"seeking an outlet through her port."
0:05:20 > 0:05:25But Appletons' also makes clear that Montreal posed a menace to sailors.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32Here is a terrifying description of the infamous Lachine Rapids
0:05:32 > 0:05:34on the St Lawrence River.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38"Waves are lashed into spray by the submerged rocks.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41"You pass with lightning speed within a few yards of rocks which,
0:05:41 > 0:05:46"did your vessel but touch them, would reduce her to an utter wreck.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49"Before us is an absolute precipice of waters.
0:05:49 > 0:05:50"On every side of it,
0:05:50 > 0:05:54"breakers like dense avalanches are thrown high into the air."
0:05:54 > 0:05:59And here is a harrowing picture of a steamer making its way through.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03I believe that today you can still negotiate the rapids.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07But surely only the most irresponsible thrill-seeker
0:06:07 > 0:06:08would do so.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23I have a feeling that someone thinks I'm going to get wet today.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Michael, you look absolutely great. Let's go!
0:06:31 > 0:06:35Jack Kavalsky has been navigating these waters for 30 years.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38He's taking me upriver, towards the rapids.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40OK...
0:06:40 > 0:06:46Jack, tell me how Montreal sits in the waterways around it?
0:06:46 > 0:06:49Well, Montreal is an island port.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53And all the big ships from the ocean can access Montreal by coming up
0:06:53 > 0:06:55the St Lawrence River.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57How do these rapids that we're going to negotiate
0:06:57 > 0:07:00- fit into it all, then?- Well, the rapids are the birthplace
0:07:00 > 0:07:03of Montreal. It was the first natural barrier,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06forcing all the French explorers to port dodge the rapids,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09which means carrying their canoes around the rapids,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11and heading west across the Great Lakes by canoe.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14So, you could get further west by canoe,
0:07:14 > 0:07:16but presumably not by any size of ship?
0:07:16 > 0:07:19A canoe is about the only thing that would go.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25In the 1820s, the first of several shallow canals was built,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28providing a through route for cargo.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32But some vessels still ventured into the treacherous waters.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35In my guidebook from the end of the 19th century,
0:07:35 > 0:07:40I have this extraordinary picture of a paddle steamer negotiating
0:07:40 > 0:07:42the rapids. What was going on?
0:07:42 > 0:07:45They would bring a tour down to Montreal and up to Quebec City
0:07:45 > 0:07:48on these paddle ships. And the most interesting thing about it,
0:07:48 > 0:07:50to negotiate the rapids,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53they would start at the Indian reservation, Kahnawake,
0:07:53 > 0:07:57and they would put on an Indian captain who would take the boat
0:07:57 > 0:08:00through the rapids and bring it down to the Port of Montreal.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05The rapids still appeal to intrepid tourists,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08who today take their chances on a jet boat rather than a steamer.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Awesome, let's rock on!
0:08:21 > 0:08:25To begin with, the ride seems smooth enough.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53Here we go!
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Up and down and side to side.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05Oh, my goodness!
0:09:31 > 0:09:33Here we go!
0:10:03 > 0:10:06I was drenched to the skin. My boots were full of water.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09I'm frozen. And it was absolutely thrilling!
0:10:14 > 0:10:16By the time of my guide,
0:10:16 > 0:10:20Montreal was not just a port city but a railway hub, too.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24It was the headquarters of the great transcontinental railway,
0:10:24 > 0:10:26the Canadian Pacific,
0:10:26 > 0:10:33built in 1885 to unite the far-flung provinces of this vast new country.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36These days, the city is home to railways on a smaller scale.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39But just as handy to the tourists.
0:10:39 > 0:10:45The elegant art nouveau porticos are a lovely feature of the Paris Metro.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47But here is one in Montreal.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50And the reason is that this metro was built in the 1960s,
0:10:50 > 0:10:54a collaboration between the French and the Canadians.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57And so Paris gifted one to the city.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Well, this platform, it reminds me of a Paris station.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10And another thing is, the trains have rubber tyres.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28And then the cars and the sound is very similar, too.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31Let's face it, this could be an underground Paris.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43My Appletons' says of Montreal, "First it was the fur trade,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47"then came the lumber, grain and cattle trades,
0:11:47 > 0:11:51"all pouring their wealth into the city's lap."
