Im amazed when Charley Boorman walks to the door of his west London home. Can you put a screen on it? The final leg took them through Zambia, Namibia, Botswana and into South Africa. . CB: Certainly those first few weeks had a steep learning curve. I mean you could cross America back and forth on an electric motorcycle without any worries as there are so many fast chargers now. Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman will film in coming months", "Charley Boorman confirms the Long Way Up will take place within months", "Apple TV+ now includes all classic Fraggle Rock episodes, orders full season reboot [update: official]", Right to the Edge: Sydney to Tokyo by Any Means, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Long_Way_Down&oldid=1110182313, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Galaxy British Book Award 2008- Best Popular Non Fiction, This page was last edited on 14 September 2022, at 02:52. That was a one-off, because of Star Wars. It's a dangerous hairpin trail on this treacherous road and I went up in winter. Its to do with the freedom you have.. Poring over a map of the world at home one quiet Saturday afternoon, Ewan McGregor - actor and self-confessed bike nut - noticed that it was possible to ride all the way round the world, with just one short hop across the Bering Strait from Russia to Alaska. Send him yor best. After many years as a BMW ambassador, I was approached about five years ago by Triumph Motorcycles. With equity release you could access a lump-sum of tax-free cash which can be used to enhance your retirement income, make home improvements, or even enjoy a memorable holiday. Hope Charley is doing OK. Id love to see Tiffany Coates standing in for him rather than his engagements having to be cancelled. I live in Los Angeles and I drive an EV with what seems like 90 percent of the people in here and range is something I think about all the time. :) Really, its a -big- shock and so, just to drop a comment; & once again, all the best!! It is a follow-up to the Long Way Round of 2004, when the pair rode east from London to New York via Eurasia and North America. He has his own YouTube channel where he posts videos on motorbikes. Click here to read more about his African tours. But once you were able to charge the bikes with the Rivians, that seemed to be a total game-changer for the trip. However, although delays of a few hours were common, there were few significant problems at crossing points as they travelled further south. Boorman broke both legs after colliding with a wall whilst avoiding a car that pulled out in front of him. Can you put an off-road suspension on it? 1 bestselling author is back! Details area bit vague at the momentandthere is no word on whether he was riding or driving. The torque is unbelievable, its fun to be sort of silent and it's just a different riding experience. Now, a decade after the Long Way Down entry, it looks like the third installment is underway with electric mobility at the core of the concept. That makes it very complicated and I dont understand how people are so tribal about it. But now Im ok and starting to do some dirt riding again so Im super excited for our two trips there later this year. The bikes had a 1,130cc engine and a six-speed gearbox that was good for 85 horsepower and 75 pound-feet of torque. Then Ewan was in town when I was in town and he came over and stayed for a while and we started talking and as Ewan said, we had kind of drifted apart a little bit, just because we're on different sides of the pond. Talking about the sights along the way, and what really stood out for them on this particular journey, McGregor sites the landscape of the Atacama Desert in Chile as spectacular, and he goes on to talk about getting to see Machu Picchu. But after exploring in different directions for a time, the two reunited, and then the clouds parted to reveal Machu Picchu, says McGregor. Youre sort of ready for it to end. The original broadcast dates in the United Kingdom were: In the final pages of the Long Way Down book, there is a mention of "Long Way To Go"; however, this is not the intended title for a third series but a reference to the continual support that UNICEF needs for its work. We were lucky because we were right at the crest of that adventure travel wave. Africa gets a really bad rub as a dangerous place, usually by people who havent been. It's such fun to ride and they are so fast. By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. Discovery Company. I had three big casts on three limbs of my body and I was feeling really, really, really very sorry for myself and thinking, if only I had this, or only I had done that. The result is my recent book the Long Way Back. [Chuckles]. News updates will happen by Twitter, through @biketruck his long-time friend Billy Ward. In 2013, riders started their amazing journey based at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. As I approached I heard him say, So, Olivia, youre a beautiful girl, do you want to come to Australia with me?. He also did a follow-up to the show in 2009 called 'Right To The Edge: By Any Means' where he traveled from Sydney to Tokyo following the Pacific Rim. charley boorman accident south africa 2018 However, the pair undertook the journey on fully electric motorcycles, something which had never been done before. It was six months before I could walk on one leg. Great story. How did you persevere and decide, I'm going to do this? (Photo by