Madness in the Desert: The Paris to Dakar Story

"Brilliant story brilliantly told"

In 1977 French motorcyclist Thierry Sabine was in serious trouble, lost in the Libyan Desert and dying from thirst. Whilst most men would weep and think back over their lives, Thierry thought about coming back - to do a rally across the Sahara Desert. The 9000km Paris-Dakar, the world's craziest race, was born. The rally became a beacon for eccentric adventurers battling the terrain in customised vehicles, seduced by the romance of the desert and the extreme challenge. It soon became a victim of its own rapid success, shrouded in controversy, overwhelmed by corporate interests, responsible for over 60 deaths and decreed vulgar by the Vatican. Finally, in 2008, this incredible event was brought to an end by terrorism. This is the story of the biggest motorsport event the world has ever seen and one of the greatest challenges of human endeavour ever conceived, from those that took part. How the West took on a landscape of incredible beauty and scale. And lost.

Loading countdown...
Don't Lose Your Head

Don't Lose Your Head

2012

Intimate Portrait: Natalie Cole

Intimate Portrait: Natalie Cole

1999

Black Feminist

Black Feminist

2019

A Home on the Range: The Jewish Chicken Ranchers of Petaluma

A Home on the Range: The Jewish Chicken Ranchers of Petaluma

2002

Relapse

Relapse

2021

TRAVIS RICE || RESETTER

TRAVIS RICE || RESETTER

2020

The Queen's Platinum Jubilee Celebration

The Queen's Platinum Jubilee Celebration

2022

Revisiting Brideshead

Revisiting Brideshead

2005

New Images

New Images

1964

Harry Dean Stanton: Crossing Mulholland

2011

Mountain Born: The Jean Ritchie Story

Mountain Born: The Jean Ritchie Story

1996

The Acadian Connection

The Acadian Connection

1995

The Prodigy

The Prodigy

Romania: Seeking Dracula's Castle

Romania: Seeking Dracula's Castle

2020

Wild Tokyo

Wild Tokyo

2021

The Post-Pandemic Era

The Post-Pandemic Era

2021

The Hunt for Escobar's Hippos

The Hunt for Escobar's Hippos

2020

To Woody Allen from Europe with Love

To Woody Allen from Europe with Love

1980

Jack L. Warner: The Last Mogul

Jack L. Warner: The Last Mogul

1993

Best of E.O.F.T. No. 11

Best of E.O.F.T. No. 11

2015