- 2 days ago
Alexander Armstrong Across America (2026) Season 1 Episode 1
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00:01This year, the good old US of A is celebrating its 250th birthday.
00:07So what better moment?
00:08Take it past.
00:09Feel the views of the nation.
00:12Wow, look at it. It's beautiful.
00:14No other country has shaped the world quite like the United States of America.
00:20Over the years, our transatlantic cousins have told us what to watch, how to think, and what to eat.
00:27And for the most part, we've gobbled it up.
00:31This is where the hard edge of brash capitalism comes face to face with raw human desire.
00:37But as the US celebrates a landmark year and welcomes the beautiful game,
00:45I'll be getting to grips with the real America.
00:48Does everybody around here carry a gun?
00:51Yes, definitely a majority.
00:53Sampling some of its best.
00:55We are a country built off the resilience of so many.
00:59Some of its worst.
01:00What have I ever browsed in the United States?
01:02You think?
01:03Oh, yeah.
01:04And delving into some of its quirkier corners.
01:06The most bonkers thing I've ever done.
01:12No, I've never looked up through a drain.
01:14I've never seen it from this side.
01:17Python!
01:18Yeah!
01:21Speed, speed, speed, speed, speed.
01:23Yeah!
01:25This time, I let off some steam.
01:28We here!
01:30And get into a spot of bother on the wrong side of town.
01:34Now I'm really going to snap.
01:35Yeah!
01:35So, forget the big apple.
01:37I'm starting my adventure on the mean streets of Philadelphia.
01:40Well, this is where we found ourselves.
01:42The city where it all began.
01:5312 score years and 10 ago, on July the 4th, 1776, a group of men inside this building signed a
02:01piece of paper that would change the world.
02:03It signalled a brand new country, founded on such bold and radical principles as all men are created equal.
02:12There must be freedom of speech.
02:14The government is answerable to the people.
02:18This is Philadelphia today.
02:21Towering buildings of glass, concrete and steel.
02:24Symbols of industry, success, wealth and power.
02:30This is the shiny top end of modern America.
02:34But Philly became what it is from 150 years of hard, gritty work.
02:39The spirit, you might say, immortalised by Rocky himself.
02:43It's a big, tough city with a big, tough sandwich to its name.
02:47The famous Philly cheesesteak.
02:50And so, the first thing I'm going to do is get my hands on one of those.
02:55Yeah, nothing. Start with the sandwich, then work up.
03:00Yeah, what can I get for you?
03:01Um, please may I have a Philly cheesesteak?
03:04Well, you're already in Philly, so there's no need to say Philly cheesesteak.
03:09But yes, you can have a cheesesteak.
03:11Okay, do you want American, provolone, Cheez Whiz or Cooper Sharp?
03:15Um, these are, what are these?
03:16Your choice of cheese.
03:18It's your first cheesesteak.
03:19Yeah.
03:19Okay, I can have American. American is traditional.
03:22That's what you're getting.
03:22I'll have American, thank you.
03:23Good.
03:24Okay, so please may I have a large cheesesteak with American?
03:29Yes.
03:30Good.
03:30Yes, good. Okay.
03:31Is that everything?
03:31No, do you want onions on it?
03:33Yes, I can do that one.
03:34Yes, we can do fried onions.
03:35Pickles and peppers come on the side, do not ask for ketchup either.
03:38I'm not going to put ketchup on it.
03:39Okay, fair enough.
03:39Good.
03:41This man-sized sandwich dates back to the 1930s, when Italian-American Pat Olivieri realised his fellow Philadelphians needed something
03:51bigger and altogether more satisfying than a simple hot dog.
03:57Crikey, O'Reilly.
03:58I mean, look at that.
04:00It's enormous.
04:01And that is actual steak.
04:03Um, I've got a choice of various things I can put on it.
04:07Salt and pepper, tomato ketchup, which I won't be using, I promise.
04:11You better not.