0:11:51 > 0:11:52In the 19th century,
0:11:52 > 0:11:56Montreal's prosperous merchants founded institutions which continue
0:11:56 > 0:11:58to make their mark.
0:11:58 > 0:12:03Appletons' tells me that the most important university is of course
0:12:03 > 0:12:07McGill, "..which has grown to a worldwide fame and influence.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09"The pride of the city,
0:12:09 > 0:12:14"its buildings stand in the midst of fine grounds."
0:12:14 > 0:12:17I'm privileged to be in an institution now renowned
0:12:17 > 0:12:21particularly for medicine, and especially neurology.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28Founded thanks to a bequest from a Scottish-born fur-trader,
0:12:28 > 0:12:32James McGill, in the 1820s, by the time of my guidebook,
0:12:32 > 0:12:36the university had already established a reputation as a centre
0:12:36 > 0:12:38for medical excellence.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43I'm meeting librarian Christopher Lyons to hear the story.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46Chris, what a superb library. Absolutely beautiful.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50It is one of the premier history of medicine collections in the world.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54But more than that, it's a memorial to its founder, Sir William Osler,
0:12:54 > 0:12:56as well as his mausoleum.
0:12:56 > 0:12:57- Mausoleum?!- Mausoleum.
0:12:57 > 0:13:02The focal point of the library contains the ashes of not only
0:13:02 > 0:13:05Sir William Osler, but his wife, Lady Osler, who died in 1928.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08I'm the only librarian I know whose library has a body count!
0:13:10 > 0:13:16William Osler, born in 1849, graduated from McGill in 1872.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19Two years later, he returned to teach medicine.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21What was his distinctive contribution?
0:13:21 > 0:13:24It's hard to believe, but at one time you could get a medical degree
0:13:24 > 0:13:28at a great many schools just by attending lectures, written exams,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31and never having seen a patient, never having touched a body.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36Osler did fight to get as far away from that model as possible.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39When the faculty of medicine had one microscope for the whole faculty,
0:13:39 > 0:13:44he moonlighted, got a job at a smallpox hospital, and,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47with the money he made, went out and bought his own microscopes,
0:13:47 > 0:13:5115 of them, for his students, so he could teach histology to them.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53That's how important it was for him.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01Osler established the precedent that medical students
0:14:01 > 0:14:04should learn their trade on the wards, with real patients.
0:14:08 > 0:14:13In that spirit, I'm volunteering to be a human guinea pig for Benjamin
0:14:13 > 0:14:18Gold, who's researching how music affects the human nervous system.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20One of the things I'm going to measure is your breathing,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23the rate and the amplitude of your breaths.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25I'm just going to wrap this around.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29All right, now we're going to have these two electrodes measure your
0:14:29 > 0:14:30skin conductance.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34Benjamin believes that he can gauge my musical preferences...
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Now, I'm going to give you these headphones here.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41..simply by monitoring my physical response.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Frankenstein's Monster in headphones.
0:14:43 > 0:14:44Enjoy!
0:14:47 > 0:14:51All right... I think I'll start with the Wagner first.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54MUSIC PLAYS
0:14:56 > 0:15:00Oh, already there's a skin conductance response. He's, I guess, a bit excited about it.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03The pulse has actually sped up and gotten a little shorter,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06so he's pumping blood more quickly already.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11This music gives me a tingle that can be measured.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16I'm perspiring more, so my skin conducts electricity better.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19So now I'm going to play this loud clashy music that I don't really
0:15:19 > 0:15:21expect him to like, and we'll see what happens.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25ELECTRONIC MUSIC
0:15:25 > 0:15:28Already a big skin conductance event.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Small heartbeats there.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33And the breath is becoming a bit more jagged, I think.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39- Hello, Ben.- How was it? - It was fine, it was fine.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44Now, do you know which I liked the more?
