Experience the 'freedom' of a safari holiday

Richard E Grant show about history of safari available on iPlayer

People planning safari adventure holidays could follow in the footsteps of Richard E Grant, who can be seen in BBC's iPlayer presenting a show on the history of the pursuit.

From its ignominious beginnings as the routes which game shooters took to hunt the Big Five animals to the modern-day adventure holiday-makers who travel the routes to view the same quintet of beasts: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino.

Mr Grant, who was born in Swaziland, spoke to the Times Online about the draw of the safari when the programme was first released.

"I think that [the attraction of safari] was the very nature of taking people from one culture and then putting them in a tropical hothouse abroad, freed of any real responsibility," he said.

This is an attraction that can be felt by modern-day adventure travellers, who venture to far-off lands to escape the nine to five, the alarm clock and the office.