04:11I'm going to dive straight in.
04:15Mmm.
04:17Mmm.
04:20Mmm.
04:21Mmm.
04:23Mmm.
04:23Mmm.
04:23If I may say, a manly slice of food, this.
04:27I mean, I'm feeling terrifically butch.
04:30Can you tell?
04:33Mmm.
04:34Mmm.
04:35Mmm.
04:36Mmm.
04:36To get thoroughly to grips with the place, I think we've got to look back in time a bit.
04:40Heavy manufacturing helped build this city.
04:43But, like much of America's industrial heartland, it's been in decline since World War II.
04:49In the 19th century, the city's fortunes were built on coal, steel, iron and the railroads.
04:56It achieved industrial powerhouse status.
05:00Hundreds of steel ships and an incredible 70,000 steam locomotives were built in this city.
05:08I'm not fleeing Philadelphia just yet.
05:10I'll be back.
05:11But I'm travelling 60 miles west to hop on board one of the city's finest creations.
05:22By the 1840s, rail tracks were reaching across America.
05:29The steam train had become part of the American story.
05:38Look at this fabulous train.
05:40Oh, by the way, yes, it's a dressing up thing.
05:44Chartered in 1832, the Strasbourg is the oldest continuously operating railroad in the country.
05:52I don't really know what kind of figure I'm cutting, but I'm feeling quite Lee Van Cleef.
06:02There's the whistle of Colin.
06:08Tritone there for musicians.
06:10It's nice.
06:11We're travelling at...
06:13I think I could probably run at this speed.
06:16Yeah, running speed.
06:17But, um, it's a lot less exhausting than running.
06:19Good morning. How are you today?
06:21Ah, I'm very well indeed. How very good to see you.
06:23Good to have you.
06:25I'm suddenly filled with dread.
06:27You're asking for a ticket.
06:29You want to see my ticket?
06:30It would normally be nice to have a ticket.
06:33But most people ask if I don't have a ticket, do you throw me off the train?
06:37And I always tell them, no, we don't do that. We're much nicer.
06:40Oh, that's nice.
06:40We take you up front and leave you shovel coal, especially on a hot summer day.
06:45It's fun to watch you do that.
06:49It's a shame.
06:50But here goes with some double, maybe even triple, denim.
06:55We're going to give you a trash course.
06:57OK.
06:58Just two people operate this monster of a train.
07:01The driver...
07:04Austin Zander.
07:05And Dave here, the fireman, stokes the firebox to keep the pressure up.
07:11What are you, you're going to have to tell me what I have to do?
07:13OK, I'll say get to the front and I'll say get to the back.
07:17The front is the farthest away from you.
07:20You throw it.
07:21The back is the closest to you.
07:23It takes years to master.
07:25OK.
07:25You're not going to do it in one day.
07:27OK.
07:28We're going to work together.
07:29I think we probably are.
07:33This particular locomotive, number 89, was built in 1910 in, yup, Philadelphia.
07:39She uses a ton of coal.
07:45Literally one ton per hour.
07:51It's hot, dirty work keeping this beast stoked, but steam trains like this were key in turning the country into
07:59an industrial superpower.
08:03OK.
08:05Very good.
08:12Are you ever tempted maybe just to put a little, a little casserole pot in there?
08:17There's some nice, you could cook something overnight.
08:19I have made some delicious eggs and steaks and enchiladas and bacon.
08:24Ah.
08:25It tastes better on this than anything else.
08:26Of course it does.
08:27You know?
08:27Listen, David, thank you very, very nice indeed.
08:29Pleasure.
08:29It's been terrific.
08:30I've really enjoyed it.
08:37That was enormous fun.
08:38It's beautiful.
08:39All these taps and brass levers.
08:40There'll be moments where David would just lean in and go...
08:43There's one thing.
08:44Coink, coink.
08:49Wee-hia!
08:50And then it all works.
08:52Beautiful.
08:54Next.
