Battling Parkinson’s and armed with nothing but grit, 3,650 pills, and a VW van, 60-year-old former Army colonel Guy Deacon embarks on a harrowing 12-month, 25-country odyssey, from the UK to South Africa.

Army Officer Guy Deacon has Parkinson’s Disease - but instead of letting it define him, he set out on a life-changing journey across Africa in his VW campervan to explore what living with Parkinson’s really means on a continent where the condition is often misunderstood. At 60 years old, and more than a decade into his diagnosis, Guy Deacon CBE embarked on one final adventure: a solo drive from his home in the UK to South Africa. His epic journey would span 18,000 miles, 25 countries, and more than 12 months behind the wheel - confronting five major breakdowns, an emergency evacuation, and relying on 3,650 prescription pills to keep going. It’s an astonishing feat for anyone - let alone a man living alone with Stage 3 Parkinson’s.

With limited use of his hands, impaired spatial awareness, and symptoms that often cause him to appear intoxicated to those unfamiliar with the disease, Guy lived, drove, and slept in his VW Transporter for an entire year. Many nights were spent alone in jungles or remote outposts, sometimes hundreds of miles from the nearest town.  Fewer than a handful of vehicles attempt to drive the length of Africa each year. Some never finish. The obstacles are daunting: illegal checkpoints, bribery, extreme climates, impassable roads, contaminated fuel, and a near-total lack of infrastructure - all made even more perilous by Guy’s condition.

But this was more than a personal dream to drive across the continent. Guy’s mission was to raise awareness of Parkinson’s Disease in Africa, where the condition is often associated with witchcraft or black magic — leading to widespread stigma, abandonment, and isolation of those diagnosed. Throughout the journey, Guy documented his experience in a video diary and was joined periodically by filmmaker Rob Hayward. The resulting footage forms the heart of World’s Toughest Drive: An African Adventure, a one-hour documentary produced by Rob Hayward Films, which aired on Channel 4 at 11pm on Thursday, April 10, 2025 - the eve of World Parkinson’s Day. This powerful and inspiring film is now available for international distribution; buyers interested in bringing the documentary to their audiences should contact Rainmaker Content.