0:15:44 > 0:15:47I have a suspicion. I think it was the first one.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51- Was I right?- It is right. How did you know that?- So, the first piece started right around here,
0:15:51 > 0:15:55and I could see immediately there was a skin conductance event.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57And then, as we continue, look,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00there are all of these other skin conductance events.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02So even after the initial surprise,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05I think you were still pretty excited by this music.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09If we go to the one that you liked less, here again is the beginning,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12and there is another skin conductance event at the beginning.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15But then, if we keep going forward,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18it gets pretty stable after a few seconds.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20So I think after the initial surprise,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23you were pretty stable throughout the rest of that stimulus.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27Yes, but not excited by the music, not attracted by the music.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29- Exactly.- What is the practical use for this?
0:16:29 > 0:16:33My hope is that by understanding how the brain derives pleasure,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36then we can understand a bit more about what makes people happy and,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39while that might not treat a certain disease,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42at least it can improve the quality of life for a lot of people.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57At the time of my Appletons', the area around Montreal's major
0:16:57 > 0:17:01railway stations was home to a thriving black community.
0:17:01 > 0:17:06Slaves from the southern United States had been smuggled to Canada
0:17:06 > 0:17:09on the so-called underground railroad.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12The real railroad offered a rare
0:17:12 > 0:17:14decent work opportunity for black men.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18Today, Montreal is still famous for the music
0:17:18 > 0:17:20that emerged in that community.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26Tori Butler will introduce me to the city's jazz legend.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33- Hey, Tori, I'm Michael. - Hey, Michael, how are you doing?
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Nice music! What was that you were playing?
0:17:36 > 0:17:41Oh, well, that's not really a piece, it's just a style of one of my heroes, Oscar Peterson.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43He used to play a lot of boogie-woogie.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46- Tell me about Oscar Peterson. - Incredible jazz musician.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50He was born near Montreal. His father was a porter that worked on the railroads.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53- Why is he such a hero to you? - I started piano when I was young,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56and I quit because I couldn't find what I was looking for musically.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58And when I was in high school,
0:17:58 > 0:18:02my band director had given me a recording of Oscar Peterson.
0:18:02 > 0:18:03And I heard that recording
0:18:03 > 0:18:07and I said, "The piano can sound like this?! Oh, my goodness!"
0:18:08 > 0:18:12One of Oscar Peterson's best-loved albums was called Night Train.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14And a bit of boogie-woogie
0:18:14 > 0:18:18is the perfect lullaby for a weary railway traveller.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23PLAYS JAZZY PIANO
0:18:38 > 0:18:41According to Appletons', here in Montreal, French Canada
0:18:41 > 0:18:46and English Canada come into close and perpetual contact.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50And yet maintain their individuality.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53That seems just as true today.
0:18:53 > 0:18:54- Hello, guys.- Hello.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58May I ask you, are you principally French speakers or English speakers?
0:18:58 > 0:18:59We are French speakers.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04It's my mother tongue, it's the first language that we learn,
0:19:04 > 0:19:05most people in Quebec.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08But we need to speak English to work, too.
0:19:08 > 0:19:09It's very important.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12Is the French language very important to you?
0:19:12 > 0:19:16- Yes.- Yes. It's part of our culture. - Do you think it's going to survive?
0:19:16 > 0:19:18I absolutely believe it's going to survive.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22The French language has been a very important language, especially here in Quebec.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24And I believe that it's never going to disappear.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28It won't disappear, I'm sure of that. Because there are always people to keep it.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40In the Gallic-sounding Place Jacques-Cartier,
0:19:40 > 0:19:44historian Brian Young briefs me on Montreal's duel heritage.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48Brian, I had to do a double-take when I saw this column.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Horatio Nelson, victor over the French, and this is in Montreal,
0:19:52 > 0:19:54a French-speaking city. What's going on?
