Taxi Driver Toughest Place to be a...

This programme contains some strong language

Three British workers - a fireman, a farmer and a taxi driver -

have all accepted the challenge to do their job

under the most stressful and dangerous conditions on the planet.

These guys are tough, as tough as they come.

If you did this in our country,

they'd probably give you about a month off.

Jesus!

The fumes, the heat, this is unbearable. Welcome to hell.

Mason McQueen is leaving his home and his job as a London taxi driver

to join the taxi wallahs in the Indian megacity of Mumbai.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Big bus, big bus, big bus.

What have I got myself into here, eh?

He'll have to get to grips with some unusual driving conditions...

Jesus.

Too much problem if you are going to hit the cow.

He'll meet migrant workers struggling to survive

in India's city of dreams...

You can't make a living. There's no money to live there, no?

...before hitting the streets as a fully fledged Mumbai cabbie.

Feel really stressed. I don't think I can do it, mate.

I don't think I can do it, cos I don't know where I'm going.

East Ender Mason McQueen has been driving a London taxi for six years.

I love this job.

It's a great city to work in every day. What you're looking at

in this windscreen, you know, some of the buildings, open spaces.

I just think London's the best city in the world.

-Where you off to, madam?

-Tate Modern.

-Tate Modern, certainly.

You can meet some lovely people,

but that's one part I do like about the job, cos I do like talking.

-How's my day been?

-Yeah.

-Oh, mate, you got an hour?

You got to know where you're going.

People get in, they expect you to, you know, take them straight there.

London's black cabs are strictly licensed.

Mason spent three years studying for the Knowledge -

a test all cabbies must pass.

I'm proud of what I do.

You know, it was a tough road, getting that badge.

You do take thousands of streets in your head. You know?

You're just a ball of knowledge hurtling down the road

looking for your next fare.

Mason drives a top of the range taxi costing around £30,000.

I've got credit card facilities, I've got air-con in there,

I've got wheelchair facilities,

flat-screen media screen in the back.

Yeah, it's a nice cab.

Got a saying, you know, "Be lucky,"

to other drivers and it really is true, that.

You know, you could go left and you get a great job, you go right

and you don't get a great job, but that's like life, you know?

You want to be lucky in life as well.

Oh, first time.

-Mace, you want a cup of tea?

-Yeah, tea please.

Mason lives in Epping with his partner, Nancy,

and his youngest daughter, Isabella.

Being a dad, you're a born worrier, I think, and a wallet.

In just a few weeks' time, he'll be travelling 6,000 miles, to Mumbai.

-Ah!

-Mumbai?

-Oh, my God, Dad!

-Oh! I'd better get me A to Z out.

-Will you be all right?

Of course I'll be all right! I'm a London cab driver.

-We survive. We're survivors.

-Yeah!

It's time for Mason's last dinner with his fellow drivers.

-Where you going, Mase?

-Mumbai, chaps.

-So it's Mumbai.

-Mumbai, mate, yeah.

Who's taking you to the airport?

Having curry, Mase?

No, thanks, Bill, I'll have...

They're all behind me, they said they'd be behind me.

Safer than being in front.

Oh, I love it in here, it's great. Nice. See the abuse I get in here?

Yeah, see? See you later then, yeah?

-See you later, Mase.

-Ta-ta, Mase.

-Go on you irons! See you later.

Ta-ta.

Mumbai...

..home to big business, Bollywood and billionaires,

it's the financial hub of India's economic boom.

Real estate here is some of the most expensive in the world,

but with more than 30 million people crammed into a space

less than half the size of London,

it's one of the most densely populated cities on Earth.

In just ten years, a growing middle class has doubled car ownership.

Mumbai's roads are now jammed with traffic.

Serving the millions of commuters who cross the city every day,

taxi drivers battle the chaos and gridlock on Mumbai's mean streets.

Mental here, mate, I'm telling you.

There's people bibbing you constantly.

It's like landing on another planet. You got to go, you got to go, babe.

You got to bob and weave, get with it,

get with the flow of the traffic.

In less than two weeks,

Mason will have to drive a taxi here on his own.

His host will be 30-year-old Pradeep Sharma.

He's been driving a Mumbai taxi for 12 years...

How are you, mate? Nice to meet you.

-..and it's his job to teach Mason the Knowledge...

-Nice to meet you.

...Mumbai style.

-You are welcome to Mumbai, sir.

-Sukriya. Sukriya.

The journey to Pradeep's house

is Mason's first taste of driving in an Indian megacity.

