British woman Sandra Gregory Locked up in Thailand - National Geographic channel photo

Video Beat Part 2 - LOCKED UP ABROAD on the NAT GEO CHANNEL

James Loving - National Radio Text Service

Locked Up Abroad features stories of people who have been arrested while traveling abroad, usually for trying to smuggle illegal drugs out of a particular country - THEY'RE BACK!!! AMERICAN IDOL & SIMON COWELL - IT'S ON HBO!!! DON KING "Only In America" - Recommended TV Listings

Thursday July 15, 2010

British woman Sandra Gregory Locked up in Thailand

Thailand is known for many things and all is not good. Our experience was interviewing a man who helps foreigners who get in trouble with Thai laws or are unjustly jailed. The National Geographic program Locked Up Abroad tells one of those stories of a person fueled by greed and the need for money who ran afoul of the law.

Locked Up Abroad is an American broadcast of a British documentary/docudrama television series, titled Banged Up Abroad, that was produced for Channel Five and that premiered in March 2006. Locked Up Abroad is shown in the United States and other parts of the world on the National Geographic Channel.

It features stories of people who have been arrested while traveling abroad, usually for trying to smuggle illegal drugs out of a particular country and have received lengthy prison sentences as a result. Among the stories to have been told is that of British woman Sandra Gregory, who spent several years in the Klong Prem Central Prison after being convicted of trying to smuggle heroin out of Thailand.

When Sandra was 25 she left a happy middle class upbringing in Kent and the modest antiques business she'd set up to go on holiday to Thailand for three months. She fell in love with the country and stayed for two years, teaching English to Thais. When Sandra fell ill she was unable to continue teaching and found herself without any money not even the fare for the flight home.

She then met Robert Locke, who seemed to offer her a way out of her predicament. Robert, a British traveler and heroin addict, offered to pay her $1000 plus a flight to Tokyo if she would smuggle into Japan his personal heroin stash. Sandra was still recovering from dengue fever and desperate to return to England, accepted. She was given 90 grams of heroin by Locke, which she secreted inside herself, and a ticket to Japan. The problem was she was caught.

This episode has yet to air but can be viewed on the National Geographic website:

WATCH EPISODES ONLINE or view the schedule for airing:

www.http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/tv-schedule

Locked Up Abroad (LUA) is now showing a repeat of previously aired programs for Monday through Friday two weeks at 10PM Thailand/Cambodia time or 11PM Singapore/Hong Kong on the National Geographic channel.

THEY'RE BACK!!! AMERICAN IDOL & SIMON COWELL

Just when we thought we were rid of him Simon Cowell and his wild bunch of judges are being televised on the Star World channel with reruns of Season 8 & 9. The good news is we get the chance to see the battle between Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and Danny Gokey which Allen surprisingly won.

From out point of interest is the difference of the behavior of then new judge Kara DioGuardi. In her inaugural season 8 she was more down to earth, natural and likeable. Last season 9 she took on the glam role with a sassy mouth. Season 9 featured new judge Ellen Degeneres who just didn't fit into the critiquing music role. Last season was Idol's worst and the final season for Simon Cowell who announced at the beginning of the season that it would be his last.

These reruns are wrapped in a show titled Idol Chat which has an obnoxious host (our opinion) Lisa who is described as a model/actress. If you suffer for a few minutes of he senseless banter American Idol will come on.

The program airs daily at 5:30 PM Thailand/Cambodia/Vietnam and 6:30 PM Singapore/Hong Kong on Star World

IT'S ON!!! DON KING "Only In America"

Finally HBO is televising a great film about the boxing game titled DON KING "Only In America." It's a story based on the real life story of boxing promoter Don King who promoted some of the greatest boxers of all time Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson and Larry Holmes.

The film was not approved by King as it describes his going to jail for murdering a man. After his release he became a boxing promoter with the assistance of recording star Lloyd Price who was a personal friend of Ali. Prior to King's jail term he worked as a bouncer at a nightclub that Price owned.

Two of King's most memorable promotions was the Rumble in the Jungle featuring Ali against George Foreman as well as a concert featuring music ledged James Brown and the Thrilla In Manila with Ali facing Joe Frazier. That fight is considered by many as the greatest fight of all time.

As King rose to power he stepped on a lot of toes as Price pointed out at the end of the film. Over the years Ali fought for King he was shorted money from his winnings. It got to the point that Ali sued him but while he was in a hospital bed after suffering a battering in a fight King sent a messenger and a notary of republic with an agreement that for $50,000 for Ali to sign to to drop his law suite. Ali signed and today he has Parkinson's disease and can't speak as a result of being battered in the ring in his fights for King.

King continues to live the life of a piranha and promote bouts. This film aptly describes King and what goes on behind the scenes in the world of boxing.

Check your local listings for the time and date of airing in your area.

On a personal note we have interviewed most of the principles in this film including Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ken Norton, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, James Brown and Lloyd Price. This film is SPOT ON

FILM REVIEW - DON KING "Only In America."

Part 1 - LOCKED UP ABROAD on NAT GEO CHANNEL

National Radio text is published in five languages, English, Thai, French, Russian and Khmer (Cambodian language). Any of our foreign language material and our Roman Wanderaugh columns is legally available ONLY on our National Radio site. Our sports, entertainment and feature programming has been broadcast on over 1000 radio stations.

TV SCHEDULE

Note: The shows listed are for the Cambodia/Thailand time zone. Check our chart or your local listings for time in your area.

NOTE TIMES OF THE SAME TELECAST IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES

8:00 PM - TRUE BLOOD - HBO

10:00 PM - LOCKED UP ABROAD - National Geographic

9:00 PM - NARCO STATE - National Geographic

2:00 AM - AMERICAN GREED - CNBC

© Copyright: National Radio. Any use of these materials, whole or in part, is prohibited unless authorized in writing by National Radio. Contact: nationalradio@yahoo.com All rights reserved.