It was while stuck in a roadblock during a tense stand-off between warring tribes in Nagaland in northern India that British historian and filmmaker Alex Bescoby realised his road trip from Singapore to the UK was no longer a fun adventure.
“That was the moment where it stopped being jolly and became very serious,” he tells SBS. “In the moment, you have no idea how it’s going to play out. I thought we were going to be that terrible kind of tiny story in the newspaper: ‘Idiots shot in Nagaland trying to do something stupid.’”
Luckily for Alex and his team, they were eventually allowed to pass through the roadblock and continue on their 19,000km journey, documented in the four-part series The Last Overland: Singapore to London.
Alex Bescoby, historian, filmmaker and lead adventurer in ‘The Last Overland: Singapore To London’, in Thailand. Source: Grammar Productions
The 2019 road trip was intended to recreate the historic Oxford & Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition of 1955. A young BBC producer called David Attenborough commissioned a TV series from a team of six university graduates who planned to become the first people to drive from London to Singapore.
Their six-month epic journey became the stuff of legend.
Alex planned to make the return trip in one of the actual vehicles used on the 1955 expedition, a Series 1 Land Rover that had been newly restored and dubbed “Oxford”. His co-adventurer would be one of the original crew members, 87-year-old Tim Slessor.
Tim Slessor, now 87, was on the original 1955 expedition from London to Singapore. Source: Grammar Productions
However, as seen in the first episode, The Last Overland nearly ended before it began when Tim was forced to drop out due to health concerns. Fortunately, Tim’s 21-year-old grandson Nat George was available to take his place.
Over the next 111 days, the duo had to overcome a range of obstacles including extreme weather, appalling road conditions, vehicle breakdowns and the genuine risk of being killed, not just in Nagaland but also later driving along the dangerous Pamir Highway on the Afghan border.
Nat and Alex ready to begin their journey. Source: Grammar Productions
“A couple of weeks before we went across, four Swedish tourists had been mown down by a Talib driver,” Alex reveals. “It happens every so often that foreigners on that road are deliberately killed to make a point. We drove along it for three days, which was nerve-racking.”
These hair-raising incidents made the filmmaker appreciate how much tougher things were for the original team on their groundbreaking expedition.
The Overland convoy edging their way through mist towards Mirik, India. Source: Grammar Productions
“We were lucky that we could’ve phoned for help and people in the UK would’ve been scrambled. A plan was in place for helicopter evacuations in case of emergency,” he says. “But back in the 1950s, they had none of that. They were much less connected. If something had gone wrong it would’ve taken days or weeks to figure out what had happened to them.”
One of the biggest challenges for Alex was handling the ageing Land Rover, a far cry from today’s vehicles with such mod cons as power steering and air-conditioning.
The trusty Oxford drives through a stunning mountain range in Kyrgyzstan. Source: Grammar Productions
“You cannot be anything but present when driving it,” he explains. “Whatever the weather is outside, you’ll feel it inside. It requires a helluva lot of concentration and physical effort to drive these things.”
However, Alex said he had one thing in his favour: being 175cm tall. The Series 1 was designed in 1947 when the average British male was around that height.
“If anything, I’m perfectly sized for it,” he laughs, “whereas Nat is 190cm. He had elbows poking out the windows and had to bend his head to look out the windscreen.”
Despite Nat’s discomfort and Oxford’s occasional mechanical issues, Alex said he was filled with admiration for the sturdy Land Rover.
Nat, with his tall frame, enjoyed sitting atop the Oxford. Here, he and Alex enjoy the view in Myanmar. Source: Grammar Productions
“Sixty-five years after it rolled off the production line it can still drive across the world through some of the most difficult, dangerous roads on Earth and get to the other side. It’s an extraordinary engineering achievement.”
The Last Overland proved to be a profound experience for Nat who, before the journey, had never driven further than the 400km between London and Newcastle.
“He went from this shy, slightly unwilling substitute to a shoulders-back, standing taller, man of the world,” Alex reveals. “It gave such a depth to the story to see a grandson relive his grandfather’s greatest adventure while his grandpa watched. To make that happen filled me with joy.”
Alex said he also returned home a different man.
Nat watches on as a herd of elephants escorts the Oxford through India’s Kaziranga National Park. Source: Grammar Productions
“There’s something very special to be able to look at a world map for the rest of your life and go, ‘I have driven every mile between those two points,’” he mused. “I realise how big and how small the world is. It’s left me with an indelible sense that it’s a lot nicer place than we’re led to believe.”
And considering how physically and mentally exhausting the Overland was, would he do it again?
“In a heartbeat,” he said without hesitation. “What a way to spend your life. There’s something about road journeys that’s addictive… it’s such a lovely way to see the world.”
Four-part series The Last Overland: Singapore To London premiered on SBS Viceland and is now streaming . Start with episode 1:
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