Michelly Rall/WireImage), How A Finicky Fiat Helped Lead To The Creation Of The Leatherman Multitool, Five Great Motorcycles Rolling Our Way For 2023, Formula Ones New Medical Car Is The Aston Martin DBX707, Garmin DriveCam 76 Review: Finally, A GPS Device With A Built-In Dash Camera, UVEye Provides Automotive MRI For Car Service Customers, Dealers, Review: 2023 Nissan Leaf Remains A Great Inexpensive Electric, Look! Learn more about us. I just love it as a way of life. In Uganda, they met former child soldiers of the Lord's Resistance Army and saw the work being done to rehabilitate them. Long Way Back is an account of Boormans recovery, and also the story of his life, touching on his dyslexia (he takes great pride in having a literary agent), the death of his older sister Telsche from ovarian cancer at the age of 38 in 1997, and his own loss of a testicle to cancer in 2010. They last about four days each and we will do them over long weekends. He has a deep passion for and vast knowledge about JDM cars. Charley and I talk a lot about it, about how you hear people who should really know better dismissing electric-powered vehicles. JAG: The crazy part was it wasnt only the bikes, you guys had the Rivian pickups too. They put in these charges all the way down our route with our partners at Enel. Id love to ride with (princes) Harry and William. But it was fun and everyone was very fun and very respectful and it was nice. The Facebook posts appear to show the bikes are clearly being ridden off pavement, and it doesnt look like theres knobbies mounted on the rims (yet). It was assumed this would become a regular occurrence while travelling through Africa. On a daily basis, just plugging the bike in at the end of the day was a highlight in itself. The bone came out of my skin. I really thought, 'S***, he's going to kill us'. Smiling, looking forward 2 getting home. [5] In March 2017, during a Reddit AMA, Ewan said there were "no plans at the moment" to do a third installment of the series. However, American producer David Alexanian and cameraman Jimmy Simak were unable to obtain the necessary entry visas and were forced to fly from Tunisia to Egypt. He is still close to his father, who is 84 and walks with sticks: when Charley was on crutches, they looked like twins, he says. Well, that's easy, that's a no brainer. An accident in Portugal left Charley Boorman fearing his leg would have to be amputated but now hes ready to ride again. Charley will be leading a pack of Adventure It was exactly what the doctor ordered.. WebDoubleTree by Hilton Cape Town, Upper Eastside Hotel will once again host Charley Boorman for this years Motorcycle Adventure that begins and ends in Cape Town, South Africa. And because the Long Way Up route terminates in Los Angeles, where McGregor lives, his 13,000 mile journey ended on his own driveway. In 2019, Ewan and Charlie reunited 12 years after 'Long Way Down', this time hoping to journey from the city of Ushuaia at the southernmost tip of South America to Los Angeles, U.S.A; a journey of over 13,000-miles. Long Way Down is a television series and book documenting a motorcycle journey undertaken in 2007 by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, from John o' Groats in Scotland through eighteen countries in Europe and Africa to Cape Town in South Africa. His close friend and partner on the road Charley Boorman, a fellow actor turned journeyman writer and TV presenter is similarly moved by the scenery. They went from there to Tanzania and then into Malawi, where they were joined by Ewan McGregor's wife Eve. The godforsaken charging. The thing I remember most was flying through the air and seeing the pavement and wall and thinking, 'This is going to hurt'. Boorman at last year's Chelsea Flower Show. Charley Boorman: When I did have the accident, you know, I remember waking up in the morning and I was in Portuguese hospital. Each bike weighed about 505 pounds. From abseiling down Cape Town's iconic Table Mountain, to learning how to rodeo in Canada, prepare for a non Charley, besides being an avid motorcycle enthusiast, is an actor, TV presenter, and travel writer. Salta in northwest Argentina to take the Tren a las Nubes (Train to the Clouds) one of the highest in the world at almost 14,000 feet. Badar enjoys driving cars, writing about cars, watching movies and anime about cars; basically, he loves cars! We have just heard that well-known and loved motorcycle travellerCharley Boormanhas broken his leg ina collision with a car while attending the media launch of the new Triumph Explorer in Portugal. People look at it as one country, but its actually so diverse and so big. Can you change the seat? In the opener, he sees icebergs; tries screeching; visits the graves of Titanic victims; and encounters a tidal bore. JAG: Why the long pause between the trips and the shows? EW: Well, that's never happened before. Nite!. Charley (50), the son of acclaimed film director, John Boorman, is on the mend and back on the bikes, but here the journeyman recalls some of the scariest moments in his life. Can you raise it? Oha! (Charley crashed on a Triumph launch in Spain a couple of years ago.). After a period reliant on a wheelchair, Boorman is back riding, but now walks with a limp as his left leg is 1 cm shorter than his right after operations to repair the breaks. You'd be doing 100km an hour on this dirt road on your bike and suddenly this truck would come past you at 130km an hour and leave you in the