Greatest Cities of the World

Griff starts his search for the greatest cities in the Big Apple. Some grand public - and private initiative buildings illustrate the city and its (especially super-rich) citizens' typical ambition, often bordering on or becoming megalomania.

Exploring a day-in-the-life of New York, London, Paris, Rome, Sydney and Hong Kong - Griff Rhys Jones paints a landmark portrait of each metropolis revealing what gives each city its unique identity. Armed with his trademark humour and relentless curiosity, Griff tracks down the individuals who epitomise the character of each city, and celebrates the infinite variety of life in these great cities.

Griff is in the French capital, object of great chauvinistic pride and vanity. Although resulting in a mind-boggling traffic mayhem, its street grid largely results from some ambitious planning.

The eternal city is more than 2,500 years old and Griff has just 24 hours to discover how Rome's inhabitants live in the world's biggest museum.

Griff visits Sydney, not the capital but the dominating metropolis of Australia, and its first city since that nation's foundation from a fabulous natural harbor as British penal colony, named after its first governor.

Hong Kong, one the world's best natural ports, became one of its busiest and richest cities after the infamous colonial Opium War lead to its 99 years concession by the British, and remains so in the 50 years transition after the Chinese take-over.