08:55Back in Philly, you'll find me messing about in boats.
08:58And in a sketchy part of town, a case of mistaken identity...
09:02They think you're a cop, so...
09:04...leads to an unconventional Philly greeting.
09:07OK, all right.
09:11Now I'm really gonna snap.
09:24I'm in Philadelphia, on a mission to understand where America came from...
09:29...and where it might be going.
09:32In order to achieve this, I need to uncover the stories of this great city.
09:38The man who founded this city.
09:40The one whose family gave its name to the state.
09:42And whose magnificent statue stands on top of this city hall.
09:47William Penn was a Quaker.
09:49Guided by a philosophy of equality, tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
09:56In one of the defining chapters of American history, this philosophy helped Philadelphia stand apart.
10:03And during the darkest years of the Atlantic slave trade, the liberal attitudes of this city offered hope to many
10:10souls searching for freedom and recognition.
10:14Hi.
10:15Good morning.
10:17I'm meeting Morgan Taylor, who has access to an extraordinary archive, documenting the lives of hundreds of enslaved people.
10:25And the secret network that helped them escape to freedom.
10:29Morgan, this is...this is wonderful.
10:31Anyone who's familiar with ancient societies, these libraries will know the smell of this building.
10:38You can smell the history of each of the pages.
10:41The older the book, the deeper it gets.
10:43It's really magical to be here.
10:45It feels like time traveling.
10:46In front of me here is the 1838 Abolition Society Census.
10:50Yeah.
10:51A census that was created by the free black and brown and indigenous population here in our city.
10:57There's about 20,000 by 1838.
11:00And they wanted to say who they were and what their occupations were and how they were contributing to what
11:06is becoming the United States.
11:07You can see how many children were in the house, who was of schooling age.
11:11And my favorite question is how were you freed?
11:15Something old paid. Is that right? Paid?
11:19At 71 years old.
11:21I see.
11:22They saved up so much money.
11:24At 71 they paid.
11:26And they were able to go to their enslaver and say, I can buy my own freedom.
11:30I wonder how significant that was.
11:33I mean, was there a sense of growing conscience and shame?
11:37There was.
11:38This one says, Master got religious and set me free.
11:42Perhaps maybe they realized slavery wasn't right with Christianity.
11:47For many who couldn't buy their freedom, escape was an option, but a dangerous one.
11:53Many fled via something known as the Underground Railroad.
11:56Not a railway at all, but a clandestine network of safe houses and secret routes.
12:03Luckily for us, one man, William Still, risked his life by making detailed records of the names, journeys and stories
12:11of thousands of those who he helped escape.
12:14And this, my friend, is William Still's personal journal turned in by his daughter.
12:21You can see in his vigilance, he wanted to document how people escaped.
12:27Yeah.
12:27But in fleeing, many lost contact with their families.
12:32And this book became a vital tool in helping reunite those torn apart.
12:37Sarah A. Dunnigan.
12:39Mm-hmm.
12:40Arrived from Delaware.
12:42Said she was...
12:45Much abused.
12:48By flogging.
12:49Mm-hmm.
12:50This is at the hands of George Churchman.
12:52Yes.
12:52She's 18 years old.
12:54Crikey.
12:55Jane Johnson is a big story.
12:58Her enslaver was supposed to set her free.
13:02Yeah.
13:02He had violated the laws.
13:03Yeah.
13:04And he was going to hop on a boat so he wouldn't get caught.
13:09And William Still hopped onto the boat and tussled with Jane Johnson's enslaver until he set her and her child
13:18free.
13:18Mm-hmm.
13:19That's like having the Godfather emerge from the shadows.
13:22Isn't that extraordinary?
13:23And that...
13:23He becomes action hero as well.
13:25Yes.
13:25Heavens above.
13:27This book contains tales of horror and heroism and paints a visceral picture of a hugely pivotal time in American
13:35history.
13:38One that still must have repercussions today.