CAR HORNS BEEP

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa!

Oh, my God, there's a little baby in the middle of the road.

Big bus, big bus, big bus! Whoa, whoa.

HORNS BEEP

You were just getting out of there, weren't you?

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

What's the top speed you go in this, Pradeep?

-120.

-120, in this? Oh, my God.

Look at that.

Pradeep lives in Borivali,

a northern suburb 15 miles from the busy streets of the city centre.

Whoa.

-This is relaxing?

-Yeah.

It's chaos. It's like Mad Max meets the Kumars or something.

Hairy and scary.

I feel drained and I was only a passenger.

That's what I'm worried about.

-ALL:

-Hello!

Wow, this is unreal, mate. Hey! All right, guys?

Wow. It's like a royal visit.

Pradeep lives with his family

in this warren of tightly-packed, two-room houses.

-This is my house.

-Ah. Lovely.

Hello. Namaste. Nice to meet you.

That's your boy, yeah? Hello.

-This is my mother.

-Hello. Namaste.

-Have a please sit down, sir.

-OK, thank you. Thank you very much.

-La familia!

-Yeah. I have a big family.

-Big family.

-Yeah.

His family are probably a bit apprehensive about me,

but I'll win them round with me Cockney charm, hopefully.

She works part-time in her friend's beauty salon.

She does all the housework as well, yeah.

Do I press her feet every day? She should...

She should press my feet!

Yes.

Pradeep, where does everyone sleep?

Wow.

-This is my kitchen.

-Ah, the kitchen, huh?

-Oh, that's where...your bathroom?

-Ah, yeah.

When she had that curtain closed,

I thought it went right the way round, but it don't.

It's here. This is it. This is the end of it here.

God.

With no space at home,

Pradeep has arranged a room for Mason just round the corner.

Yes. And your house.

Oooh, lovely.

-So big. Yeah.

-Few pin-ups. Bollywood.

-Yeah.

-Bollywood, huh?

-Bollywood, yeah.

This is nice. This should do, mate.

Thank you very much.

Double skinny, mate. Nothing, he ain't got nothing.

Living in the front room with his mum staying there

and his kids and his missus. Grim, mate. Double grim.

DOGS BARK

All sharing a toilet here in the street.

The whole neighbourhood sharing a toilet.

My God, the smell in there is outrageous.

Outrageous.

But early days and, uh...

going to get into it. Got to absorb it.

Got to get into the way of life here.

It's Mason's first day of training as a Mumbai taxi driver.

Lesson one - keep the gods on side.

Who is Ganesh?

Pradeep won't start driving before he's made an offering

to the elephant-headed Hindu god of success.

Wow.

We got a flower stall in here!

-God bless Ganesh.

-Yeah.

Where's all the punters? I hope I'm not scaring them away!

Hello, sir.

Before he takes the wheel,

Mason's spending the day watching Pradeep work.

Your cash.

Hello, mate. Where are you going to? Where are you off to?

I'm going to pick up my kid from school.

Pick up your kid from school?

We like the regulars, eh? Keeps us going.

Yeah. Oh, here's all the kids now coming out, eh?

In Mumbai, the fare doesn't always match what it says on the meter.

-In your hands...

-20.

-Yeah.

The meter says 26 rupees,

but Pradeep's regular customer has given him just 20.

So, he ain't tipped you, he's give you less.

That don't work where I'm from.

20 rupees is just 25 pence.

In a day, Pradeep is lucky to make £10.

Over half of this goes on petrol, insurance and loan repayments

for his cab. Only then can he buy food and pay the bills.

That's doesn't leave you with much, mate, does it?

Wow, it's very tough for you and your family, huh?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

HORNS BEEP

Competition is fierce.

Pradeep is just one of 60,000 taxi drivers and more than 200,000

auto rickshaws vying for business in the city's sweltering streets.

I'm melting in this cab, mate.

Are you allowed to drive in your pants here? That's what I want to do.

Right.

Taxi! Taxi!

But the toughest thing for a cabbie in Mumbai is the sheer weight

of traffic. Every day, the city is crippled by gridlock.

During rush house, it grinds to a halt.

Look at these cars. It's like a sandwich.

Oh my God.

In this kind of traffic,

drivers can spend hours in the cab without a passenger.

No sign of a fare. No-one getting in the cab, mate.

Basically, it's like the North Circular and it's about 100 degrees.

In these jammed roads,

it can take more than an hour to crawl just one mile.

The fumes, the heat... intolerable cruelty, this is.

It's like torture, that's what it is. It's like torture.