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Our Trafalgar Square, if you wish,
0:19:57 > 0:20:01built 50 years after the British conquest of Canada,
0:20:01 > 0:20:06representative of British victory over the French, over Napoleon.
0:20:06 > 0:20:11Britain officially took control of New France in 1763.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14French-speakers were allowed to maintain their traditions.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18But the English-speaking population built monuments like this one,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22erected in 1809. I suppose that when it was built,
0:20:22 > 0:20:27there were loyalists to George III who had come up after the American Revolution to take refuge here.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32Quite true. Always been an important American presence here in Montreal.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37First, loyalist to George III, opposed to the American Revolution,
0:20:37 > 0:20:42but then subsequently all sorts of professional merchants in particular
0:20:42 > 0:20:43who came to Montreal.
0:20:47 > 0:20:48During the 19th century,
0:20:48 > 0:20:52Canada's French and English-speaking populations vied for power
0:20:52 > 0:20:53and influence.
0:20:53 > 0:20:59In 1867, three of Britain's North American colonies were united
0:20:59 > 0:21:02into a single dominion, but, as this monument can attest,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05it was not enough to overcome division.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Did French-Canadians ever try to tear it down?
0:21:07 > 0:21:13Persistent attempts to tear it down, to graffiti it.
0:21:13 > 0:21:18At least on one occasion, had it taken down and had it stored away
0:21:18 > 0:21:20in the name of renovation. But it's gone back up.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24How would you describe the attitude of French-Canadians to this British,
0:21:24 > 0:21:26particularly English, domination?
0:21:26 > 0:21:32Very hostile. And it's basically obviously at the root of what we
0:21:32 > 0:21:34call the national question,
0:21:34 > 0:21:38the long-standing French attempt to win autonomy.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40It has led to two referendums.
0:21:40 > 0:21:45One in 1980, a very, very close one in 1995.
0:21:45 > 0:21:51So this has really been our focal point of the national question
0:21:51 > 0:21:52here in Montreal.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Tensions reached a head in the 1960s
0:21:57 > 0:22:01when the separatist Front de liberation du Quebec
0:22:01 > 0:22:03launched a campaign of bombing and kidnappings.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07In today's calmer times,
0:22:07 > 0:22:11language and culture are the focus of Francophone identity.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14A plateau of Quebec cheeses.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19And these cheeses appear to be absolutely French.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Many of the cheesemakers, as with the breadmakers and the winemakers,
0:22:23 > 0:22:25learn their profession in France.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29It's an extremely important part of French cultural life.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Well, vive le Quebec. Sante, monsieur.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42French-speaking Canadians today make up just one-fifth
0:22:42 > 0:22:44of the country's population,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47but for such a small minority, they punch above their weight.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54I'm heading out of the city centre to the home of a phenomenally
0:22:54 > 0:22:56successful Quebecois export.
0:22:58 > 0:23:03This utilitarian building in the suburb is the headquarters
0:23:03 > 0:23:04of Cirque du Soleil,
0:23:04 > 0:23:08whose magical performances have helped to reinvent circus.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14Here, the visionary team create all the costumes, sets and music,
0:23:14 > 0:23:20and put the shows together before sending them out across the globe.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24I've been granted a backstage pass, accompanied by Frederique Gagnier.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27- Frederique.- Bonjour.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30- Michael, enchante.- Hi, welcome to Cirque du Soleil.
0:23:30 > 0:23:35Le Cirque is now an enormous global enterprise. How did it start?
0:23:35 > 0:23:40In the early '80s, a bunch of street performers got together and created a street festival.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45There were fire-eaters, stilt-walkers, jugglers, musicians.
0:23:45 > 0:23:46And in 1984,
0:23:46 > 0:23:51Quebec City was celebrating the 450th anniversary of the discovery
0:23:51 > 0:23:53of Canada by Jacques Cartier.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56And it needed a show to carry around the province.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59And Cirque du Soleil was born.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Today, the company is the world's biggest theatrical producer,
0:24:05 > 0:24:12with 4,000 employees and a turnover of 850 million per year.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14This artist is working with two people.