13:42As we celebrate America's 250th birthday, the context of the Underground Railroad and this community that you've got to know
13:53so well through its history, what is your take on modern America?
13:59Mine's a bit of a hot take.
14:01Mm-hmm.
14:01It comes straight from a historian who also comes from these people historically.
14:07The amazing thing about the United States, more than I think people realize, is that we are a country that
14:16is built off the resilience of so many who never make it into history.
14:20So, yes, it is a very uncomfortable time, but the ancestors I'm looking at had it much worse.
14:28We are only getting a small glimmer of what they had to deal with.
14:38Despite its problems, America is still the richest country on the planet.
14:45But just a few miles from central Philadelphia lies evidence that the American dream remains out of reach for many.
14:53I'm meeting up with Sarah Laurel, who's going to take me to an area she knows well, right in the
14:58crosshairs of one of the gravest problems facing the U.S. today.
15:02Nice to meet you.
15:03It's nice to meet you, too.
15:04Look at those nails!
15:06We do our best.
15:07You do your best and more.
15:10That's above and beyond.
15:11Look at all those rings as well.
15:13I'm going to keep on the right side of you.
15:15Are you Philly born and bred?
15:16Yes.
15:17I went to St Monica's around the corner.
15:20We're headed to Kensington.
15:21And we are heading to Kensington.
15:23And what's your story?
15:27I worked for a pretty well-known hotel chain, got carpal tunnel in my right hand, got prescribed opiates, and
15:36then years later ended up homeless in Kensington.
15:40Okay, I'm just going to stop and we're going to drill down into some pieces of that.
15:44Okay.
15:46Today, a devastating drug crisis is gripping parts of America.
15:51For decades, powerful painkillers were aggressively promoted as a solution to medical and social problems.
15:59And the place we're heading to, Kensington, a district of Philadelphia, has become an open market where addicts can freely
16:06buy drugs to feed their dependency.
16:11The carpal tunnel thing, was that just, was that like a repetitive strain thing or where did that come from?
16:18Um, yeah, I was on a laptop.
16:20I was a director of sales.
16:22Yeah.
16:22For this hotel chain?
16:24For this hotel chain.
16:25Everything's going great?
16:26Yeah, I thought it was great.
16:27I had little suits and a cute little apartment.
16:30Yeah.
16:31And I thought everything was going lovely.
16:33The pain started.
16:34The doctor gave me a pain pill.
16:36It made me feel like Superwoman.
16:39I had energy.
16:40I cleaned the house.
16:41I did my work.
16:42And I thought I was on top of the world.
16:44So you're, everything's going well.
16:46You're functioning.
16:47It's all terrific.
16:49Then what?
16:50Then I started, the pill started making me kind of tired.
16:53And then I told the doctor and he gave me Adderall.
16:55So what's that?
16:57Generic prescription is amphetamines.
16:58And then I couldn't sleep at night.
17:00And then I got on Klonopens, which is a benzo.
17:03Okay.
17:03Which is like the perfect cocktail.
17:06Now, looking back, I know that I had erratic behavior.
17:09Yeah.
17:10I was, my personal relationships were suffering.
17:13Yeah.
17:13My priority became the drugs.
17:15I was the last one to figure out that I had a problem.
17:19It's a sad fact that in the US, 80% of people who use heroin
17:24first misused prescription opioids.
17:29I don't think that I made a conscious decision.
17:32I think it happened very organically where I became very dependent.
17:37I left the job because I couldn't be high all the time and enjoy my high.
17:44And, um, started working in a strip club.
17:48Crikey.
17:49And what were you doing at the strip club?
17:54Uh, stripping.
17:55Oh, I see.
17:56So, right.
17:56You were, you were, I, you were, yeah, you were in front of house.
17:59Sorry.
17:59I was entertaining.
18:00There was a lot of chaos in my life at that point.
18:02Yeah.
18:02Then I discovered Kensington and the open air drug market.
