Sara Pascoe is uncovering the world’s most endangered jobs in a new BBC Two series.
Comedian and writer Sara (Sara Pascoe Live: LadsLadsLads, Travelling Blind, Animal) fronts The Last Woman On Earth on Sunday nights.
The BBC tease: "Sara will travel the world on a mission to track down the world’s most endangered jobs, in a bid to become a living filing cabinet of soon-to-be-lost skills.
"Should these threatened professions Sara encounters be protected from the unforgiving pace of the modern world, or is it time to move with the times?"
In Cuba she tries out the unique professions put at risk by the country’s increased exposure to commercialism. Among the workers she meets are a mattress magician, a cigar factory reader and a family who climb giant coconut trees to make a local sweet.
When Sara heads to Georgia, a country that borders of Russia and the Black Sea, she gets an insight into how drastically it has modernised in the last decade. As the country moves into the 21st century, it threatens to leave behind some very unusual trades with a history going back hundreds of years. They include a gunsmith, a polyphonic singer and a guide at the Stalin Museum.
In her final journey Sara Pascoe travels across Finland where she looks at the impact the changing climate is having on the future of the country’s traditional jobs. In the south, Sara explores the timber trade by meeting a forest cleaner and a baker. In the north, where temperatures are increasing the most, Sara looks at Lapland’s tourism industry by learning how to be ice carver and an elf in Santa’s village.
Sara said: "The world is changing and I’m going to find out what that means to people’s everyday lives. This is a chance for me to learn about the history, politics, and technology of these fascinating countries and pick up new skills just as they’re about to stop existing.
"I’m also going to do some Michael Palin and Joanna Lumley impressions and climb a really high tree even though the BBC has said they won’t insure me."
The Last Woman On Earth will air across three hour long episodes.
The series begins on Sunday, 27 December at 9PM on BBC Two and continues on Sunday nights for three weeks. You can watch episodes online via the BBC iPlayer here.
Patrick Holland, Controller BBC Two, says: "Sara is a brilliant talent and I’m delighted that she’s bringing more wit and insight to BBC Two in this series about the changing world."
Laura Gibson, Creative Director, Talkback, commented: "We’re thrilled to be working with the multi-talented Sara on this exciting project. She’s the perfect person to explore these various cultures and have no doubt she will master all the dying professions she encounters."
Picture credit/copyright: Matt Crockett