southwards travelling to the upper reaches of the Xingu River; he is welcomed to the Wauja tribe, one of the most colourful of all the Brazilian indigenous peoples. Anthropologist Emi Ireland helps explain their rich and complex rituals and the threats to their land and way of life from dam building, deemed necessary for the increasing exploitation of Brazil's abundant natural resources. In Brasília, constructed in only five years, he meets rock star and political activist Dinho Ouro Preto, who believes that, despite its social and environmental problems, the country is on the brink of becoming a superpower. UK viewing figures: Episode three: The Road to Rio Palin starts this leg of the journey in the mineral-rich state of Minas Gerais which as the sugar plantations of the north declined provided the new wealth of the country. He visits an old gold mine once owned by the British, before going to see a vast opencast iron ore mine that is fuelling Brazil's economic miracle. He also visits the state capital Belo Horizonte, Brazil's sixth largest city. From Minas Palin goes down to Rio de Janeiro, population six and half million and capital for 125 years, host to the next 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. Rio has always had a reputation as a party town but also has suffered from terrible violence, with heavily armed drug gangs controlling the notorious shanty towns or favelas that make up a large part of the city. The authorities have decided to spend some of Brazil's new money on healing the rift between the favelas and the rest of the city. The policy of "pacification" aims to drive the drug gangs out and fund new infrastructure, such as cable cars, and social programmes to make the favelas truly part of the city. Palin visits the BOPE (Special Operations Battalion) used to combat what was (according to what is said in the show) some of the most violent places on Earth and to see how lives have been transformed by pacification. Palin also finds time to visit some of Rio's best-known locations, learns how to celebrate a goal like a Brazilian radio commentator, and books a room in one of the city's infamous "love hotels". UK viewing figures: 4.20 million Episode four: The Deep South Palin finds many surprises as he encounters the rich diversity of the more European and Asian cultures that have