18:07And I was sinking into a state of oblivion and.
18:11Wow.
18:12And I just chased it.
18:15What rescued you?
18:16What saved you?
18:18Well, I went out a second story window and I was in the ICU and I had to get metal
18:22put into my legs to learn to walk again.
18:24And by the time that happened, I realized that I had been sober for 90 days and I just kept
18:30going.
18:32Are you content with where you are now?
18:36I'm proud.
18:39Yeah.
18:40I mean, that's a hell of a turnaround.
18:42Yeah, I think.
18:44I mean, what a, what an extraordinary journey.
18:47A lot of us don't get the opportunity.
18:49Sure.
18:51Sarah did turn her life around.
18:54Eight years ago, she started a charity called Savage Sisters that provides essential support for hundreds of addicts on the
19:01streets of Kensington.
19:04And rehab facilities for those in recovery.
19:07Okay.
19:08Because there are people just comatose.
19:10It takes a little bit of getting used to, doesn't it?
19:13Or perhaps for, for, for those who aren't familiar.
19:16Yeah.
19:18Sarah's taking me into the depths of Kensington.
19:21We're going to meet up with the Savage Sisters outreach truck.
19:25She wants me to meet some people who, like her, have their own story.
19:33On the way, our vehicle, driving slowly, starts to attract attention.
19:42You're going to have to pull over and let him pass because everybody's going to snap.
19:46Yeah, because now they, I think they think you're a cop, so.
19:49Oh, I see.
19:50Right you are.
19:51Okay.
19:52Go.
19:58Now I'm really going to snap.
20:00Why would you throw that at my window?
20:04I'm going to run back there.
20:12Um.
20:15Well, this is, uh, this is where we find ourselves.
20:19The various things have been chucked at our car.
20:22We think that we were police.
20:35I'm in Kensington, Philadelphia, trying to get an understanding of the drugs problem in America.
20:41Our car's just been bottled, and Sarah, my local guide, has gone off to challenge the culprits.
20:50I was quite keen just to drive on at that point.
20:53But, uh, Sarah is cut from a different shop, so she has got out and she's gone to give them
20:58what for.
21:03I'm pretty sure she knows how to handle herself.
21:05She knows what she's doing on these streets.
21:08Quite well, here she comes.
21:09Here she comes.
21:12Well, hop aboard.
21:13Sorry about that.
21:14Don't you worry.
21:14What happened?
21:15Nothing.
21:16Everybody wants to act brand new.
21:17Like, did you do that?
21:18They're like, oh, it looked like the feds?
21:19You do look like a cop, though.
21:21Who, me?
21:21This car.
21:22No, the car.
21:23It's a tinted truck.
21:24So it does look shady, but it's me, bro.
21:27Like, don't do that.
21:28Yeah.
21:28So anyway.
21:29They all, when they see you, they all feel a little bit...
21:32They weren't going to come out and give you any trouble.
21:34I mean, I serve the community.
21:37Yeah.
21:37If you want to get smart, get smart to my face.
21:39Don't throw a bottle at the car like you're a tough guy.
21:42No, no, no, no.
21:42Get tough to my face.
21:44So this is a kind of tough love, then, that we get from Savage Sister.
21:48It's exactly what it says on the tin, as they say.
21:50No, that is not how we serve our friends.
21:53Our friends do not do that.
21:55Right.
21:55That is...
21:57That's the Philly special for you.
22:00The mean streets of Philly are certainly delivering,
22:03and I'm extremely glad I'm with Sarah.
22:08She's an astonishing character.
22:10To have escaped such a horrific situation,
22:12she's now showing incredible courage by helping others.
22:16As we're about to see when we arrive at the Savage Sister's truck.
22:24There's a camera with us, just so you know.
22:29So, like, if you want to cover your face,
22:31go ahead and cover your face.
22:31They're just doing what Savage does out here in Kensington.
22:35Vito!