0:24:14 > 0:24:19- Why two?- He's working with an artistic coach for the emotion,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22and the acrobatic coach for the technique.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24It's really a combination of the two
0:24:24 > 0:24:26that makes a Cirque du Soleil artist.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29I'm neither an artiste nor a sportsman,
0:24:29 > 0:24:33but the coaching team has invited me to learn some circus skills.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37Time to put the sunshine in the Circus of the Sun!
0:24:44 > 0:24:47So, are you ready to be transformed into a cricket?
0:24:47 > 0:24:49- Oh, is that what I am?!- Yes! So, here we go.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53I'm quite lucky to be a cricket.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57- I could have been a dung beetle, couldn't I?!- Yes, you could have!
0:24:59 > 0:25:01- Even my lips?!- Yes!
0:25:06 > 0:25:10I may look the part, but is the team ready for an artiste of my calibre,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13I wonder?
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Ah, hello, gentlemen, I'm Michael.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Mitch, Andre and Jerry will put me through my paces.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24- How do we start?- So, first thing we're going to do is we are going to just get you to stand
0:25:24 > 0:25:26on these two blocks here.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29I'm going to hold it to keep it stable for you.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31And Andre here is going to tie you up.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Often people think the straps are for safety,
0:25:38 > 0:25:40but it's actually just in case you have second thoughts!
0:25:43 > 0:25:45I just want you to rock back and forth.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47You can use your arms a bit.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51And just kind of feel it in the legs.
0:25:51 > 0:25:52But control it with the arms.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Straightening. Oh!
0:25:55 > 0:25:58- That's it!- It's so easy to go over.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05- Ah!- What we're going to do is you're going to do a full circle.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08- Your hands, you need to keep them tight.- Tight...- Ready?
0:26:08 > 0:26:11- I'm holding on tight.- So we're going to go this way. Here we go.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16Oh, my God! I'm holding on tight.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Oh, my God! I can't believe it!
0:26:21 > 0:26:24You lived!
0:26:24 > 0:26:29- Now, try to be stiff. - In the arms?
0:26:29 > 0:26:31- Everywhere!- Try to be stiff everywhere, right.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34Because now you are a bit soft and you wiggled yourself.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37- OK, I'm stiff everywhere. - You're stiff everywhere, OK.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40OK, ready? OK, watch forward.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47- Still a bit soft.- Much better!
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Really? Still a bit soft.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53Now, when you're upside down, instead of having your weight to
0:26:53 > 0:26:56- push...- Yeah.- You just hang, and it's easier for you to move.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58OK. There we go.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Ex-politician involved in spin!
0:27:15 > 0:27:18I shall not easily forget Montreal.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22I've been strapped to a wheel and sent spinning at Cirque du Soleil,
0:27:22 > 0:27:27and I've been buffeted by tonnes of water on the St Lawrence River.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29From its origins as a staging post
0:27:29 > 0:27:32at the entrance to the Lachine Rapids,
0:27:32 > 0:27:37the city has grown into a metropolis, with a fine university,
0:27:37 > 0:27:41and a distinctive French-Canadian culture.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46Since the British conquered the Quebecois nearly 250 years ago,
0:27:46 > 0:27:49there's been tension between the two cultures,
0:27:49 > 0:27:54and questions about how the French language can best survive,
0:27:54 > 0:27:58and whether the two parts of Canada can hold together.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09Next time, I have an authentic taste of a national delicacy...
0:28:10 > 0:28:12It's magic!
0:28:12 > 0:28:14..get to grips with my Scottish heritage...
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Argh!
0:28:17 > 0:28:20..and find a parliamentary home from home.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22If only I'd had a desk to bang on.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26All I could do was say, "Yeah, yeah, yeah." Or, "Rubbish!"
0:28:48 > 0:28:50Subtitles by Red Bee Media