Joanna Lumley begins her journey on a fishing boat at the end of the Nile, where the river meets the Mediterranean; her adventure will take her south to find its source.

Joanna follows the Nile, arriving in the remote deserts of northern Sudan, where she encounters an ancient African kingdom, the treasures of Nubia, and a family of nomads living in the remote sub-Saharan area.

Joanna reaches Khartoum, the capital of Sudan and the confluence of the Blue Nile and the White Nile; she observes the city's famous whirling dervishes and enjoys the dukhan, a traditional beauty treatment for women using wood smoke.

Joanna learns about a resurgence of beauty pageants in southern Sudan, and what has caused the phenomenon; Joanna also takes a tour along Uganda's White Nile river, on the last part of her journey.

Joanna Lumley explores the history of Greece, visiting some of the most significant sites of the ancient empire and meeting people who carry on the old traditions. She begins in Athens with a trip to the Parthenon, a temple to the goddess Athena built nearly 2,500 years ago. From there, Joanna travels around the southern part of the country, encountering modern Greeks still influenced by this ancient era - including marble cutters who continue to use the same tools as their ancestors.

In this episode Joanna explores the north of Greece, travelling from the western Ionian island of Corfu to where the country borders Bulgaria and Turkey in the east. Along the way she discovers British traditions being upheld in Corfu, retraces Lord Byron's journey through the western highlands and joins army recruits on a border outpost.