22:36We got a big star up in here.
22:40Get him a good side.
22:41Get his good side.
22:43This is your good side.
22:46How are you doing?
22:47I'm good.
22:48How are you doing?
22:48Nice to meet you. I'm Alexander.
22:50And you get help from these guys, Savage Sisters.
22:52Yes, I did.
22:58Over the past 20 years,
23:00America's opioid epidemic has claimed more than 900,000 lives.
23:09I mean, a lot of countries have drug problems.
23:12It's probably fairly universal.
23:14But I think the...
23:17I don't know, the openness and the scale of the problem here
23:21is...
23:23..is really striking.
23:25And it's, boy, it's just so sad.
23:28The latest drug to hit the streets of Kensington is called Trank,
23:32a lethal concoction of xylothene,
23:35a strong veterinary sedative mixed with fentanyl.
23:38It's cheap and extremely addictive.
23:44We're doing, um, outreach for our friends,
23:47giving out harm reduction supplies,
23:49snacks, water, wound care kits.
23:53Yeah.
23:53And checking in on them,
23:54seeing if they need any kind of support.
23:57Hanging out with them.
23:58It's nice to have that interaction
23:59that they don't have to do anything.
24:01They just show up and they get love.
24:04I feel a little embarrassed about my reluctance to come here.
24:07These are all individuals,
24:09each with their own stories.
24:11How are you doing?
24:12Nice to have you.
24:12I've been kicked out of the showstop.
24:13I'm a big rapper.
24:14I'm so keen.
24:16I mean, and it hurt me to see how people
24:17are going through what they're going through
24:18because I've been through it.
24:19I've been through the abscesses with the leads.
24:21I've been through the walk in this street.
24:22I've been through all of it.
24:23And it hurt.
24:25How do you wake up one day and say,
24:26I want to get out with drugs?
24:28I mean, you understand.
24:29Talk to a person, you don't know what they're going through.
24:30When my sister died, I went down there crazy
24:33to start getting high.
24:35You know what I'm saying?
24:35It can happen to anybody.
24:36We're still in your genes.
24:37We're still people.
24:38And I want everybody to stop judging people.
24:40Darren, help us.
24:42Help one another.
24:43You sit around the ground, don't record them.
24:44Pick them up.
24:45Am I right, y'all?
24:46Yeah.
24:46Savages come here every day.
24:48They always go.
24:49You love them.
24:49You know what I mean?
24:50Because at the end of the day,
24:50they don't turn their back.
24:51They make sure people eat.
24:53They give people clothes.
24:54They give you a conversation.
24:55All that.
24:56And we need that.
24:57What's your name?
24:59Alexander.
25:00Alexander.
25:00Alexander.
25:00Alexander.
25:01Alexander.
25:02Alexander.
25:02Alexander.
25:05Great.
25:05Good luck.
