hello, and welcome to a special edition of the travel show — covered in ice, snow, and that special kind of magic, as much of the world prepares to celebrate christmas, and also the end of another year. we spent most of 2023 on the road, so it's a great opportunity to be at home to recharge and look back at some of our favourite winter adventures here on the programme. so without further ado, let's jump straight in and remember the time when ade headed to finnish lapland — not to meet santa claus, but a rapper who's keeping his language alive with music. huskies howl.

ade: finnish lapland is as close as it gets to a winter wonderland. more than one million tourists come here each year in search of the northern lights, santa, and his reindeer. the sami are the indigenous people who live in this part of the world — from northern norway, sweden, finland, and the far north part of russia. there's around 6,000 samis left in this part of finland, and here, they're known as the inari sami — because most of them live around lake inari, which is 250km north of the arctic circle. i've never been so far north. i'm here! after landing in the town of ivalo, just an hour—and—a—half flight from helsinki, i meet my first inari friend.

hello! hey! welcome to finland and ivalo. thank you! i'm ade. nice to meet you. nice to meet you, i'm johanna. nice to meet you — look at your outfit! oh, thank you! you look amazing. thank you. is this our transport? yeah, it's going to be our transport for this trip. and we've got so many things planned for you here. i'm looking forward to it. i'm loving that hat, that's the way forward. thank you, it's really warm, it's really warm. life here must be really tough. there's snow on the ground for seven months of the year, and the most practical way to move around is by snowmobile. so, this is the best way to get there? yeah — no, there's no other way to get there. they laugh. ok, so this is how i'm rolling. and you're going to teach me, are you? yeah. antti, nice to meet you. nice to meet you, ade. so, tell me about this machine, my friend. well, these are the things that revolutioned the life here, in one way, because in — well, we got them about 50—60

years ago to finland. and this, well, made things much more easier, actually, in here. so, what did you use before these? skis. skis? and reindeer. skis and reindeer. old school. they laugh. normally, when you're driving on a track, if you have your feet in here... ..and your hands on the bar. and if you want to go right, you pull from the right one, and, of course, left, to the left. well, brake, we have on the left side. yep. this is the panic button. so, if you lose control or something happens, then you just hit that one. so, i hit that button, and then, i go, "antti"! engine starts. then we're good to go. oh, it's so hard to believe that i'm on this snowmobile going across lake inari, in finland, and beneath me is thousands and thousands of gallons of water. it's just crazy! this place is so beautiful. whoo!

i wasn't expecting that. inari sami culture has been under pressure for decades. in the past, this community was marginalised, and their mother tongue was banned from schools. with only 400 inari sami speakers, the language is still threatened. but one man is coming to the rescue, using an unconventional method. rapping in inari. amoc, you are a hip—hop artist, and you rap in your native language, inari. yes, inari — sami language, yeah. i mean, tell me about it, because i love hip—hop, but the last place that i would expect to find a hip—hop artist is in lapland. yeah, the middle of nowhere, yeah?

rapping continues. many people think it's quite weird, doing hip—hop, gangster rap in the inari sami language, spoken by 400 people. so, that's the kind of way that i'm telling about this little minority in a minority. mm. i like the sound that, it's like a mystic, mystical thing that people don't know, really. there's only 400 inari sami speakers in the world. yeah. then, i mean, in that case, how old are they? what's the average age, are you...? well, of course, the most people who speak inari sami in their mother tongue, they are mostly more than 50 years old. a little bit old, older people. and those older people, are they into hip—hop and your rapping style? i don't think so. but there are this new generation also, because there's a lot

of revitalising programmes. rapping continues. 0k, amoc, spit some bars for us — and i am pretty sure this will be the premiere on bbc, of anyone hearing someone rap in inari sami. so, we're looking forward to this. ok, so... brap, brap, brap! inari sami in da house! they laugh. that's wicked! that's wicked, i loved it. i felt it, i felt it! you were there. christa: ade getting some lessons in sami hip—hop, in finnish lapland there. well, growing up in australia wasn't perhaps the best training for me to brave the winter elements — but that didn't stop me from getting

to grips with some unusual instruments made from ice at a unique music festival in norway. stand by for a virtuoso performance, music—lovers. 0oh, you're really feeling... see it in the air — it is cold here. and it's this cold, the icy conditions and the elevation that drew polar explorers like shackleton to train here before they went on their expeditions. and people still come here for that purpose today. word is, it'll reach a low of —24 degrees celsius tonight. so, i'd better rug up. but what makes this festival extra special is that the instruments are actually made on the day from nearby ice. among the line—up this year is everything from ice horns to ice drums and ice didgeridoos.

