Chi-Chi the Panda

Arena

20th March 1992 Season 1 Episode 425

Refused entry to America from China in 1958 because of the embargo on "communist goods", the giant panda Chi-Chi came to London Zoo - a constant object of media attention and public adoration. Eight years later she was sent on a diplomatic mission to Moscow to mate with the Russian panda An-An, though this attempt to start a thaw of the Cold War failed on day one when she hit An-An. Among those recalling this bizarre tale of sex, spies and the media are Desmond Morris, Sir Denis Forman and Edward Heath, who remembers his own brush with pandas when he was prime minister.

View season

Up next

Next Episode

View season

Season 1 · Episode 426

Armistead Maupin Is a Man I Dreamt Up

Tales of the City first appeared in the 70s as a daily column in the San Francisco Chronicle. Armistead Maupin's stories about life in San Francisco as seen through the eyes of a zany cast of characters had such a massive following that he adapted them into a series of six bestselling novels. Tonight's film examines Maupin's varied and controversial career, including his lifelong involvement in gay rights. It also discovers some of the people who provided the inspiration for his characters and visits the city's walkways and backwaters that are the setting for his novels.

Episode details

Details

Talent

Cast & Crew

Recommended