What have I got myself into here, eh?

Oh. Welcome to hell.

Oh, I am melting in here.

Mate, you got to get some air-con. You need some air-con.

Only the blue and white cool cabs

have the luxury of air conditioning -

a dream for most cabbies.

Ganesh on the dashboard, help us in the traffic.

Please help us.

Mate, how do you do this, mate? I tell you what.

-Yes.

-I don't know how you do it.

I will never moan about traffic in London again.

Oh, we're moving. Thank God.

It's the end of the shift.

Time to return home with the last passengers of the day.

So you're getting a first-hand experience of traffic in Mumbai.

-Yes.

-How do you find it? Crazy?

Yeah, crazy, depressing. I'm not finished yet, hold on.

Have you got 20 minutes?

Pradeep regularly works a 15-hour day, finishing well past midnight.

Mason, I love Mumbai.

Yeah, good. Yeah. I'm glad you do.

Traffic. Just... it's nuts.

Proper gridlock.

Baking hot in that cab and all, mate, sweating, dripping off me.

I ain't even driven a taxi yet.

The mean streets of Mumbai...

and they certainly are that, I tell ya.

I'm an East Ender, I'm cleaning me doorstep

like they used to in the old days.

I'm cleaning that crap away for starters. I suppose it's dog crap.

Thank you.

The streets may be tough,

but Mason's beginning to feel at home in Pradeep's neighbourhood.

Logistically, I'm really on... I'm right on the water tap,

so this is a prime location.

I'm feeling better than what I did.

I was really drained yesterday, really drained, you know,

no air-con and that, it was just unbearable.

Before letting him loose on his cab,

Pradeep is taking Mason to a local driving school.

And you are going to drive the taxi in Mumbai, OK?

-OK. Yeah.

-Fine?

-Yeah, that's good.

-And you're ready for that?

-Yeah, yeah.

Yeah. It's very difficult to drive in Mumbai. Really very difficult.

"Lane driving is sane driving."

-I ain't seen any sane driving here yet.

-Insane.

Mason may be a licensed London taxi driver, but this is India

and there's a whole new set of rules.

You should take care whenever you're driving here.

Not only the human being should be take care of here - animals and all.

Too much problem if you're going to hit...

the cow. The cow is like a god in India.

-Right.

-Understood?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

If you're hitting the man, it's not a problem, you can say sorry

-and everything...

-I can run.

-..it will be OK.

You're going to hit the god, it's very problem for us.

-OK.

-Understood?

-Yeah, yeah.

-You should...take care.

-I can run over any men.

Of course. You should take care about that.

-But the cow, I must miss.

-Yeah.

Let's come this way.

For his lesson, Mason's going to be driving a vintage Fiat Padmini -

the traditional Mumbai taxi.

Please. There it is.

Wow. It's old, innit?

I told you, it's not so easy.

Oh, mate. This is going to be fun.

Very, uh, compact.

-In there?

-Good car?

-Yeah, fantastic. Ain't there a handbrake?

-There is no handbrake.

-There's no handbrake?

-Yeah.

-Jesus.

-There is no handbrake.

-Indicators?

-Indicator...

-Yeah.

..you have to show your hand when you want to go the left.

-You what?

-If you want to go to the left...

-Yeah.

-..you have to go like this.

-Like that?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

OK? If you want to stop your car, you should do that.

Like this.

If I want to turn left, I've got to go like that out the window?

-Yeah, like this.

-You're having a laugh, aren't you?

Yeah, you're going left.

That's the least of me problems, innit, indicating?

Maybe sometimes, because I'm an instructor, this is my job,

sometimes getting angry and this and that, you have to understand.

-Getting angry?

-Maybe.

-Very good.

-OK?

-Yeah, please go.

And be careful. The dogs are there.

-Yeah.

-OK?

-Mind the dogs.

I check me mirrors, there ain't none. Where's the wing mirrors?

Stop. Stop. Brake, brake, brake. Brake, brake...

-Oh, the brakes don't...

-Brake, brake here.

Oh, the brakes, they don't work.

-And now we are going left.

-Left?

-Yeah.

-Oh, left.

Yes. OK?

-Oh.

-Take a left.

HORNS BEEP

Now, I'll get in trouble if I touch one of these cows, mate.

That'd be the end of me.

Nice.

The old Padmini may be short on mod cons, but it does have the

essential feature of any car in Mumbai.

Horn, horn, horn, horn.

Give them a bib? Give them a bib?

-Yeah.

-That's OK?

-Yeah.

