Fox Reality Channel's Newest Original Series Long Way Down Premiers August 2 at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT)
BMW motorcycles, two best friends and 15,000 miles add up to one epic adventure. Join Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman as they embark on a motorcycle expedition of a lifetime, riding 15,000 miles on BMW R 1200 GS Adventure motorcycles through 20 countries from Scotland to South Africa in Long Way Down. Created from more than 1,200 hours of footage for a one-night-only event shown in select movie theaters nationwide, Long Way Down delivers a unique movie-going experience, following McGregor and Boorman as they face challenges from unknown and unforgiving terrain, which tests their endurance, driving skills and their friendship.
"There is something liberating about just having what you need, on your bike," said McGregor. "A tent, a roll mat, a little bit of food, a bit of petrol in your tank and a vague idea of where you're going and that's all you need. There is something beautiful about that."
Long Way Down takes viewers along for the 15,000 mile ride across two continents starting at John O'Groats in Scotland, through Egypt, Libya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Botswana and finishing at the most southern post of South Africa - Cape Agulhas. Riding BMW R 1200 GS Adventure motorcycles, the friends experience some of the most incredible natural and cultural wonders the world has to offer, including the African wildlife. In addition, the duo partnered with UNICEF by assisting the organization in bringing health care and mine awareness to children in Northern Uganda and Ethiopia, as well as child care to orphans in Malawi.
"It was truly a privilege for our team to travel through 15 African countries and shoot 1,200 hours of High Definition footage," said Alexanian, Long Way Down director. "Not a day went by when we weren't thinking how breathtaking it would be to blow it up for the big screen and give audiences a unique uninterrupted version of Ewan and Charley's adventure."
Long Way Down is the highly anticipated follow-up to Long Way Round, the duo's 2004 epic journey, in which they circumnavigated the world from London to New York, riding East, via Eurasia and North America. It became an instant television series hit in Europe and the United States and has since sold over one million DVDs and 900,000 books worldwide. Inspired by their first experience, McGregor and Boorman returned to the open road in May 2007 for Long Way Down.
Fox Reality Channel, the only all-reality, 24-hour cable and satellite network, will present Long Way Down in a 10-part television series beginning Saturday, August 2 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. The series is directed and executive produced by David Alexanian (Elixir Films) and Russ Malkin (Big Earth), who also served in the same capacities on the original series Long Way Round.
The series follows best friends, McGregor and Boorman, as they travel through numerous countries including Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Namibia, exploring the various cultures and natural wonders they encounter along the way. Their course stretches 85 days, crosses two continents and is filled with innumerable adventures and challenges. McGregor's wife, Eve Mavrakis, joins the show for the first time, and introduces an all-new dynamic to the team as she rides along with them for a leg of the journey. In addition to lending a personal hand to projects for UNICEF, McGregor and Boorman also raised over $1 million for Children's Hospice Association and Riders for Health through the show.
"Ewan and Charley's journey from Scotland to South Africa is even more demanding, more riveting and more real than their previous journey," said David Lyle, President, Fox Reality Channel.
Fox Reality Channel is bringing the popular series to American audiences for the first time after its successful run as the #2 program on the BBC2 (UK) where it aired last fall. Fox Reality Channel is also going to extend the viewer experience by producing a comprehensive microsite, which will include exclusive video content, an interactive map and the exclusive "Long Way Down Explore! Sweeptakes," sending a lucky viewer on his or her own African adventure. Additionally, a hardcover book titled Long Way Down, chronicling McGregor and Boorman's journey, was released by Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, on July 15. EMI America Records will release the series' soundtrack on CD and digitally, August 5. In October, upon conclusion of the series run on Fox Reality Channel, EMI America Records will release Long Way Down on DVD.