Kate Humble: Living With Nomads (BBC2) doesn’t start well. For Kate. The nomads, the Raute people of Nepal, don’t want to have anything to do with her. She’s looking for meaningful interaction, genuine connection, all that. They just want her money. “I’m being seen a little bit like a human ATM,” she says, sadly. Cashpoint Kate, as she’s known, in Nepal.
She tries the usual tricks: a lot of namastes, with the correct namaste praying gesture; offers to help with the putting up of tents, carrying of loads, collecting wood, empathetic looks that say “I feel your pain,” etc. But no, the Raute aren’t interested, unless it involves her handing over a load of cash. I’m actually beginning to feel sorry for her. Oi, Raute people, a bit of respect for our Kate, please, she did Lambing Live, don’t you know? At one point she resorts to sarcasm, and that’s not like her. “Excellent, it’s all going very, very well,” she says.
In the end she wins them round, by singing Old MacDonald Had a Farm. There’s nothing like a repeated animal noise here and a repeated animal noise there to smooth over any misunderstandings, cultural differences, mistrust, etc. Perhaps it could be used more in delicate international peace negotiation. Ee-eye ee-eye oh.
The Raute don’t quite take Kate in as one of her own, but after Old MacDonald they do at least eventually talk to her, and let her lead a goat and carry some firewood, and take the carved wooden bowls to market with the boys. And a lady called Tulsi has a squeeze of Kate’s breasts – a Humble fumble – and declares them very small. Charming.
Finally, there are tears, of course – from Kate – about the plight of Raute, which, given the way they were with her at the start, is generous. I thought there was going to be embarrassing dancing, too. Well, there is dancing, but Kate doesn’t join in. Things might have improved, but not to point of dancing. Or even saying goodbye. “They don’t seem to be the sort of people you say goodbye to,” Kate says, before slipping away. I hope it goes better next week, and Kate gets a warmer reception, from the reindeer herders in Siberia.
