it was supposed to be just another news or of course although admittedly for a special occasion it was one hundred twenty three days before the start of the winter olympic games in sochi and i was in greece for the lighting of the olympic flame the ruins of the limpia one of the most famous monuments of ancient greece the site of the very first olympic games where stones like this would have been part of the temple. the temple. temple all those.

damn. close.

well that was a rather surreal. definitely the way to stream i've had for a while. there was a memorable ceremony. with one pretty sort of high priestess never spoke to me. what was it she sent full of the flame or something. you have a lot more of course at base. the top story this morning than the thirty twenty pulteney olympic flame of the bride in moscow seven days off it was in the ancient greek city of elim carried by russia's deputy prime minister dmitri cool with ak the flame traveled in a small amount into red square where president vladimir putin spoke of its meaning for the russian people in the olympic chill the symbol of the world's primary sports competition of peace and of friendship. but he has come to russia.

there are many marks the start of the longest tools relay in a limb take a street the same boy it's great that so many people have turned out for the start of the russian relay it looks like a lot of fun out there. in a minute. but it was. the stone i picked up in and then it was on my mantelpiece and if that isn't a sign i don't know what it is. i knew i had to get down to red square and experienced atmosphere for myself fortunately they were having a two day event. so from sunny greece to rather soggy moscow just at the very start of the torch is journey around the whole of russia i'm excited. the days first run there was paralympic star alessio bloody who picked up two gold

medals in the beijing and london games. he's still a big gold medal is there still something special for you us of course it's a unique feeling because i had never carried the torch before i had first i ran with it quite easily then i felt i was becoming heavier and heavier but i was determined to carry it properly and show it to everyone so that they could all appreciate the moment. and the crowd's reaction words factious i missed out on going to my home games in london and i was determined not to let such a twenty four team passed me by there were fourteen thousand torchbearers slots up for grabs one of them was going to be mine. when we were making the technical order for the factory we say look let's make the thing we want to her. you're whole and also desirable should be like wow.

a lot of questions where are. weight it's quite heavy we have to take all the cover and the middle that out by the machine extra weight of the aluminum so it's really fine. if the feather feather over the period of burton firebird in the russian. stories and fairy tales and to get this feather from the firebird is a super challenge for the guild. the

problem can be. underneath here and it just caused the fire but in this kid we have a special. wiring inside which melted and of like really a red color. and it's the fire so basically it's a rift fire in itself. i was going to have to wait a while before i found out if i'd been picked as a torch bearer more than enough time to try and learn a little more about my mysterious stone.

some of russia's most eminent geologists live in. the center of russia's diamond industry on the rocks down here in the most expensive in the country. the pits descend. and uses the most sophisticated drilling equipment to get to the precious . once the stones have been taken to assaulting sense and closely examined each rough gem is appraised and valued and i had a close family focused on my precious stone too. must be some kind of limestone and you have you. there i can see small crystals here proving that it's ancient rock. movement but really it shouldn't

lights up should it. no it's false but it's luminescent as from you. ok maybe you could make it luminescent if you really believed it right thank you did you really expect it to go. maybe maybe i'm just not right. there's certainly something very special about this and this ground i don't know but it might just be because they use to pulling glittering thing this out of the dark here. but who wants me in these diamonds with the top attraction and turn around it was time to head towards the city's most well known landmark where they were getting ready to welcome some very special guests. from all in forty

years these huge realized trucks to more of the most famous symbols in the acute year carrying the region's diamonds tune from its quarries and factories and now. it's getting ready for its most important passenger ever. it might have been close to minus forty celsius but these are limping torches and torch bearer is made of stern stuff. this huge quarry has been the frozen heartbeats of the city for more than fifty years producing more than seventeen billion dollars of diamonds my stone it meant i was here to watch the parade but what was i supposed to do next and our great shot. lives so when two mates were two.

