The Walk Around the World

National Geographic Channel (NGC) is embarking on an expedition nearly two decades in the making in The Walk Around the World, a one-hour special, premiering Friday, May 15, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, that follows former British paratrooper Karl Bushby (@bushby3000) on a remarkable journey from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., as part of an epic, record-setting feat — a 15-year, 36,000-mile walk around the world. “Most people told him it couldn’t be done. Sixteen years and 20,000 miles in, this American odyssey is yet another example of his determination to achieve the impossible.” Executive produced by Westward Productions founders Beau Willimon (writer and producer of acclaimed Netflix series “House of Cards”) and Jordan Tappis (director, producer and founder of Record Collection Music), The Walk Around the World treks along with Bushby on his journey of triumph and despair, armed with nothing but a pack of supplies, a handful of cameras and a trolley he calls “The Beast.” The result is an extraordinary story of dedication, perseverance and sacrifice, demonstrating the lengths to which one man is willing to go to achieve his dream. Bushby’s 3,600-mile walk across the United States is only one chapter in his extraordinary story. Fifteen years ago, with only $300 to his name, Bushby set out on a challenge to complete the longest continuous walk in human history. Planning to return to his home in Britain on foot, he left the southern tip of South America and walked up through Central America, North America and into Russia, successfully completing the first documented on-foot crossing of the Bering Strait from Alaska to Russia. After trekking nearly 2,000 miles into the grueling Siberian tundra, the Russian government slapped Bushby with a five-year visa ban, halting the expedition to which he had already dedicated a third of his life. Now, this modern-day adventurer has set out on a mission to the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., with his visa application in hand, in hopes of overturning the ban and continuing what he started. Bushby’s journey across America is a goodwill effort to show the Russian government just how committed he is to completing his dream of traversing the globe on foot. His entire life’s work hangs in the balance. “I’ve dedicated my life to this expedition,” says Bushby. “The plan for this goodwill mission across America began almost immediately following the Russian visa ban. Nothing will stop me from achieving my dream.” “The epic nature of Karl’s expedition would be difficult to overstate,” says Tappis. “Most people told him it couldn’t be done. Sixteen years and 20,000 miles in, this American odyssey is yet another example of his determination to achieve the impossible.” “I’m naturally drawn to stories of courage and perseverance, and I’ve met very few people in my life who embody those two qualities like Karl Bushby,” adds Willimon. Bushby shot nearly all of the footage for the special himself, using a variety of specialized cameras mounted to his pushcart. The story is told through Bushby’s own voice, drawn from daily video diaries and sit-downs with the camera, lending a gritty and authentic perspective to a tale that has to be seen to be believed.