dust. Boorman Jr is great fun and wonderfully unstarry, whether remembering Lee Marvin (a fun, really talented guy, and quite mad) or recalling the years he spent as a painter and decorator to make ends meet. When James isnt riding motorbikes, he can usually be found reading or writing about them. I'd had a lot of surgeryboth my legs were smashed up, my right hand had broken bones. I think this scene (The Bike Shed) has brought younger riders back into biking. I broke both legs, which is why I ended up lying in bed for three months. Believe me, thats raelly great. WebEwan McGregor, Charley Boorman, Robert Uhlig (co-author) It started as a daydream. I thought Id broken my hip just for the sake of going down the shops! I was just unlucky because if you break one leg you can continue to walk on the other one, but I broke both and I was in bed for five months. 2. All these vehicles are all frontier tech and you both seemed pretty damn worried during the first couple of episodes. Use your recovery as the spine of the book. Full Name Charley Boorman Occupation Actor and Television Personality Nationality British Birthplace Wimbledon, London, UK Birth Date Aug 23, 1966 Age 56 Years, 5 Months Co-creator of Documentary Series 'Long Way Round' with Ewan McGregor Charley Boorman | Biography Child Actor in Film 'Deliverance' How long did it really take for you two to become comfortable with the EV element of the trip in real-time, as opposed to episode time? I love Africa and returned last year to guide a tour, but I felt quite vulnerable dabbing my feet off road in case I broke my legs again. CB: You can really talk to each other, like Ewan and I did because there is no engine noise, so you can really hear the people you ride with. Argentinian news outlets report McGregor arrived in the country (apparently to considerable fanfare) in late August. New book 'Atlas of Extinct Countries' explores the places that fell off the map. In Ethiopia, they visited a land mine awareness project and met children injured by mines. there really isnt anywhere left to go but up, and a pair of Rivian RT1 electric pickup trucks. WebBoorman hit a wall and then bounced along the pavement three times. The shock absorbers bore the brunt, with both McGregor's and von Planta's bikes suffering broken springs. The TV journeyman and professional biker tells Hannah Stephenson about some of his most hair-raising moments, Horror crash: Charley is back on his bike after a horror smash last year. Upon arrival in Tunisia, the team bribed the local authorities with a few bottles of vodka to aid their passage into the country. ADVPulse also reported that a pair of Mercedes Sprinter vans may be providing support; both previous Long Way series had prodigious support for McGregor and Boorman, so they werent exactly roughing it. They rode their BMWs through Belgium, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, a large portion of Mongolia and Russia, the Road of Bones, Alaska, Canada and finally, the U.S.A. In a video interview with CNN Travel, McGregor explained, We drifted apart somewhat. But if I could have ridden with anybody Id have loved to have ridden with Lawrence of Arabia on a Brough Superior. They rode the BMW R1200GS Adventure, the successor to the R1150GS Adventure bikes in Long Way Round.[2]. I consent to allow Adventure Bike Rider to collect my contact information (required), Charley Boorman confirms the Long Way Up will take place within months. Ahead of that, The Drive had a chance to talk to McGregor and Boorman about their trip. See our review policies for more information. Holiday? Which is fitting, because according to numerous reports, the pair have ditched their all-conquering BMW GS Adventure dual-sport machines for something a bit more radical: Harley-Davidsons new all-electric Livewire motorcycles. I love to show people that they can have a great tour in Africa and there is some great food, great wine and the people are so lovely. I dont have anything to hide. It is a follow-up to the Long Way Round of 2004, when the pair rode east from London to New York via Eurasia and North America. And if the photos trickling out of the southern reaches are accurate, theyre not sparing the whip, either. Im just going to crack on., Try 12 issues for 1 today - never miss an issue. The title song was performed by Welsh group Stereophonics and is identical to the Long Way Round theme, with the lyric "round" replaced with "down". And those beginning few weeks were super cold. Moped narrowly avoids 70mph train at level crossing, Tom Sizemore: The Hollywood hardman who fell from grace, Calm weekend will turn to freezing as snow and ice warnings issued, Hong Kong activists convicted over failure to comply with security law, Actor Tom Sizemore dies after career tarnished by scandals. Both McGregor and Boorman had visited such centres in Africa previously. Drifting apart from your mates can be a sad fact of life as you get older. JAG: How do we get people more interested in motorcycles? Then Charley had a very bad accident, a motorcycle accident in Portugal, and it was a very difficult recovery. Up In The Air! He answered many of the questions posted in by you, our readers, including his next trip wth Star Wars star Ewan McGregor, his regrets, riding tips and more. Okay, not Yorkshire again. A Warner Bros. He was appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2013 for his outstanding contributions to the world of dramatics and his charity work. I love the fact