Michael Palin in Nigeria: Michael starts the final part of his journey hurtling down one of Nigeria’s notoriously dangerous roads

But while he is the definition of an open-minded seasoned traveller, even he was taken aback at some of things he witnessed on his journey around west Africa for his current Channel 5 series.

“Nigeria has the biggest economy, and the biggest population in Africa,” he says.

“The potential of the country is enormous, but so are its problems.

“Visiting the country for the first time, I saw these problems at first hand, but also caught a whiff of the excitement and energy of the place.

“Sometimes inspiring, sometimes a perplexing challenge, my journey through this rich, raucous mix of a country hardly gave me time to draw breath.”

Over the past couple of weeks, we have joined the Monty Python star, who turns 81 next week, as he visited the biggest slum in Africa, Makoko, the luxury bars of Lekki, and the coastal town of Badagry, which was once a slave port.

He has also climbed Dala Hill in the ancient city of Kano, witnessed the ancient sport of Dambe Boxing and heard the harrowing story of a young lady who was kidnapped by Boko Haram.

Tonight, Michael starts the final part of his journey hurtling down one of Nigeria’s notoriously dangerous roads, known for bandit attacks, en route to the historic city of Benin.

Once there, he notices a statue of British soldiers being massacred by a Benin Warrior in the 1897 ‘Raid on Benin’, when Britain’s forces attacked and burnt down the city, before taking thousands of bronze artefacts, which are still on display in the British Museum and continue to cause controversy.

After a lunch of traditional Nigerian Jollof rice, he heads into the vast Niger Delta but the team soon get stuck in muddy roads and it is something of a relief when they finally arrive in the town of Abraka.

The next morning, Michael meets Nigerian filmmaker Chuko Esiri as they board a boat on the stunning River Ethiope, one of the most beautiful places in Nigeria, to discuss the country’s wildlife.

Michael also meets a local palm oil producer to discuss this controversial, but lucrative, product, and travels to Port Harcourt, the crude oil-producing heartland of Nigeria, visiting a local village where an illegal refinery explosion killed 37 people just weeks earlier.

After arriving back in Lagos, Michael gains unique access to one of Nigeria’s Pentecostal ‘megachurches’ on the outskirts of the city.

At ‘The Redemption City of God’, he discovers an entire community, with over 5,000 houses built around the huge church.

Every month this swells as up to a million worshippers descend for services which are joyful and spectacular.

On this particular day, thousands of people arrive for the ‘Holy Ghost’ service. The place lifts off and Michael finds himself at the centre of an event like no other he has ever experienced.

The energy is infectious, and Michael is caught up in the euphoria and excitement.

“I came home exhausted but exhilarated,” he says on his return to the UK.

“As in the best of journeys, I feel I know a lot more about the world.”