-It's not rude to do that?

-Yeah, you should do that.

-Yeah. Do that.

When you are doing the horn, they can understand he's moving.

-Right.

-Now stop.

-Stop? Right, yeah, yeah.

-Ready?

-Gotcha, yeah.

Where's he going? He's gone through a red light.

No, actually, we are following the rules.

Like Wacky Races.

Shall I stop for these people?

-No, no, go through.

-They're on a crossing.

-If you stop the car, a lot of people are coming.

-Oh, right.

You can go. It's a human jungle.

It's a human jungle. You're not shouting yet.

When are you going to shout?

"Horn OK please." What does this mean? As in...

Horn please, OK? All correct.

-I don't understand.

-Horn, please.

-Please give me the horn?

-Yeah.

-Give me the horn so I know...

Any time, please give me the horn.

Please give me the horn. I'll have to rephrase that.

Whoo! Living the dream, baby. I'm in Mumbai.

-Yeah.

-Whoo!

So is Mason ready to go solo?

Very well done.

You did a good job and you can drive properly in Mumbai.

-Inshallah.

-Watch out, Mumbai, eh?

-Yeah.

Yeah, it was good, it was exciting. Exciting.

Yeah, the whole thing's a problem.

You know, you got to be very alert at every junction.

The signals? I ain't seen no-one else do the signals.

Pradeep, I ain't seen you do a signal once.

The only signal I've seen is on your mobile phone

when you're talking on that.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, very good, very good!

Dinner back home is a chance for Mason to find to more

about Pradeep's family.

How many people do you support?

Pradeep took on the responsibility of four extra children

when his brother died four years ago.

So you took your sister-in-law and her children under your wing?

Now Pradeep has to pay for six children's education.

I take my hat off to you, how you keep going and keep doing it.

You're a strong man.

You need just a little bit of luck, mate, like we all do

and you'll be fine.

Now, that's the question, that's the question.

I'd be saving up for one of them cool cabs, I know that, if I could.

You need a cool cab, that's what you need, eh?

That's what you need, son.

Pradeep, good night, mate.

'He's got it harder than I thought.

'He's looking after his sister-in-law and her four kids as well.'

To go out every day with a smile on his face is just a testament

to the geezer, you know?

Today, mason will take the wheel of the taxi.

-Oh, Mason, how are you?

-Hello, mate.

Although the roads may be chaotic,

Mumbai cabbies are still governed by strict rules.

By law, Mason has to look the part.

How comes you ain't wearing a uniform?

Oh, all right. Renters wear the uniform, nice.

-The uniform.

-Top and trousers.

Guys and girls, what do you think?

-Very nice.

-Oh. Yes, yes.

Before they head out in the cab, Mason needs to get his bearings.

Central and South Mumbai are Pradeep's main hunting grounds

and the first job is to learn how to get there.

So, yeah, we're hitting the streets. Going to be a challenge.

HORNS BEEP

Pradeep starts his day round the bustling northern railway stations

to find a passenger to take into the city.

But being too eager to get a fare can have dire consequences.

So what, they'll attack me if I run someone over, Pradeep?

If I run someone over, get in the driver's seat.

Where we going? Where we going? Right?

-Sidhe.

-Left.

Sidhe, straight.

Speaking Indian now, ain't I?

Once he's picked up a fare south,

Pradeep usually takes the expressway into Central Mumbai.

-Over there?

-Yeah.

National Park on the left.

The fast-moving expressway has its own dangers.

Whoa! Whoa!

Sorry, mate, sorry. They got to put a bit of tarmac down here.

Jesus. Oh, mate.

-Mason.

-What? What?

Don't think so. I'm having a nightmare.

Off the expressway and into the city centre,

things start to get more complicated.

Pradeep, why don't they put the street signs on the streets

so I know where I'm going?

Whoa, this is nuts, mate.

I don't know where I'm going. It's a nightmare.

But where are we now? Where are we?

-The Times of India Building.

-Times of India Building.

You know, you're teaching me, Pradeep,

but it's not really making much sense, you know?

It took Mason three years to learn the streets of London,

but he has just a few days to master Mumbai.

If they start going crackers in the back

and screaming the house down, "Where are you going?

"What are you doing? Why have you come this way?"

Not good, mate, not good.

To be honest, I'm stressed out. Very stressed out.

Stressful experience, you know?

Pradeep has decided Mason needs a break

and a cup of the local milky tea.

-Good.

-Good?

-Yeah, nice.

It's not just taxi drivers who ply their trade on the roads of Mumbai.

