Saudi Arabia is like no other place on earth.
It follows an extreme interpretation of Islam
that many think has fed the ideology of jihadist
groups such as Islamic State.
The Al Saud rulers gave their name to the country
and rule as absolute monarchs.
Punishments can be extreme including death by the sword.
And there are harsh curbs on women.
They must cover up in public
and gender segregation is common.
Even McDonald's has a separate eating area for single men.
But a revolution has begun.
It's led not by people on the streets but by the king's son,
the powerful young crown prince Mohammad Bin Salman.
He's promoting a more moderate form of Islam.
He recently lifted the ban on women driving.
Cinemas have opened for the first time in decades
and to celebrate the end of Eid, there was even
a music festival in Riyadh.
So this place this evening is pretty powerful evidence
that Saudi Arabian society really is changing fast.
Men and women are mingling freely,
a concert's about to start.
Frankly it seems like a pretty ordinary evening
at a kind of Western fun fair.
When I was here two and a half years ago in Saudi Arabia,
concerts were forbidden, there were no cinemas,
and there were certainly no women driving.
I'm going on a road trip to find out what a more
moderate Saudi Arabia would mean for the rest of the world.
I remember very well when I got my driver's license.
I was 17 almost 18.
Being able to borrow my parents' car really
did give a sense of freedom.
I can just imagine what it must be like for Saudi women
who are driving for the first time.
Saudi women are well educated.
They account for 60% of university graduates.
But strict social conventions limit their prospects.
Only 20% of women work compared with 80% of Saudi men.
This is Noor Shabib, she was the first Saudi woman to work
as an engineer in oil drilling.
Today she is driving in Riyadh for the first time.
This is so surreal.
I have a terrible sense of direction.
I'm gonna be very dependent on Google.
I know I'm very excited.
In a country with limited public transport,
and a very hot climate, cars are necessities.
Before the ban was lifted, Noor had to employ
a driver to take her to work.
But many Saudi women cannot afford that luxury.
For people who couldn't afford drivers,
presumably that means that they can now work
in a way that working was much harder before.
Being able to drive and having the choice to do so
will develop women to be more responsible
and mature and therefore more ready
and attractive to employers to hire.
So for me, Saudi Arabia's always been somewhat
paradoxical in that it is full of extraordinarily well
educated women and yet it has one of the lowest
rates of female labor participation in the world.
That suggests there's huge untapped
potential in this country.
We'll get there but I think that the message
across the board has been very positive, has been very
encouraging, has been very empowering, and so I think
it's just the first step on an excellent path.
One reason for the crown prince's social reforms
is economic necessity.
For decades, Saudi Arabia has been an oil rich country
who's people have essentially lived off
the fat of oil revenues.
More than 80% of government revenue comes from oil
and if you look forward a few years,
that's just simply not sustainable.
Oil prices are volatile and the government
can no longer afford its wasteful system of easy public
sector jobs, mostly reserved for men,
and generous benefits and subsidies.
One solution is to get more women into work
and that means easing social restrictions on them.
But there is a worrying dark side.
There really has been genuine social reform in this country
but this change is very top down.
It's driven by the crown prince, it's driven by
the royal family, but the sad irony is that even
as this modernization drive is taking place,
he has become even more autocratic and frankly
the place has become more repressive.
Several of the women who have been campaigning
for greater rights for women were
recently arrested and locked up.
We tried for this film to talk to on camera
several people who have been in the past critical
of the regime and no one anted to talk to us.
Arrests and death sentences have risen
sharply under prince Mohammad.
Over 60 executions have been carried out this year alone.
Yet the prince seems popular.
Especially among the young in a country
where 70% are under 30.
But will that last?
So, we're looking at a young generation
who has come back mostly from scholarships abroad,
new ideas, fresh ideas, and with an understanding
of something that they've learned abroad culturally
that they would like to see implemented here.
Hoda Al-Helaissi was one of the first women
to join the Shura Council which advises the government.
What's the most likely thing that could go wrong?
Frankly speaking, I think that if the aspirations
of this younger generation who have all their hopes
in what we will consider to be a great leader,
if their aspirations are not answered,
and if they are impatient, that could backlash.
That's my worry.
The world has every interest in the success
of the crown prince's reforms.
If he can show that Saudis can be modern, productive,
and good Muslims, it will help spread stability
in the region and more moderate Islam across the globe.
But Prince Mohammad is making enemies.
Religious puritans don't approve of his social reforms
and some princes resent his power grab.
Rumors of coups swirl around Riyadh.
That might explain the greater political repression.
And yet democratic reforms could help.
They would allow the prince to use his new popularity
with the young and women to create a new support base.
So far, though, there's no sign that
he will ever go that far.