that they ride bikes. It comes to its conclusion.. JAG: Charley, you were in quite a few different wrecks over the years. As with their previous trip, and Boorman's Race to Dakar, Russ Malkin's company Big Earth produced the series. The road through the Calchaqu Valley in northwest Argentina. HotCars covers all things automotive: the latest auto news and informative reviews on the car, pickup truck and motorcycle industries. They decided the Long Way Up would be an electric voyage a way to see the world without aiding its decay. He had shattered his left tibia and fibula and broken his right ankle and wrist. In 2016, Charley met with a serious accident when test riding with motorbike journalists in Portugal where he broke both his legs. if you're if your daily commute is less than 100 miles, which let's face it, most of us don't ride more than 100 miles a day on our bikes. Apparently, after completing two epic motorbike adventures, the two felt they needed an additional challenge. In Malawi, they visited care centres for children orphaned by AIDS. The start was nearly delayed after Boorman, frustrated by an official at Gatwick Airport, made an off-the-cuff comment regarding bombs and was detained for questioning. When I was getting a little bit better, and Ewan came to London to stay with me we started chatting about that third trip that we really wanted to do. And after a bike trip in south England, we have to visit Wales, Scotland, Yorkshire. Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman reunite to ride 13,000 miles from Tierra del Fuego to Los Angeles in the Apple TV+ show "Long Way Up" -- the third journey Charley saw it as a means to hang out with interesting people and earn money to buy motorbikes, and doesnt miss it at all. Fill in your details below to join the weekly Adventure Bike Rider Bulletin and get the latest adventure motorcycling news delivered right to your inbox. I rode all the way to my front door from Ushuaia it was a pleasure, that.. When I broke my legs badly I sat there for a little while and thought what if Id just left the hotel a little later But the reality is that its happened and there is nothing you can do. After being released without charge, he took a later flight to Inverness, and the journey began as scheduled. Didn't think you were that famous? He was in a wheelchair for a while Their daughters - Doone and Kinvara, 21 and 20 are both at university, but Doone also had to be flown home last year after breaking her jaw on a skiing trip. Was smiling and joking before he seen the needle!, And: Awaiting return from surgery. Once youve been around the world and down its length on a motorcycle, there really isnt anywhere left to go but up.So it goes with Ewan McGregor and Charley . So I thought Im British and I would be promoting my Britishness. What we hadn't realized is how much the weather actually affects these electric vehicles. You join the family theyve created under these particular conditions, and you feel how much they all mean to one another. To let that friendship dwindle or drift, I realized, was a mistake. We took their LiveWire bike and we said Look, can you make it into a dual sports bike for us? Its great to have both, weve had a lot of fun on petrol bikes as well but your every day going bike when you live in a city has got to be electric now. Billy writes on his Twitter account: CB had accident today in Portugal @ Global launch of Triumph Explorer. Ive ordered a nurses uniform always wanted one. The team anticipated problems at the various borders crossings, particularly in Africa. You've got apps that let you know as soon as you get three-quarters empty, you just hit a button and it takes you to an EV charger you can fast-charge easily. And then we just got used to it and we began to understand how far we could go and how far we could push the parameters and you kind of like all of our trips, eventually you just settled into it. 2023 Cable News Network. Learn more about us. We chatted to Jody Ocker who is currently traversing Africa with Charley! The team travelled from their base in Shepherd's Bush, London, to John o' Groats at the northern tip of Scotland to begin their journey. In 2004, Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman embarked on a journey to bike across 12 countries and 19 time zones in 115 days. Traversing through cities, mountains, deserts, and snow, they documented their trips using special helmet cameras whilst riding their bikes, had a cameraman ride on his own bike accompany them, and had a production crew that provided them with additional support and rendezvoused with them at border crossings. JAG: When it comes to the electric bikes, there seemed to be a lot of range anxiety at the beginning of the trip for you two. In 2008, he did a show called 'By Any Means' where he traveled from County Wicklow, his hometown in Ireland, to Sydney, Australia using only appropriate public transport and flying whenever necessary. Hopefully just riding dirt bikes with mates. You might think the gods are trying to tell the Boormans something about hazardous pursuits, but when we meet, Charleys leg is nearly healed (he invites me to feel a screw that has worked loose beneath the skin) and hes planning to resume his bike safaris in Africa in August, go on a speaking tour to promote the book, then try to put the Darien Gap TV project back together. Boorman hit a wall and then bounced along the pavement three times. The first trip in the series was shot in the