the concert�*s only hours away, and here you are, making the instruments. this has got to be an unusual thing for a musician. for me, it's not. no! she laughs. but for most musicians, it is. good—sounding ice is the most difficult part. you cannotjust go to your freezer, you cannot go to the nearest lake. it's with ice, as wine — there are good years and bad years. percussive tones. imitates wind blowing. so, why ice? what inspired this festival? well, it's nearly 20 years since the first time i tried ice, and i found the sound so fantastic, beautiful. with this water, we can drink it after a concert. or we canjust give it back

to nature, where it belongs. and also, the ice reminds me that we have, you know, you have to treat ice so gentle to not break it. and it's like we have — should treat nature. what's this instrument over here? this is an ice—ophone. an ice—ophone? yes. percussive tones. sound is lovely, isn't it? you like it? yeah. oh, it's lovely. any chance i could have a go? mm, very careful. very careful — i promise to be careful! i also promise to show no ability whatsoever. they laugh. you may as well give it to a kid. exactly. it works. this is great!

so, as evening approaches, the finishing touches are fast being made around the site. i really like it, cos it's kind of the sound of nature. so, it doesn't sound like anything else you've ever heard. so, people are really surprised when they hear it for the first time. we don't get to practise. so, the music, it gets made onstage in front of the audience, and that's really special. and i think people are like, "what? is this possible?" and, like, it's almost not possible, so it's pretty cool that we can do it. i guess there's a lot of folk music in it.

it's very nordic, with the ice and the snow, and the cold winters. just in the nick of time, all is ready — and we gather for an evening of ice music. ethereal vocalising. rhythmic vocalising. cheering. well, that was amazing! it was such a bonkers soundscape, and incredible to think that all of those strange sounds that

were building into this big crescendo were made from ice. i think it's also a really interesting way to experience the landscape of norway, freezing cold with a full moon overhead. having said that, it is freezing cold. i'm frozen through. it's time to head in. well, over the years, we've followed intrepid explorer karolis mieliauskas on several of his adventures around the globe — from the canals of sri lanka, to frozen lake baikal, in russia. but let's now remember the first time we met him, as he prepared to take on a treacherous i,000km motorbike ride across siberia to what claims to be the coldest town on earth. rather him than me.

between yakutsk and 0ymyakon is i,000km. so, itravel 200km per day. so remote, nothing around. just mountains, forest, taiga, and cold. this is the permafrost land. when i started on the first day, the yakutian siberian people who live there said, "please, don't do that. "karolis, you will lose your face on the first day. "the frostbite will eat you." even though i had helmet and, you know, some protections, motorcycling in winter on the road of bones doesn't promise a safe ride. normally, i travel alone. in this situation, i had two vehicles with me. one was for my support team, and another one served as a garage. i didn't want to have coffee in the middle of the day. i was driving for hours alone.

what is happening inside my head, i call it sometimes as an act of meditation. riding in such harsh conditions, so cold, i have to be only now and here, because if i give a chance to myself to think, "0k, there will be warmer, i'm hungry, i'll get food," and so on — then it becomes so cold, it is impossible to ride. i have to accept all this cold and completely relax. otherwise, it doesn't work. 0n the first day of my ride, i really had the feeling of, "oh, i'm home". there is no hotel at night. i received a simple tent with a little stove inside. that night was 48 degrees below. and inside the tent, we measured —13. bleep cold, you know! inside the tent, you want to relax. but then, we said, "ok, guys, let's get out to see to the night".

most of us were like, "i have never seen sky like this". actually feeling like you are in space somewhere. last 30km, it was so mentally tough for me. in one moment, i opened the throttle more, you know, 100—120kph, steering started to freeze. so, it means i see i cannot move it. i started to look for the straight lines, not to use it too much. and then, i arrived and i saw the sign "0ymyakon," you know? and no thoughts — emptiness. "ok, i'm here." dog barks. when it's —55, the town looks pretty empty. and then, maybe one hour later, ah, it's done. ahh! the last thing left

is to have a swim in the river. 0k, to finish off our festive special, let's have a bit of theatrical fun. here in the uk, panto — short for pantomime — is always the big draw at this time of year. but there is a tiny village in the middle of rural norfolk with a population of around only 200 people that's been put on the map, thanks to its annual christmas show with not a pantomime dame or villain in sight. and a few years ago, i went along to join the cast for one night only. we'll see you again in 2024. but in the meantime, it's curtain up, strike up the band, and a very merry christmas and happy new year from all of us here at the travel show.

# let's roll out. # let the trumpets call. # all the people shout. # hurray! # and strike up the band. # hear the cymbals ring... with 2,000 pom—poms and one—and—a—half million rhinestones, this is a show to remember for the 110,000 people who come here during the festive season. now in its 43rd year, this family—run production was started as one man's vision. it's a journey to christmas eve, basically, in music, song and dance. but through its popularity, through the years, it's had to come forward. so, it's now starting november the 6th. it's basically a nonstop extravaganza of music, dance, and song. song crescendos. this year, over 3,000 west end and broadway artists auditioned to be part of the company of over 120 performers.

and today, i'll bejoining them for the big finale. but first, a crash course in learning my steps. clap to the front. one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, three, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, four, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. hands, hands, bow, stand left foot. one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight! whoo! and then, make your way back out. ok. cool thank you so much for teaching me, i hope i don't cause you any disruption later. you were great! no worries, you'll be great. so, tell me, what's it like for you guys to perform in a show like this? cos it's a little bit different, isn't it? yeah, it's very different. it's not like any other show. i'm one of the singers in the show, and i did the show last year- and fell in love with it, so back this year. - it'sjust such a variety, isn't it? like, even as a singer, _ i do lots of musical theatre stuff, but this has got lots of classical i in there, as well, so it's reallyl nice to get that kind of mixture.

one thing that's incredible here is that we're celebrating christmas for two months every day. yeah! you'd think it'd get a little tedious, but it doesn't, because every show, we've got 1,400 people watching, and they're all there to celebrate christmas. and it's just amazing to do shows every day, twice a day. cheering. # i've been dreaming of christmas—time. # every day through the year. # trees shine in every window. # children all dream of reindeer hoofprints in the snow. # i've been longing for christmas—time.

