In Albania

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

Setting Off

20210531

It's the mid-1990s, Albania is in turmoil after decades of communist isolation. Drawn by the mystery of a country she knows little about, Joanna Robertson sets off to go and live there. In a used car and with only essential equipment, all bought with a business loan thanks to an understanding bank manager, she buys a one-way boat ticket for a place that she only has second-hand knowledge of, gleaned from an almost-empty Albanian shop in London's Covent Garden and exiles in a Soho coffee shop.

Presenter: Joanna Robertson

Photo: 'Theth - waiting for transport' by Stan Sherer from the book, Long Life to Your Children!

It's the mid-1990s and Albania is in turmoil, so Joanna Robertson sets off to live there.

Setting Off

20210531

20230227 (R3)

Presenter: Joanna Robertson

Photo: 'Theth - waiting for transport' by Stan Sherer from the book, Long Life to Your Children!

It's the mid-1990s and Albania is in turmoil, so Joanna Robertson sets off to live there.

Tirana

20210601

It's the mid-1990s, and Joanna Robertson is settling in her new home: a crumbling flat in Albania's capital Tirana. The country is falling into crisis - miserably poor and with outbreaks of disease so bad that the World Health Organisation feels compelled to intervene. Plenty of material for Joanna to start filing her first news stories - from a bugged phone booth in a hotel, where the call has to be paid for in advance with a pile of painstakingly counted-out banknotes.

Presenter: Joanna Robertson

Photo: 'Theth - waiting for transport' by Stan Sherer from the book, Long Life to Your Children!

It's the mid-90s, and Joanna Robertson explores life in Albania's capital Tirana.

Tirana

20210601

20230228 (R3)

Presenter: Joanna Robertson

Photo: 'Theth - waiting for transport' by Stan Sherer from the book, Long Life to Your Children!

It's the mid-90s, and Joanna Robertson explores life in Albania's capital Tirana.

North And South

20210602

20230301 (R3)

It's the mid-90s and Joanna Robertson explores Albania's traditional north, where she finds lives are still led according to ancient rules codified in the 'Kanun'. It's a place where innocent young men are doomed to live in hiding to avoid being killed in blood feuds, and where for a woman to be unmarried is either a deep shame, or an honour - if she lives life as a man, in the absence of male siblings.

In the country's south, the collapse of a pyramid scheme in which many lost everything leads to an anti-government uprising in the city of Vlore. When demonstrators are killed, Vlore swears revenge.

Presenter: Joanna Robertson

Photo: 'Theth - waiting for transport' by Stan Sherer from the book, Long Life to Your Children!

It's the mid-90s and Joanna Robertson explores Albania's rural north and riotous south.

Scoop

20210603

It's the mid-90s, and Joanna Robertson has moved to Albania to be a foreign correspondent, on a hunch that something major was about to happen there. And it has: multiple pyramid schemes collapse, leaving many destitute. In the resulting uprising, the military's arms depots are looted - 2.7 billion items of weaponry, ammunition and explosives now in the hands of a population of 3.4 million, over half of whom are under 15. The country descends into violence and anarchy, the capital Tirana gets a record number of international visitors, in the shape of the world's media - but Joanna is well ahead of them, landing her scoop.

Presenter: Joanna Robertson

Photo: 'Theth - waiting for transport' by Stan Sherer from the book, Long Life to Your Children!

It's the mid-90s in Albania, all hell breaks loose and Joanna Robertson gets her scoop.

Scoop

20210603

20230302 (R3)

Presenter: Joanna Robertson

Photo: 'Theth - waiting for transport' by Stan Sherer from the book, Long Life to Your Children!

It's the mid-90s in Albania, all hell breaks loose and Joanna Robertson gets her scoop.

05 LAST

King Zog - And Time To Leave

20210604

20230303 (R3)

It's the mid-1990s. Joanna Robertson lives in tumultuous Albania, where she's moved to be a journalist. King Leka Zogu returns from exile in a quest to regain his throne. Joanna meets the king as he campaigns in rural, monarchist strongholds ahead of a national referendum. But the country is unpredictable and dangerous, still in the throes of anarchy and violence, largely controlled by armed criminal groups. Does Joanna now know too much? When she's the target of a shooting, and is later ambushed at gunpoint, she has to ask - has the time come to leave?

Presenter: Joanna Robertson

Photo: 'Theth - waiting for transport' by Stan Sherer, from the book Long Life to Your Children!

Joanna Robertson is living in Albania and meets the king. But can she stay?