25:08what an extraordinary eye-opener tragedy of it i mean that's the hard thing you do see the
25:15extraordinary power of what sarah delivers here by coming here to the streets as you see is actually
25:21she provides really really important human contact for the people here and it's interesting how they
25:27come alive when they when she and she comes to them they see her you know and your eyes are
25:33opened to some real some real characters philadelphia is a multifaceted city it isn't just wrestling with
25:56today's problems it's also helping to shape future generations now rowing isn't a thing you would
26:07necessarily associate with philadelphia but that is where i am going right now i'm going to join the
26:13crescent boat club which was founded in the 1870s on the schuylkill river
26:21the beautiful boathouse row is regarded as a symbol of civic pride and it turns out philly is
26:29actually one of american rowing's spiritual homes
26:43hiya this is fun keep talking no alan you're all rowers yes oh that's a firm answer yeah look at
26:52everyone here rose tell me about philadelphia what do i need to know is it is it a great place
26:57yes of course you're going to say best place in america now tell me what what tell me what's
27:03brilliant about philadelphia well it's just such a beautiful mesh of cultures and history there's
27:08art there's music it's a wonderful social scene an incredible place and it's beautiful this time
27:12of year especially what's the great appeal of rowing why why rowing nothing compares to like waking up
27:17early and like going out and the river's like completely flat and you get to watch the sunrise
27:22i think it's about being on the water going out on a boat that you don't really get that many
27:26opportunities doing that
27:32now it has been a while i'll admit but i used to row quite a bit when i was at
27:37school
27:38no don't want to blow my own trumpet but uh it wasn't too shabby yeah come on lads
27:47my old club captain used to say that rowing requires an unusual combination of skills
27:56endurance teamwork precision and resilience there's no hiding in a boat
28:04it's all coming back to me it's like um it's like all those things isn't it it's like riding a
28:08bike
28:11not only are these girls talented rowers who will almost certainly put me to shame
28:16they're also part of america's future workforce
28:19among them are aspiring doctors neuroscientists physicists and engineers
28:30spending time with them it's not hard to see why america continues to be a world leader
28:35in science and innovation
28:50oh come on look at this i've still got it
28:57but the cox is suddenly upping the pace
29:14come on armstrong hold it together
29:42that was really lovely 40 years since i've been in a boat and actually there are some things
29:48that suddenly they came back to me little things like the movement of the boat and the the
29:53discipline of the catch as we call it when when they all goes in and just waiting and that lovely
29:59little hiatus when it all comes together the other thing i remembered of course is blisters
30:05that's a big part of the of the rower's life i i think it was pretty good i think we
30:11we got some
30:12good speed out there i mean he seemed to be like a bit confused at first but i mean it
30:16picked up real
30:16class and he saved all classes so yeah he was able to keep up so that was good
30:24oh yes it'll be that way
30:34next we're off to rural pennsylvania one of the most secretive and misunderstood parts of america
30:54i feel like i've already seen a lot of modern america in philadelphia but now i'm heading out
31:01into rural pennsylvania to experience another side of the state
31:07the susquehanna is one of the largest rivers in the east and for millennia it shaped this region
31:14first used by native american tribes and trappers then riverboats to transport anthracite coal before
31:21railways followed its natural route north and south today more than 200 bridges span the river
31:30and i'm following its banks to visit the site of one of america's most shocking episodes
31:56this is three mile island and the inspiration i suspect behind homer simpson's workplace but it's
32:03infamous for a nuclear disaster that very nearly happened here in 1979 at 4am on march the 28th
32:12a combination of mechanical failure and human error caused unit 2 reactor to overheat
32:20pregnant women and pre-cooled age children the lead to the area within a five mile radius coolant leaked away
32:29and part of the reactor core began to melt this triggered panic and led to thousands of people
32:36being evacuated from the area we were talking about an accident that would result in the death of tens of
32:42thousands of people would cause hundreds of thousands of cancers all this happened at a time when nuclear
32:48power was hugely contentious and seen by many as an unnecessary evil the reactor automatically shut down
32:55seconds after the initial problem was detected disaster was averted and the amount of nuclear
33:02contamination released into the atmosphere was relatively small a meticulous cleanup was started
33:09that would take over 10 years to complete but that's not the end of the three mile island story
33:19there were two nuclear reactors here one was decommissioned after that little mishap in 1979
33:24and the other operated on without incident until 2019 but microsoft now in 2026 in conjunction with
