The most eligible batchelor

There are no unmissable TV programmes, I like to think. I prefer to believe that I'm not enslaved to a medium sized box from which coloured light emits, with it's happy happy sounds and pretty moving pictures and... No. I say to myself, no, I can miss TV. And for the most part, it's true. I try not to miss Lost, simply because that's an actual addiction, I can give up any time I want though.

But one that just shouldn't be missed not because of it's cliffhangers, or the promise of bared flesh or any such sordid, cheap gimmicks, but because of it's life-affirming celebration of this diverse and fascinating world, and it's diverse and fascinating denizens, is Tribe (Going Tribal in the US), with the inimitable Bruce Parry.

I would gladly let my unborn (as yet unconceived...) daughter marry Bruce Parry. The man is a beacon of hope that good people still exist, refreshingly free from cynicism or pandering, and genuinely interested in the human condition. He makes an already enticing concept (going to live with obscure and hitherto almost unreached tribes in the depths of Africa, or Asia, or South America, living with them as one of them, eating what they eat, doing what they do) into a beautiful and heartwarming exploration of the meaning and importance of life, bringing into question our own values and attitudes in the process.

I could go on: the man is a legend, and now you can be his friend! Series 2 highlights here, and more clips on the BBC minisite.

Some songs in celebration:

Jimmy Cliff - Wild World (Cat Stevens cover)
Joy Division - Wilderness

<$>Jimmy Cliff/Joy Division<$>

Tags: Bruce Parry; Tribe; Going Tribal;Jimmy Cliff; Cat Stevens; Joy Division