and again show me the one. by carlo. choice. they can be few more famous natural landmarks in russia than lake baikal the oldest and deepest lake on the planet and the site of a very special olympic celebration. for the first time ever they're planning to light the olympic flame on the water over me in this case your average tool which isn't going to cut it so special equipment is required and special people to carry it and who better than the local rescue ranger. are professional activity is mostly dedicated to rescuing people on lake baikal our job is important difficult interesting and

in a way romantic my cow has many faces in winter it's tough and in summer it's beautiful you can't help but admire its power it attracts you and it's very important to me because it's a jewel of russia. everything's ready let's go then as nicholas puts the final touches to his equipment the excitement begins to build along the water's edge. the torch rallies have been warmly welcomed across the country but the crowds here are about to witness something that's never been done before. and there's plenty of local showmen on hands went to tame them while they wait. a massive noise and color to cheer the torch bearers all of this torch is based on a special system there is

a pyrotechnic charge that can burn at any depth in any temperature and under any circumstances. when it's under water it's like a second sun the flame literally illuminates the entire lake. autumn when you curious you can feel its enormous power. of the water temperature is four degrees celsius it's really freezing we could feel it on our uncovered faces but we were united by this flame that had absorbed the energy of the entire country of every single person who cares about the flame that was what united us and that's why everything went perfectly. as i watched from out on the water you could almost feel the crowd's energy coming

across the waves it had been another remarkable spectacle for this record breaking tool tree and i was wondering what could possibly top it. looks like the right track. so well but. it took. over like. that you know the price is the only industry specifically mentioned in the constitution and. that's because a free and open press is critical to our democracy albus. in fact the single biggest threat facing our nation today is the call for the takeover of our government and our press to mco we've been hijacked by handful of

transnational corporations that will profit by destroying what our founding fathers one. i'm job market and on this show we reveal the big picture of what's actually. going on on wall to go beyond identifying the problem trucks rational debate real discussion critical issues facing up to five different go ready to join the movement then walk a bit but. i've

got a quote for you. that's pretty tough. stay with sob story. but if this guy like you would smear that guy stead of working for the people to choose the mainstream media working for each other dr brown's vision. of the dead rather. might move from one ship to another but what a ship. i was on board the ice breaker fifty years of victory the pride of the russian nuclear fleet for a truly once in a lifetime experience. deliberate flame was traveling to the north pole but i was going with. it my stone was telling me to follow the flame i was going to take it

as far as i could says he hundred nautical miles of stark beautiful ocean lay between us and the top of the world. well. just in case you didn't actually believe we were going to the north pole i think that eliminates any doubt. it's another historic first for the sochi torch and a relay around the ship was planned for the occasion. and you can learn so many new things but if you get the chance to test your own as well as the crew's experience and check what the ice breaker is really capable of. i mean this tour of the olympic torch to the north pole never before has a surface ship gone there so late in the season them with the ice was much heavier and to cope with it we almost needed the ice breakers maximum power.

we were making incredible progress slicing through the thick polar ice. and after only four days we were already near our destination that's a world record pace. let you ninety degrees north to top of the world. ah. what. was the champagne had been finished everything kicked into gear the torch bearers went off to get ready and our organizing committee began making preparations for the relay and we love the one on the other one and. tried to hold it the right way. right but one.

with everyone in position we were ready to go and our captain was given the honor of starting off the run my main task was to keep the torch warm and make sure it got into pat's hand in time. and just seconds later she was away and i was on collection g.c. . i think that's when we now. thank you but yes i got to take a look off the list and return it. i was it good. yeah go through it most of it. no. we stepped off the ship and on to the ice the torches glowed flickering through the pitch black poland nights. a pioneering survey of polar explorer auteuil chilling goal of would ignite the culture of the most northerly place on the planet. it's not often you get

