Alexander Armstrong In India | Preview (5)

Alexander Armstrong embarks on a journey across India to explore how a nation that gained independence 77 years ago, is now becoming a country not just rich in history and tradition, but a rising superpower. With the world’s largest population – 1.4 billion and counting – India is undergoing rapid change.

In this series of three one-hour programmes, Alexander travels the length and breadth of India, exploring some of the country’s most famous destinations; Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Bandipur, to experience the diverse landscapes, the old cultural heart and the modernisation of each destination.

In this first episode, Alexander Armstrong dives headfirst into the glorious chaos of Mumbai - India’s fastest, loudest, and most crowded city, where gleaming skyscrapers rise above sprawling slums.

Property prices are sky high, and curious to see what the local property boom looks like, Alexander meets Ravi - a charming, fast-talking estate agent - who shows him the highs (luxury flats with sea views) and the lows (eye-watering prices).

Along the way, Alexander takes in some of old Bombay’s traditional colonial splendour - grand Victorian stations, ornate libraries - before stopping for a bite of Mumbai’s favourite street snack: the Vada Pav, a fiery vegetarian burger that doesn’t hold back.

The contrasts continue in Dharavi, one of Asia’s largest slums, now the focus of a controversial redevelopment plan. Alexander meets residents caught in the middle - families trying to defend their patch in a city bursting at the seams.

As the monsoon breaks, he joins the city’s legendary dabbawallas - an astonishingly efficient army of lunchbox delivery men - for a very wet day at the office.

Finally, Alexander travels north to Delhi, India’s seat of power. He visits the an incredible Mughal masterpiece before witnessing the stark, everyday reality of life and death in the capital - the cremation of a homeless man.

From ancient empires to urban sprawl, spicy snacks to billionaires, this is an India of wild contrasts and rich complexity - and Alexander Armstrong is in the thick of it.

Alexander Armstrong In India begins Thursday 5th March at 8pm on 5.