Of all the places in the world where Michael Palin could have celebrated his 75th birthday, this must be the most unlikely. The intrepid explorer – now as famous for his round-the-world jaunts as his Monty Python exploits – has been to far-flung places, granted. 

But putting up the birthday bunting in North Korea – a country thought so elusive it's the so-called Hermit Kingdom of the world? Impossible, surely?

North Korea is a closed nation – there are no phone lines connecting it to the wider world, there's no internet, no travel outside its borders for citizens. The press and broadcasters are under state control, radio and TV sets are pre-tuned to government stations – life is strictly regulated by the dictatorial regime.