Griff's Great American South

Griff Rhys Jones explores the southern states of the USA. In this first episode, Griff heads to Tennessee, where complex dam systems constructed in the 1930s created a hydropower system the envy of the world - but also helped to forge the atomic bomb. He then moves on to Nashville, and a chance meeting with the line dance world champion.

Griff Rhys Jones visits Georgia, exploring the legacy of the racial and political histories that have shaped Atlanta, a city that sought to redefine itself after the Civil War, and in the 20th century, was the setting for Martin Luther King Jr's civil rights campaigns and Muhammad Ali's 1970 comeback fight. Griff then continues his journey up into the Appalachian Mountains, meeting and performing with pioneers of Bluegrass music.

Griff Rhys Jones explores Alabama, the US state that Americans least want to visit, but which has seen a rise in hi-tech organisations setting up business there in recent years. He visits Birmingham, an industrial city inspired by the revolution in England, which lies in the middle of Tornado Alley and is prone to hurricanes too.

Griff Rhys Jones explores the history of Memphis, discovering the story behind Elvis Presley's big break as well as many of the other stars that made their name there, including Jerry Lee Lewis, Muddy Waters, Johnny Cash, BB King, Al Green, Otis Redding and Robert Johnson. He also visits the Peabody Hotel for the famous duck parade.

Griff Rhys Jones' penultimate pitstop is New Orleans, Louisiana, where the mighty Mississippi flows into the Gulf of Mexico from this delta territory, and where tourists can experience unique cuisine and soak up the musical streets where jazz music was born.

Griff Rhys Jones checks in to Charleston, South Carolina, which has a controversial history but also demonstrates the absolute southern charm. He visits the fort that saw the first fighting of the American Civil War, and discovers how everything that makes Charleston the great city it is today was underpinned by change brought about by the emancipation of enslaved people.