# when hearts are warm. # and filled with joy. # there's love for all to share. # as gifts... this is susie. it's my secret changing room. she's going to help me get into my costume. ahh! # the best time of the year... whispering: i have to go onstage now. let's hope i remember my steps. applause.

she laughs excitedly. ah! ok, so... i didn't fall over, i didn't forget the steps, and i didn't cause any

kind of incident. so, as far as i'm concerned, job done. but i must say, being up there, looking out at the audience, all standing, clapping, enjoying themselves, everyone singing, it really was something a bit special. and i didn't fall over — yes! hello. thanks forjoining me. it's the final week of 2023.

let's see what the weather's got in store. and, of course, it's been an incredibly mild christmas. temperatures in some spots exceeded 15 degrees celsius or, as a result, the mild south—westerly airstream and that conveyor belt of cloud which brought the rain on christmas day. but the early hours of boxing day look clear across the uk. those weather fronts will have shifted towards the east, and the morning temperatures, despite the clear skies, actually not particularly low. four degrees in newcastle, seven in plymouth, perhaps colder there in the highlands of scotland. now, could be some morning showers in the north of england on boxing day. but after that, it's a case of sunny skies pretty much for all of us, at least for the bulk of the day. so here's scotland then. yes, there'll be some showers around in the northern isles, and quite chilly northerly winds. but by the time you get to the central highlands, the central lowlands, the southern uplands, northern ireland and then areas towards the south, it's a case of clear blue skies, but clouds will increase. in fact, the skies will turn hazy across wales, the midlands, the south and the south—west.

and by lunchtime we are expecting rain in cornwall. certainly looks as though it's going to be wet in plymouth eventually. then that rain will push northwards and also eastwards through the course of the day. but i think it'll stay dry across northern england, just about in northern ireland and certainly in scotland for the bulk of the day. that takes us into midweek wednesday, and a big area of low pressure sweeping the uk. weather fronts as well, a lot of isobars there, so strong winds. really a very rough day. if you're travelling on wednesday, keep track of the latest forecast because it could be really tricky on the roads and there could be some delays in places. so here it is. temporarily we'll have some snow maybe across the pennines, certainly across the highlands. above around 200 metres, the possibility of ten or 15 centimetres of snow, gale force winds around western coasts, southern coasts, the north sea coasts as well. a really rough day for many of us. and those temperatures, only five degrees in glasgow, so pretty chilly. but in the south we're talking

about double figures. so again, it's wednesday and then into thursday that this bad weather will be in place across the uk. that heavy rain, particularly heavy in western areas, that snow across the northern hills and mountains and gale force winds around many coasts, but blustery inland too. now, the low pressure bringing that unsettled weather is still with us on thursday. in fact, a rash of showers with some sunny spells and again, very gusty winds with a risk of gales around coasts. now, those temperatures will begin around 12 degrees in the south of the country. further north, a little bit colder there with some wintry showers again possible across the highlands. and then that takes us into friday. a large area of low pressure you can see is still dominating the weather across the northern half of europe, pretty much. more weather fronts sweeping the uk. and if you look, the isobars are still with us, quite closely packed, which means the winds will remain strong and those showers will be pushed along that swift to gale force wind, but a little bit colder on friday and quite possibly into saturday as well.

so those temperatures will drop to single figures, i think, for most of us. now, here's the outlook then from the weekend and into 2024. you can see a lot of rain icons there, and staying on the mild side. so an unsettled picture, maybe just a brief lull to come during the course of saturday. bye— bye.

live from london. this is bbc news. the us carries out air strikes in iraq against — what the pentagon describes as — facilities operated by �*iranian—sponsored militias�*. reports of one dead and 24 wounded. the un's agency in gaza warns there could be a break down in law and order in the territory — unless more aid arrives soon. the amazon rainforest

is experiencing the worst drought since records began — scientists worry it's moving faster towards its tipping point — where plant and animal life can no longer recover. and cameras follow king charles for a bbc documentary — broadcast on tuesday. we have a special preview coming up. today, it's the uk's boxing day sales. so will it be mile—long queues and chaos at the tills? we take a look. hello, i'm catherine byaruhanga. us armed forces have carried out air strikes in iraq against what it called �*iranian—sponsored militias. the pentagon says it's in response to an attack on the erbil airbase that injured

three us military personnel — one of them critically.