The cab rank is a marketplace for beggars and street sellers.

That's the one. That's the one. I'll have this one.

-What's your name?

-Badami.

Badami?

Badami, thank you very much. Hello, boys, how you doing?

You looking after your mum, eh? Eh?

Are you from Mumbai?

Up north, huh? North India.

Badami lives in a community of Rajasthanis

who have made their home under the flyover.

With no work in the countryside, Mumbai is a magnet for people

from India's poorest regions.

That's it there?

What, there? That's it?

Right on the motorway here.

Badami and her family have lived here for four years.

Across India, an estimated 78 million people are homeless.

What is in Rajasthan? Is there anything there for you?

Do you always have enough money to eat?

Badami, what's your hopes for the future for you and your children?

It's like a load of lost souls, isn't it,

just waiting for someone to help them, I suppose.

Beautiful children.

Just been dealt a wrong hand, mate, in life, that's all.

You just want to clean them up and put them in lovely clothes and,

you know, let them enjoy their life as a kid, innit?

Ain't no life for a kid, is it, really?

I don't know, mate. I really don't know any answers.

This city's just fucking draining me, mate, really, emotionally.

It's just...I don't know.

Pradeep's family also came to Mumbai

from the countryside of northern India.

For him, the threat of poverty and destitution is very real.

Poverty, mate. Oh.

Why don't the government do something, sort it out?

Shouldn't be happening in the 21st century.

If you ain't got no money, you're fucking...

you're bang in schtuck in this place, mate.

Just a grind just to live,

just to eat, just to survive.

DOGS BARK

Just to be human, really.

Pradeep has brought Mason to the southern tip of Mumbai

and the very heart of the city.

I'm loving the architecture down here, mate.

This is a beautiful part of town.

Aha! See, when we make something, mate, it stays, doesn't it, eh?

But behind the tourist attractions

live some of Mumbai's poorest people.

Pradeep wants Mason to meet some taxi drivers

at the very bottom of the pile.

-Hello, how are you?

-Hello, mate. Nice to meet you.

-Welcome to India.

-Thank you very much, sir.

-This is my friend, Ragu.

-Ragu.

-Hi.

-Nice to meet you. He's from UP as well?

-Yes.

Like many cabbies, Pavan and the drivers arrived in Mumbai

from India's poorest northern states.

It's nice tea.

Nice tea, yeah. Shukria. Shukria. Oh, that's a good one.

That's a good one. That's a vintage one, that one.

Another cup of rosy with the boys before we start the shift.

Guys, when you first came down here driving a cab, how did you get by?

Your geographical knowledge of Mumbai must have been very small.

Like Mason, these drivers wear the khaki uniform which shows

that they rent their cars.

Pavan, is this your taxi?

This is your baby, yeah?

Cheap to run, the Fiat Padmini is the workhorse

for the city's poorest taxi drivers.

Here we go. Come on.

This is the car Mason will be driving when he goes solo...

Hey!

..in just a few days' time.

This motor is an animal, I'm telling you.

The white one drove better in my training.

Where you off to, mate?

Bombay central.

This is Mason's first chance to pick up some fares.

Sidhe. Sidhe.

Yeah, sidhe.

With Pavan directing him, Mason's getting into the swing of things.

So, you work for a call centre, huh?

Yeah.

Can you say to me, "Is the homeowner there?"

-"Hold a minute."

-I'm sure it's you.

You've been getting me out of bed too early!

HORNS BEEP INCESSANTLY

Jesus.

Out of me way.

As the notorious rush hour approaches,

the Mumbai public just want to get home.

People walking in the road. There's just so many people in Mumbai.

I've never seen so many people.

Where are you going to, madam?

-I want to go doctor.

-Doctor?

-Yeah, dockyard.

-Doctor Jard? Dockyard?

-Dockyard.

-Oh, the dockyard!

I'm working. I can't go any quicker, love.

Taxi! Taxi!

CAR HORN Yeah, hold on. Doing me job, pal.

You'll have to hold on, mate. It's what I do for a living.

Straight on, my man?

With just days to go, Mason is no closer to finding his way round.

-Left?

-U-turn, U-turn.

-U-turn.

Without Pavan, he'd be lost.

I don't drink whisky,

but I feel like having a double or something like that, I really do.

Really fucking stressed.

Sweating hot. Not knowing where I'm going is just, it's unbearable.

Like the heat. I feel really vulnerable.

I really don't think I can do it, mate. I don't know where I'm going.

I really don't. I ain't had time. You know?

