The Mighty Mississippi with Nick Knowles

In the first episode, Nick travels from Minneapolis in Minnesota to St Louis, Missouri. Kicking off with a helicopter ride along the northernmost stretch of the river, Nick eats at a trailblazing restaurant in Minneapolis. The brainchild of Oglala Lakota chef Sean Sherman, it showcases Native American dishes, and uses only authentic ingredients such as white cedar, huckleberries and elk. The results are delicious. Nick heads south along the Great River Road, which follows the length of the Mississippi. A motorbike gang's offer to swap his pick-up for a Harley-Davidson proves irresistible, but Nick wonders if he's stumbled into an outlaw motorcycle gang. Happily, they turn out to be an ‘in law' gang – they all work in the legal profession. The Mississippi River was the birthplace of water skiing, so Nick teams up with a water-ski display team to have a go, with comedic results, before the professionals show him their amazing formation stunts. At Lake Pepin, Nick joins efforts to conserve the American paddlefish, a species that's older than the dinosaurs. Acting as anaesthetist to a 40-pound whopper while it's fitted with a tracking device is a novelty. Continuing along the Great River Road into Missouri, Nick reaches Hannibal, the birthplace of Samuel Clemens, the author we know as Mark Twain, famed for his novels about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. A museum in Hannibal also gives Nick a sobering insight into real lives of enslaved people along the Mississippi. In St Louis, Nick prepares to spectate at a Major League Baseball game, but the St Louis Cardinals have a surprise for him. Following in the footsteps of Presidents Barack Obama and George W Bush, he's invited to throw a ceremonial first pitch. In a 46,000-seater stadium, it's a nerve-wracking introduction to the sport!

Nick's journey along one of the natural wonders of the world continues as he travels along the length of the Mississippi River. In Memphis, he can't believe his luck when, as a lifelong Elvis fan, he gets the opportunity to record a song in the very studios where the King of Rock and Roll began his legendary career, and recorded his first hit, before heading to the outfitters responsible for some of Elvis' most memorable styles. At the Peabody Hotel in Memphis Nick finds himself chaperoning the hotel's five resident ducks along a red carpet, as Nick takes on the curious ceremonial role of ‘Duck Master.' Further south, Nick joins people dedicating their lives to the service of their ‘Queen', the Mississippi River itself. Paddling the river in traditional canoes, Nick learns why it's essential to protect the river, which is home to huge numbers of fish and bird life, before enjoying a picnic on a sandy bluff midriver, where they feast on catfish and corn on the cob. In Jackson, Nick uncovers some shocking truths about the Civil Rights Movement, and visits the home of Medgar Evers, one of the most prominent Civil Rights activists, who he learns, was tragically assassinated outside his house. The wetlands of Louisiana are being eroded at an alarming rate, Nick braves the ‘gators' and the sweltering heat to head out into the swamp to plant grasses as part of a shoreline restoration project. In the ‘Big Easy,' New Orleans, Nick is inspired by the awesome scale of the Lake Borgne surge barrier, built to protect the city following the disastrous Hurricane Katrina. As the sun sets, Nick brings his epic journey to a close as he sails down the Mississippi on a traditional paddleboat.