Fleming's Thrilling Cities on BBC Radio 4

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04lx1vq

This week: Hong Kong
Next week is Tokyo.

Narrated by Simon Williams.

Thanks for pointing this out, Brown. I enjoyed Fleming's Thrilling Cities, mainly because of its adult and personal tone. It wouldn't have been much use as a guide book though.

I reread it a few years ago and was reminded that Fleming wasn't one to tut-tut about the sex industry or the other stuff that goes on off the beaten track. In fact, he was a lot more libertarian in his attitudes than the aspergics and left-liberal killjoys realise: that's partly what I like about his work. He wrote about risk and pleasure, things the Big State-ers are determined to outlaw, and did so in an attractive and deceptively simple style.

That said, I'm surprised to see this collection back in print; the world's changed a lot in the last 50 years, but maybe that's the point. In fact, I hope to get to Hong Kong next year, but much of the city Fleming wrote about has disappeared. (That crazy and dangerous old airport for one thing.) A glimpse of vanished Hong Kong can be seen in the 1960 film adaptation of The World of Suzie Wong, one of those films that gets more interesting with time.

BTW, I wonder why the BBC is only adapting three chapters and which will be the final city after Tokyo? My money's on Las Vegas or New York, but it'll be interesting to find out.

It's interesting how every travel show on television now follows the Thrilling Cities format, whether they know it or not (and, more than likely, probably not). For example, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and Parts Unknown are no different than Thrilling Cities, except that they're made for television and being produced 50 years after.

EON or another company could probably cash-in on that if they found an engaging host.

Definitely one for the favourite list on iplayer. Shame that something wasn't done at the time with Fleming narrating. Would have been interesting.