33:35constellation energy is recommissioning the nuclear reactor to provide the vast amounts of electrical energy
33:43required for ai and its data centers but it's not just microsoft apple amazon google meta are all now
33:52entering into long-term power purchase agreements ppas in order to guarantee the power that an ai future requires
34:02there used to be oil that shaped us industrial deals now it's electricity locked in long term in
34:10advance by the biggest tech firms on the planet all trying to secure power for an ai future
34:21my next stop is surprisingly well braced for the ai revolution that we are all hurtling towards
34:31i'm now heading into a part of pennsylvania that to me feels almost frozen in aspic in the 16th and
34:3817th
34:39centuries this area drew in europeans who'd all had enough of all the religious wars and persecution of their
34:46homelands and for them the new world represented a clean staff and they came in their droves from
34:52the rhine valley from parts of switzerland and germany and their descendants are still here and i think
34:59their culture endures in part because they have kept themselves at a distance from the rest of america
35:07over 300 000 people identify as pennsylvania dutch the best known groups among them are the amish
35:16and the mennonites famous for their strict religious beliefs and rejection of many aspects of modern life
35:23most pennsylvania dutch families however are less extreme
35:33erica and pete gustafson hello invited me into their home to show me a little of how they choose
35:39to live this is my husband how do you do nice to meet you excellent my family hello freya how
35:45do you
35:45do hi i'm adelaide adelaide how do you do and tilly and tilly well please come through thank you very
35:51much i follow you you need on what sort of age is this house uh the main part we're standing
35:56in now
35:56is built uh 1790 1794. please come and sit down i'm gonna bring this priority this is part of my
36:03heritage shoe fly pie what goes what goes into a shoe fly pie mostly molasses and then the top is
36:10flour
36:11and sugar and despite the amount of lard in it we consider molasses to be a tonic so you can
36:19feel good
36:20about eating it as well as making delicious pies the family grow much of their own food limit their
36:27reliance on technology and to preserve their language they all sing together in a folk band
36:32called the shoe flies like the pie we so we sing in this dialect that is from our culture so
36:40we've
36:40had this language since the late 17th century and when you say dutch you mean this is deutsch isn't
36:46this is a sort of yeah it is a type of german yeah yeah it is deutsch rather than netherlandish
36:51yes exactly we haven't lost an identity we've still remained who we are while we're still all
36:57americans as well i'm very proud to be so um we do as a family have some some choices that
37:04we've made
37:05regarding technology we don't have a television maybe you notice none of us have a smartphone so we
37:11don't use iphones or anything like that including the children or tablets why your children are so
37:18nice yeah perfect they have to because they participate concerns about dopamine addiction
37:25shrinking attention spans and loneliness are leading many of us to rethink our growing dependence on
37:31technology i think we may all have something to learn from the gustavsons growing up not being
37:38accustomed to using you know ai or a lot of technology to get by we can focus on the the
37:45you know human things that we do that bring us satisfaction and joy it frees you up for a lot
37:51of
37:51other i personally think more valuable things so we make music together and you make music together
37:56i imagine this table you sit around this table and you eat and chat long into the night with flickering
38:02candles he's got his peg yeah i know i know you've been here haven't you i'm picturing how lovely it
38:09would be we would love if you would sing with us i should be with the shoe flies with the
38:16shoe flies
38:17that'd be great i think you would be a great addition i've heard you have a beautiful voice
38:22well thank you very much indeed so tell me how are you with german i mean listen i've sung quite
38:26a lot of
38:27bach okay within the dutch traditions about songs about the farm you got songs about church you got
38:34songs about absolute silliness and then you have songs that follow the days of the week in order
38:38to keep the household in order you did this on this day this on this day this on this day
38:42and then you
38:42repeat again courting on saturday courting on saturday and of course you're going to church on sunday
38:47so that's not a chore so neither is courting if you're doing it right exactly so we thought if you
38:55were up for it you could grab the fry dog okay
39:17no is
39:25so
39:38the shoe flies and i are off to a pennsylvania dutch gig in the depths of the country
40:03we're going to invite xander come up with us sing this one with us
40:08he's our guy our guy fry dog yeah man friday yes there we are thank you very much thank you
40:16we gave him
40:16a crash course in pennsylvania dutch today it was all of i don't know five minutes yeah it's gonna be
40:21great great all right all right it's fine uh okay marvelous good luck
40:30all right
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41:56and it's morgan preserving the stories of those who risked everything in the pursuit of freedom
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