Turn it in. Cup of chai, please!

Pavan's wife and two-year-old daughter

still live back in a village in Uttar Pradesh.

He can't afford for them to stay in the city,

so instead he sends money home.

Living apart is another burden on Mumbai's migrant workers.

Pavan, how often do you see your wife and daughter?

Pavan sends most of his earnings - about £100 a month -

home to his wife.

He also pays for his brother's education.

How long's he got to go?

He's away from his family, his little girl, for all that time.

That's something he ain't going to get back.

It's like he's banged up somewhere, isn't it, really?

I feel sorry for him, mate, I really do.

There must be thousands of them doing it,

though, all coming down here.

Go to Mumbai, seek your fortune. The streets are paved with gold.

But they ain't.

But the lure of huge wealth and opportunity is irresistible.

As more and more people are drawn to the city,

overcrowding is reaching crisis proportions.

At its worst, one million people are crammed, cheek by jowl,

into just one square mile.

With rental prices through the roof, over 60% of Mumbai's population

are forced to live in the city's growing slums.

Pavan's life is typical.

To save cash, Pavan shares a room with other migrant workers.

Up to 20 drivers live in this shack.

-We'll sleep here...

-Yeah.

..in lines, eight to ten people.

One man, second, third, fourth, in line.

No-one should live like this, mate.

This is fucking beyond making a few quid, innit, really?

About being a human being, innit?

The Bollywood dream of Mumbai is a long way from reality

for these migrant taxi drivers.

With space at such a premium, some natives of Mumbai have begun

to resent the influx of migrants from the northern states

of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Some local politicians have whipped up these tensions,

blaming the migrants for the city's many problems

and in the past there have been violent attacks on migrant workers.

Marked out by their uniforms, taxi drivers from the north

have borne the brunt of the violence.

There is little Pavan or his friends can do

about the discrimination they face.

Guys, when I go home and I tell my wife about you, like,

meeting you and what I've seen, she'll tell me

never to moan again about driving a taxi in London.

One thing I think we all share is that you need a bit of luck, huh?

So be lucky.

Be lucky.

'Being from UP or Bihar,

'you ain't exactly flavour of the month down here, are you?

'They're getting the brunt of it, you know,

'cos they're easy pickings, ain't they, with their uniform on.

'The odds are stacked against you.

'It's a noble job, they say that, you know?'

It's been going for hundreds of years. Great job, really,

driving a cab. But here, they're looked at like a piece of shit.

Back on the old plot. Thank God.

I've missed the Borivali East!

Hello, boys. Abisheck, how are you?

After experiencing the conditions that the migrant drivers live in,

Mason is seeing Pradeep's neighbourhood in a different light.

I'm lifted already. Kids are smiling.

Weren't a lot of smiley kids down there, mate.

Nothing to smile about, is there?

And now I'm back in my old street.

When I first saw this, I was like, "Oh,"

and then I went down there and see, you know, how Pavan's living.

Just another level, really. It's brighter here, you know?

People are smiling, there's a nice community.

I didn't really get that feel down there.

They was like people in despair, you know?

Hello, guys. How are you?

Hello, mate, how are you?

You all right? Good to see you.

-Hi, Sheela.

-Hi.

-You OK? Hello, mate.

-Morning.

-How are you?

-Fine.

Opening up me old gaff.

Any post? Oh, a few bills. Get you every time!

Another day in paradise!

Mason is getting in one last practice run

in Pradeep's taxi before he has to go it alone.

This is like driving a Rolls-Royce compared to that bloody other thing.

This is good taxi, Pradeep,

compared to...Padmini.

-That's killing me, that cab.

-Yeah.

-That cab's killing me!

Oh, fine. Fantastic.

-Am I blending in now? Am I becoming a Mumbaian?

-Oh!

DRUMS ROLL

Today is one of the biggest days on the Mumbai calendar.

What's going on, Pradeep?

It's the climax of a 12-day festival

celebrating the elephant god, Ganesh,

and celebrations have hit the streets.

FIREWORKS BANG

Fucking Ada!

GENERAL HUBBUB

Millions of Mumbaikars head for the city's beaches,

carrying effigies of Ganesh which they then immerse in the sea.

I would have given this one a swerve at home, I think.

Pradeep and Mason have given Santos and his family

a lift down to the beach.

THEY CHANT

Come on, Santosh. You're nearly there, mate.

THEY CHEER

I've never seen so many people on the beach in all my life.

I can't believe how many people are here. Thousands of people.

The festival was embraced by the people of Mumbai at the turn

of the last century as a show of unity against colonial British rule.

