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 ifound 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, i 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. ah! 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 shou- # 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. 0k. 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 i 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 i lots of classical in there, as well, so it's really nice l 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'sjust amazing to do shows every day, twice a day. cheering # i've been dreaming of christmas-time # every day i # 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 there. they form high between 13 and 90 miles above ground, two to three times the height aeroplanes fly out. temperatures down to —78 or lower for that normally that really cold air is locked around polar regions but can wobble southwards and at the moment it is over the uk. for the next week or two if you have not seen some of these clouds you have a chance. the best chance before sunrise or just after sunset. back to the weather. mild air across most of the uk for saturday but coldly across the north of scotland. rain turning to snow and could cause issues on saturday morning with two to ten centimetres of snow. large amount over hills. if you are

planning to travel to see relatives across the part of the world, with the language journey because any snow will turn to rain. because the flooding for west of scotland. we have more rain on the way. some drizzly so over western errors of the uk but a chance of seeing the cloud broke up a bit across east wales, the midlands, is angler and southern england. through saturday night we get a zone of heavy rain setting up across mid wales. in what year during december. could be one or two areas of localised flooding to watch out for. 0therwise areas of localised flooding to watch out for. otherwise we have mild air with us and that mild air in place for sunday which is christmas eve. this is a big travel day. sunday is going to be a windy day particularly for west scotland and over into the east of the pennines with a win could gust to 50 or 70 miles an hour. strong enough to blow over some high sided vehicles and blow over a few trees. worth

checking on conditions of the road and railways before heading out on yourjourney on christmas eve. heading into christmas eve. heading into christmas day, a vast majority of the uk will be in this mild flow of southwesterly winds and work that no chance of it being a white christmas. more likely to be a grey and cloudy christmas with outbreaks of rain here and there. it will continue to be building as well. i the north of scotland was a lovely cold air in place and may well start to see some his rain turned to snow across some of the scottish hills. that is more especially the case later in the day as cold as swepson. more ready for christmas night, that is when the best chance of a few of you seeing a white christmas across the hills in northern scotland. ridge of high pressure from the southwest, the weather will be quieter and more sun sign for northern ireland, england and wales. wintry showers in the northern scotland. most images edging down a little bit. looking at highs typically between eight and 11 celsius

but colder than that across the northern scotland. beyond that becomes a bit of uncertainty in the forecast in the longer range. there are some trends. for northern areas of the uk, particularly northern scotland, called never too far away in week ahead we may see further episodes of hills note where as further southwards we are more likely to keep the winds coming and west or southwesterly direction. temperatures close to average. windy at times with outbreaks of rain around at times as well. bye for now.

live from london. this is bbc news. the czech republic is holding a day of national mourning for the victims of a gunman who carried out the country's worst ever mass shooting. after days of tense negotiation, the un security council acts to boost humanitarian aid to gaza,

while hamas pledges not to release any more hostages until the war ends. in what's seen as a boost for donald trump, the us supreme court refuses to fast—track a decision on whether he can be tried for federal crimes. and what british tradtions should be saved? morris dancing, panto and cheese rolling — all in the running for un protected status. hello, i'm devina gupta. a day of national mourning is being held in the czech republic after thursday's mass shooting at a prague university. flags on official buildings will be flown at half mast and a minute's silence will be observed at midday. 14 people were shot dead at charles university by a student who then

killed himself. bethany bell reports from prague.