Episodes

Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
01	Setting Off	20210531		It's the mid-1990s, Albania is in turmoil after decades of communist isolation. Drawn by the mystery of a country she knows little about, Joanna Robertson sets off to go and live there. In a used car and with only essential equipment, all bought with a business loan thanks to an understanding bank manager, she buys a one-way boat ticket for a place that she only has second-hand knowledge of, gleaned from an almost-empty Albanian shop in London's Covent Garden and exiles in a Soho coffee shop. Presenter: Joanna Robertson Photo: 'Theth - waiting for transport' by Stan Sherer from the book, Long Life to Your Children! It's the mid-1990s and Albania is in turmoil, so Joanna Robertson sets off to live there.
01	Setting Off	20210531	20230227 (R3)	It's the mid-1990s, Albania is in turmoil after decades of communist isolation. Drawn by the mystery of a country she knows little about, Joanna Robertson sets off to go and live there. In a used car and with only essential equipment, all bought with a business loan thanks to an understanding bank manager, she buys a one-way boat ticket for a place that she only has second-hand knowledge of, gleaned from an almost-empty Albanian shop in London's Covent Garden and exiles in a Soho coffee shop. Presenter: Joanna Robertson Photo: 'Theth - waiting for transport' by Stan Sherer from the book, Long Life to Your Children! It's the mid-1990s and Albania is in turmoil, so Joanna Robertson sets off to live there.
02	Tirana	20210601		It's the mid-1990s, and Joanna Robertson is settling in her new home: a crumbling flat in Albania's capital Tirana. The country is falling into crisis - miserably poor and with outbreaks of disease so bad that the World Health Organisation feels compelled to intervene. Plenty of material for Joanna to start filing her first news stories - from a bugged phone booth in a hotel, where the call has to be paid for in advance with a pile of painstakingly counted-out banknotes. Presenter: Joanna Robertson Photo: 'Theth - waiting for transport' by Stan Sherer from the book, Long Life to Your Children! It's the mid-90s, and Joanna Robertson explores life in Albania's capital Tirana.
02	Tirana	20210601	20230228 (R3)	It's the mid-1990s, and Joanna Robertson is settling in her new home: a crumbling flat in Albania's capital Tirana. The country is falling into crisis - miserably poor and with outbreaks of disease so bad that the World Health Organisation feels compelled to intervene. Plenty of material for Joanna to start filing her first news stories - from a bugged phone booth in a hotel, where the call has to be paid for in advance with a pile of painstakingly counted-out banknotes. Presenter: Joanna Robertson Photo: 'Theth - waiting for transport' by Stan Sherer from the book, Long Life to Your Children! It's the mid-90s, and Joanna Robertson explores life in Albania's capital Tirana.
03	North And South	20210602	20230301 (R3)	It's the mid-90s and Joanna Robertson explores Albania's traditional north, where she finds lives are still led according to ancient rules codified in the 'Kanun'. It's a place where innocent young men are doomed to live in hiding to avoid being killed in blood feuds, and where for a woman to be unmarried is either a deep shame, or an honour - if she lives life as a man, in the absence of male siblings. In the country's south, the collapse of a pyramid scheme in which many lost everything leads to an anti-government uprising in the city of Vlore. When demonstrators are killed, Vlore swears revenge. Presenter: Joanna Robertson Photo: 'Theth - waiting for transport' by Stan Sherer from the book, Long Life to Your Children! It's the mid-90s and Joanna Robertson explores Albania's rural north and riotous south.
04	Scoop	20210603		It's the mid-90s, and Joanna Robertson has moved to Albania to be a foreign correspondent, on a hunch that something major was about to happen there. And it has: multiple pyramid schemes collapse, leaving many destitute. In the resulting uprising, the military's arms depots are looted - 2.7 billion items of weaponry, ammunition and explosives now in the hands of a population of 3.4 million, over half of whom are under 15. The country descends into violence and anarchy, the capital Tirana gets a record number of international visitors, in the shape of the world's media - but Joanna is well ahead of them, landing her scoop. Presenter: Joanna Robertson Photo: 'Theth - waiting for transport' by Stan Sherer from the book, Long Life to Your Children! It's the mid-90s in Albania, all hell breaks loose and Joanna Robertson gets her scoop.
04	Scoop	20210603	20230302 (R3)	It's the mid-90s, and Joanna Robertson has moved to Albania to be a foreign correspondent, on a hunch that something major was about to happen there. And it has: multiple pyramid schemes collapse, leaving many destitute. In the resulting uprising, the military's arms depots are looted - 2.7 billion items of weaponry, ammunition and explosives now in the hands of a population of 3.4 million, over half of whom are under 15. The country descends into violence and anarchy, the capital Tirana gets a record number of international visitors, in the shape of the world's media - but Joanna is well ahead of them, landing her scoop. Presenter: Joanna Robertson Photo: 'Theth - waiting for transport' by Stan Sherer from the book, Long Life to Your Children! It's the mid-90s in Albania, all hell breaks loose and Joanna Robertson gets her scoop.
05 LAST	King Zog - And Time To Leave	20210604	20230303 (R3)	It's the mid-1990s. Joanna Robertson lives in tumultuous Albania, where she's moved to be a journalist. King Leka Zogu returns from exile in a quest to regain his throne. Joanna meets the king as he campaigns in rural, monarchist strongholds ahead of a national referendum. But the country is unpredictable and dangerous, still in the throes of anarchy and violence, largely controlled by armed criminal groups. Does Joanna now know too much? When she's the target of a shooting, and is later ambushed at gunpoint, she has to ask - has the time come to leave? Presenter: Joanna Robertson Photo: 'Theth - waiting for transport' by Stan Sherer, from the book Long Life to Your Children! Joanna Robertson is living in Albania and meets the king. But can she stay?