through witness a moment of history this is the first time the olympic flame is ever been at the north pole. and i'm here to see it. from as far north as it's possible to go it was time to head east with the olympic organizing committee . the flame the ip that is has its own security team at all times not to mention its own private jet. blue got this special service we've got the plane cooper which is just responsible for the security of the flame the keep the flame little. on this special will you know that all of these flame will never go off. for. each city's greasing ceremony is unique and hundreds of volunteers helped make the

occasion memorable. there's a possibility also to keep the security for the torchbearer. you know the nobody will harm me nobody will get this push poll police are just the better because it's just a flame and it's very dangerous so for everybody. this is camp shot a volcanic peninsula that's one of the most easterly places in russia. that is the highest so that you don't burn yourself when you torch is lit or going. for the good fortune we've got never talks to the flaming torch bearer in russia because you never. everybody every had an inhabitant of the cities just very proud that comes to his cd and i say that i hope you'll ation korea.

it was the end of another relay and i was in one of the most beautiful places in the country on the shores of the pacific itself but i was beginning to lose patience. i've come to the end of. what's. what do you want. where i. might literally run the house of law. but the torch would move all over the mountains across the sea. even the most of this world.

and. live show. yes another historic moment it paid a visit to the international space station more than four hundred kilometers above the planet's. safety reasons made me it's on board a heavily fueled rocket a bad idea the world's first olympic spacewalk was no problem. i was getting some inspiration. yes. i've come so far with the torch i was going to have to see it through to the end but what so many different people in relays all over russia and even beyond now

i was going to have my own moments with the symbol of the sochi games i was a new father in the south of the country in under two hours i was going to be a torch bearer. for one official uniform. because. it was time to suit up pick up the most vital piece of equipment. i think. the let's make. up to their english training thank you. at last. more than two hundred of us would be running through the streets and the excitement was already beginning to build there was just time for a few tips on how to make the most of the moment. smile and wave your

hand then they put out my torch and i step back and i'm not there anymore it's your turn you start and i be in the car that will be filming us starts to move up and we run towards it ok go to. the russians are. none of us could wait to get started on the pulse he was in full swing as we moved through the city thousands of people had turned out to cheer us all and watch the parade and we even had a few guests from the north pole putting in an appearance. we were dropping off people every two hundred meters so i just had a few minutes to go. my neighbor cotton mill. you can really imagine how exciting it is. i'm looking forward to the moment when

the whole country will see me because. i want to sleep but i can't believe it. did school was freezing today isn't it. planned so let's meet our church. as i wave to the crowd i hadn't expected to be so nervous my whole epic journey had led to this moment and as i waited for number one million three to post me the flame pool i could think of was for goodness sake don't drop it. by. the dream come true i'm sure i missed all the london twenty games i never thought of the gods to be part of another day and now i'm. going to play with this moment.

i am. i think. that. i'm going to little further to go on with this tour. i was with it when it was for the very first time in a limpia increase it went deep underground into the diamond mines. i was with it when it plunged into the waters of lake baikal and i was with it when the winds but it didn't have the very top of the world and then it went out so this one holds the international space station. to believe. if you could. base metal into gold this tool which of those elements even

a fifth element the quintessence from space itself. i believe this tool has the energy to help you win gold in sochi. russia. now the power is now.

plenty of it was terrible they come up very hard to make out to play once again a little longer disciplined life has never had sex with the perfect their lives let's play. lists of the i'm led. lists lists a bit. of

a. chances are forcing that. such nations around the finish line out of merit on. going to. my home in. the morning.

i suspect the whole thing over by doing the job that you know the price is the only industry specifically mentioning the guys at your concerts that's because a free and open prize is critical to our democracy shrek all books. will. never go on i'm sorry and on this show we were real the live picture of what's actually going out into the world we go beyond identifying the problem trying to fix rational debate and a real discussion critical issues facing america by a number of them ready to join the movement then welcome to the big picture. though i'm starvin of washington d.c. and here's what's coming up tonight on the big.