Now, it's a time for all Mumbaikars to celebrate together.

He's done me no favours so far, Ganesh, traffic-wise, you know?

But there's still time, there's still time.

GENERAL HUBBUB

Keep going.

Their god...submerged.

Ganesh is a symbol of hope for all Mumbaikars.

Whether they were born here or migrated from further afield,

they're locked in the same struggle to survive

in India's city of dreams.

Yeah, I'm from Bethnal Green, east London.

-Fantastic to meet you.

-Yeah, and to meet you, sir.

-I'm very, very happy.

-Oh, good. And me, I'm pleased as well.

-Yes.

-Where you from?

-Bombay, sir.

-UP.

-UP?

-Yes.

-Calcutta.

-Calcutta. UP? Bihar? Bihar? Oh, UP.

They're from all over India down here, you know?

All doing this, you know, they've come down here for this day

and they're all together, doing it all together,

which is a good thing, you know?

How was it? It was good, Santos? You enjoyed doing that?

Ah, it was very good.

Very good. You done well, mate, you done well.

THEY CHEER

You know, it's nice to see a bit of hope in people's faces

that haven't got anything.

It's not all despair and traffic. Very, very special day.

Now Lord Ganesh has got to help me out

when I take that taxi out on my own.

I'm hoping he will. I'm hoping he'll do me a favour,

cos I brought him down here, I've said me prayers and sent him

off in immersion, so I've done my bit!

It's the moment of truth for Mason.

Today, he has to drive the cab on his own.

He'll have to pick up fares for real on Mumbai's streets.

How are you?

Thank you very much, darling. Cheers. Thank you.

Mason is still worried about getting lost, so he's asked

a neighbour for some last-minute advice.

-With the lefts and rights...

-OK. So...

-Left.

-Left is baia.

-Baia.

-Or right is daya.

-Right is daya.

And in front of you, sidhe.

Sidhe, I've got that one. I'm good with that one.

-Oh, and behind is pichi. Yeah.

-OK, so baia, daya...

-..sidhe, pichi.

-Yeah.

-You're a good teacher.

-No, I'm not teacher.

-I'm a bad student!

Mason's car for the day is a vintage Fiat Padmini

and Pradeep is making sure he has all the help he can get.

I'm feeling a bit...nervous.

Today, I've got to show the... well, I want to show myself

and Pradeep that I can do the job, you know?

He's showed me as much as he can and I'm on my own now,

so, you know, I want to get on with it.

Pradeep has a last-minute surprise for Mason - a reminder of home.

-All right, Pradeep?

-Hi.

-Ah! Ah!

Good morning!

It's good.

Very good.

Seeing the girls' names there has upset me, it has.

Cos I'm missing them at the moment and yeah, it's really nice.

For hire.

Hooter works. Let's go.

Let battle commence!

With his family behind him and an elephant god on the dashboard,

London cabbie Mason McQueen is driving out solo

into the mean streets of Mumbai -

a taxi wallah hunting for fares.

Oh, cow in the road, cow in the road!

Mason's first challenge is to find a passenger heading south

towards the busiest streets of Central Mumbai.

Taxi, madam? No? Taxi?

Taxi! Taxi! Taxi.

Come on, Mason, get a job here.

But he's not having much luck.

14 million people, I can't get a job.

Driving around the railway stations,

it's dog-eat-dog in the hunt for fares.

I'm surrounded by all these auto rickshaws

and they're all jumping in there.

HORNS BEEP

Every passenger is fair game for the auto rickshaws.

Ah, another one's gone over and nicked me job. Jesus.

He's just dropped off that geezer and then he's nicked the first job.

Don't do that.

Cheaper than Mason's cab, the rickshaws pick up job after job.

Ah, look, he's getting in an auto rickshaw. Fuck's sake.

Fucking pests. Three-wheeled pests.

Mason decides to cut his losses

and heads to the busier streets of the south.

Empty.

Oh, me luck might change down here, I don't know.

Come on, you lovely people of Mumbai.

Ah, I'm in.

Hello, guv'nor. Where, mate?

Sophia, Sophia. Four-hander, eh?

Four carpenters are heading to work in the south.

See how your luck changes? One minute you're down in the dumps,

the next, you've got a big smile on your face.

Sidhe? Sidhe? Santa Cruz?

-Sidhe?

-Santa Cruz.

-Sidhe.

Mason's last-minute language lesson is paying off.

-Baia.

-Baia.

Baia, yeah, I know that one an' all!