year 2004, when they set out on a 19,000-mile journey from London to New York City on BMW R1150GS Adventure bikes. And that happens regularly. WebCharley Boorman has been riding motorcycles since he was seven years old. Boorman was then badly injured in a motorcycle crash in 2016 but eventually recovered. Harley just nailed it. That was sort of a wake-up call to me that we mustn't let this friendshipthis very special relationship to medrift. Charley Boorman's South African Adventure (TV Series 2013-2013) The Movie Database (TMDB) Join Adventurer Charley Boorman as he sets off once more on an epic motorbike adventure, this time making his way through the stunning, rugged and often unknown South Africa. Id love to see the Dakar but I would just want to race it again, so I better stay away. When he came to rest, as he casually puts it, my leg was all flippy-floppy, bending in the wrong places and in the wrong direction. All good. Take a LiveWire around your city and youll just have such a laugh. Thankfully because of Charley's accident, that meant he was housebound for some time, so whenever I was in London, that meant I was able to see him. Even though it was touch and goI thought Id lose a legbut that seemed ok but I kept thinking, you know what, I just want to get back on the motorbike. 2022Recurrent Ventures. Charley journeys in a circular route starting and finishing in Cape Town, experiencing the deeply rooted Me and my father (our whole family, actually) have been following Charleys adventures for a decade+ now This accident is HORRIBLE news (omg!) He smiled and nodded his head. (The places these two bunk overnight, at least in the first three episodes, are hardly five-star. John Boorman often cast his children in his films as well as Telsche, who became a writer, and Katrine, now an actor and producer, Charley has a twin sister, Daisy, and three stepsiblings from his fathers second marriage. Im too stupid to be anything other than open about my life. The son of renowned film director John Boorman, he grew up on a farm in Ireland and used to ride through the fields on his first motorbike and took part in schoolboy motor cross and Enduro races. In the DVD extras, while preparing the bikes for cargo, Ewan McGregor refers to a possible future trip in South America, perhaps called Long Way Up. Weve joined selected affiliate programs which will allow us to place advertisements for select motorcycle and motorcycle-related product retailers on the site. Then this big truck came round the corner and it put them off. Scottish star Mr McGregor, 49, first rose to prominence in Danny Boyles cult classic Trainspotting and subsequently starred in blockbusters including Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker and DC [7][8], On 27 May 2020, it was announced that the series Long Way Up would premiere on Apple TV+.[9]. I really hope Charley and Ewan do ride together soon in another adventure. Its really touching me, and what I was looking for in terms of feeling closer to the world, the Earth, appreciating the beauty of it as we ride along.. McGregor and von Planta also came off and damaged their bikes' bodywork, with von Planta involved in the more serious incident on a motorway in South Africa. What do his doctors think about that? For other uses, see, "Ewan McGregor secures sponsorship deal for South American road trip", "Long Way Up is go! Charley had just returned from a Compass Expeditions tour of Tasmania when we caught up with him this week at The Bike Shed in London, where he is one of 31 founding members. British adventurer Charley Boorman treks across Canada and discovers what makes the country amazing. Charley had a terrible accident and was very badly injured. Charley Boorman is riding again after his major motorcycle crash in 2016 and ready for his big African adventure later this year. Not just get on a bike again, but go basically 13,000 miles on an electric motorcycle? I was just coming out the hotel in the morning and was passing a car when the driver decided to turn down a lane. Also, Triumph is owned by a family, theyre very generous and very kind and we have a great relationship. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Rivian also installed charging stations along the more desolate parts of the route. How the Rivian pickups are involved is unclear, but they would certainly jibe nicely with the EV theme of the new show. With that one, I don't remember anything. I love it. ", "Being in trouble with the wife [he has been married to Olivia for 27 years, with whom he has two daughters] is always scary. We *truly* wish him all the best and are hoping for a full (!) But when you and your best friend are the two most recognisable faces in adventure biking, people start to ask questions when you havent been seen together in a while. They just got back in the car and drove off. I got clipped and the bad thing is I hit a wall. The journey ended at Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point of the continent, from where they were accompanied to Cape Town by a phalanx of bikers, similar to their arrival in New York on the Long Way Round. With the limited range of both the bikes and the Rivianapart from bringing backup generators like you guys did, how does the average motorcyclist enjoy a cross country trip on an electric motorcycle when the technology is still on the fringe? Ever wonder what it's like to be riding with Charley Boorman? Long Way Uppremieres on Apple TV on Friday 18 September.