Levison Wood immerses himself in the worlds and cultures he visits like no other travel guide. In his fifth series with Sky Vision, he once again embarks on a rarely ventured route through challenging environments into remote corners of a little-understood land. Arabia. Beautifully filmed and with the warm and engaging Lev as our guide, Arabia tells the real story of the Middle East through its people. The series explores the lives and hopes of an eclectic range of characters – Syrian grandmothers, Iraqi snipers, shepherds, drug dealers, freedom fighters and nomads – and we hear Levison reflect throughout on how his preconceptions may have changed or remained during his most extraordinary adventure yet. With his elite military training, Levison has the necessary skills to tackle the very toughest challenges. And while he uses these skills to access remote communities and potentially hostile urban worlds, this is far from a simple survivalist story. Instead, Lev puts the people and the cultures he encounters at the heart of every story. Arabia is his most gripping, nuanced and ultimately heart-warming series to date, with majestic landscapes and ancient histories providing the backdrop to a fascinating and authentic depiction of the cultural diversity of the Middle East. From Iraq, the Gulf States, Oman and Yemen to Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Palestine, Israel and Syria Levison ends his journey on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in Lebanon.

With all episodes edited concurrently, Jon cut Levison’s trip from Oman, sneaking into Yemen via the back door. Wood’s mission is to immerse himself in the lives of locals and challenge the myths and stereotypes that plague this ancient land.

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Production: Sky Vision & Blackmane Media
Series Director: Neil Bonner