TV Review: The Schoolboy Who Sailed The World

Published on Thursday 5 November 2009 17:58

The Schoolboy Who Sailed The World, Channel 4

THE problem with programmes about headline-grabbing events is that most of us already know the ending. Thus, the latest Cutting Edge documentary, The Schoolboy Who Sailed the World, was robbed of much of its tension, not least because that baldly explanatory title reminded us that Hertfordshire teenager Michael Perham recently became the youngest person to sail around the world solo.

Nevertheless, having prior knowledge of Michael's success didn't detract from his remarkable achievement, and this rain-lashed, windswept programme left us in no doubt that traversing the globe in a yacht is an arduous endeavour. The only thing that troubled me was his father's willingness to allow him to undertake an incredibly dangerous adventure that might result in his death. Dad, a keen amateur sailor, freely admitted to vicariously realising his own unfulfilled ambitions through his – admittedly super-keen – son. Devout Christians, he and his wife reassured themselves that if Michael drowned then at least he would start eternal life anew in Heaven. Unfortunately, that doesn't tend to get you in the record books.

The whole thing initially seemed massively nave and irresponsible. Securing sponsorship for Michael's voyage was difficult since, unsurprisingly, most big companies didn't wish to be associated with the possible death of a teenager. Father and son eventually raised around a fifth of their original budget. Still, at least the local supermarket agreed to pay for his provisions, thus keeping him in Pringles for the duration of his voyage. However, due to ongoing delays, Michael hadn't been able to practice sailing solo prior to leaving. By the time he eventually set sail, he had only managed five days' training. It all seemed terribly ill-advised.

It quickly transpired that Michael would have to abandon his hopes of completing a non-stop voyage, as his faulty autopilot system forced him to make frequent pit-stops. He also faced competition in the shape of an American teenager who was sailing the world solo at exactly the same time. And so the race was on.

This saga contained so many elements from an Oscar-baiting Hollywood movie, it almost beggared belief. Michael even had a pretty girlfriend waiting at home, pining for her absent hero. Something that wasn't in the script, however, was the moment when, after seven and half months apart, she dumped him via satellite.

If he was heartbroken, he didn't show it on camera. Indeed, Michael didn't show much other than startling enthusiasm. Aside from a few hairy moments, which left him understandably shaken, he clearly regarded the whole thing as the adventure of a lifetime. Most of his anguish was reserved for private calls to home, as his long-suffering girlfriend made clear.

In truth, watching Michael rattling around his boat wasn't especially gripping, the only truly affecting moments being those where he revealed his uncertainties. Only then did you get a sense of how vulnerable he was.

The closing scene, however, was fantastic: Michael arriving at Portsmouth dock, greeted by the Royal Navy and cheering onlookers – including his tearful ex-girlfriend – and holding two lit flares triumphantly aloft.

As he disembarked, the girl raced forward and embraced him lovingly. Aww. What's more, Michael beat the American kid. The screenplay rights are probably being negotiated as we speak.