That's what it's all about. Shukria, sir. Nice to meet you.

First one out the way.

Armed with just a few words of Hindi, he heads out to work

the busy streets of the city centre.

-You know the route?

-Yeah, kind of.

Baia? Sidhe?

Pichi? Behind?

In the bustling streets, fares start rolling in.

Finally, Mason is feeling like a proper cabbie.

-Baia.

-Baia.

-Baia!

It's a bit limited, mate, but it's all I know.

Do you have a licence?

Oh, yes, sir, yes. I've got a TV licence!

There you go, guv'nor. There's just your change, OK?

Come. What? You are standing there now, I thought you're dead.

-Come here, now.

-Is that the wife?

-It doesn't matter.

-I'll get her? I'll get the wife?

-I'll take the...

-Where has she gone? Let's get her.

-She was that side.

We'll get her. Not a problem, no. All part of the service.

I'm getting quite attached to this Padmini.

Never thought I'd say that!

It's gruelling work but, as the evening rush hour begins to kick in,

thousands of Mumbai taxi wallahs head back north.

Tonight, one of them is London cabbie Mason McQueen.

Come on, the old Padmini. Get me home, Pads.

Oh, I'm minging, that's how I'm doing. Could kill a shower.

I've got the grime of this city all over me.

But I'm glad to put it on the belt, clip it on the belt,

another notch on the belt. Quite an experience.

Like they say, if you can drive in Mumbai, you can drive anywhere.

I've had a go. What I've got is what I've got.

I'm sure he'll be fine with that.

Hello, mate.

Just under 500. All right?

Done my best. Not bad, eh? Not bad for a learner!

When I get back to London, there won't be a day goes by that I don't

think of you, thinking, "Right, if he's doing that, I can do it too."

-OK, mate.

-OK.

-Yeah, nice one.

-Yes.

GENERAL HUBBUB

What's going on here? Wow, look at the street!

Look at the street where I live!

Mumbaikars love a street party.

Tonight, Pradeep and his neighbours have pulled out all the stops

for Mason's triumphant return.

Pavan. All right, buddy? How are you, son?

Good to see you. Got through it and that was the aim of the game.

With your help, I made it.

'This community has, like, kept me

'going through the despair I'm seeing on the streets every day.

'They've kept me going, especially the kids.

'They get by with the minimum of everything,

'but they do it with a dignity and they just get on with life.

'Fucking exhausted, but elated that I done it

'and I've been welcomed into this community like I have been.

'Really nice people.'

Got me through it, it really has.

Special place. Borivali East, mate.

Welcome to India!

# I'm a one man band Nobody knows or understands... #

Mason is back and working the streets of London.

Bus lane, baby. There ain't none of these in Mumbai.

Look at this, clear. Going past the traffic.

Look, open the window... silence.

Silence is golden.

One new passenger in his cab is a constant reminder of his time

with the taxi wallahs of Mumbai.

There's not a time that I don't think about Pradeep and Pavan,

you know, I feel for them, pulling them cabs around in that heat.

We're lucky, we've got it all here. We've got it all.

You know, we've got our own problems, but I think they're

really small in comparison to what's going on in Mumbai, you know?

Evening!

It's the Mumbai marauder.

Oh, abuse. I love it in here. I pay you for it.

-How was the food out there, Mase?

-Bill, it weren't as nice as yours,

-but it was...

-Ah!

-Oh, Bill!

Look at that, Plan B. Nasty Terry.

Look at that, it's Nasty Terry. Cockle, straight away.

Mason knows that even a few pounds will go a long way

-for the drivers he's met in Mumbai.

-Thanks, Nick.

A whip-round raises enough cash

to send Pavan back home to see his family.

Good luck, mate. I'm glad you ain't let me down.

I thought £11.80, looking at the lot of yous, but no,

it's really nice of you, guys.

London's finest. Finest cab service in the world.

-Well done.

-Hear, hear!

-Gents, I'm going back to work.

-All right, mate.

God bless you all. Thank you very much, yeah?

-Be lucky, Mase.

-Ta-ta, mate.

Next time, Richard Gibson leaves his dairy farm in Devon

to work as a Samburu cattle herder.

This isn't going to be my usual day then, obviously.

With farmers forced into bloody battles to keep their cattle alive.

He's prepared to give his life for his cows,

cos if they haven't got them, they've got nothing.

He'll be faced with some unusual traditions...

I just don't want to be circumcised today!

..and experience a way of life on the edge of existence.

Been totally in awe of the way they have managed to keep farming.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd