travel

Last month’s Travels Of A Lifetime saw Sir Michael tell the personal side of his travel stories and discuss the making of his most iconic shows, including Around The World In 80 Days and Pole To Pole.

In this new special, Palin will revisit his journey of discovery in the Himalayas.

In Himalaya, Michael tested himself against the mountains that have long represented one of the ultimate challenges of exploration, passing through India, Pakistan, the Tibetan Plateau and Bhutan.

As one of the nation's favourite destinations, Cornwall with Simon Reeve will see the presenter explore the county as it emerges from lockdown and investigate its future.

Reeve said: “Events this year have knocked us all for six, and travelling the planet has become a bit tricky. So in these two series we thought it was a good time for me to look back, and also have a look at life closer to home."

The 12-part series, produced by Whizz Kid Entertainment, features one famous face per episode in which they bring their favourite starter, main and dessert, plus the menu they would want for their last meal on earth.

Once Richman has tucked into their choices, he finds out why the dishes are so important to his guest, before going to find the best ingredients to transform their favourite dish into their ultimate last supper.

The second series has been extended by two weeks and will now air for eight weeks, with contestants competing to get from Mexico City to the most southerly city in the world, Ushuaia in Argentina.

Like series one – where contestants travelled from London to Singapore – they will need to travel thousands of miles without taking any flights or using a smartphone and with a limited set amount of money.  

The 10 travellers will work in pairs to navigate across 16 countries via horse, foot, boat and bus to reach the finish line.

The challenging journey will take place over two series exploring the diverse landscape of the two continents that make up a quarter of the Earth’s land space.

Reeve will start in the icy mountains of Alaska and journey down to the hot plains of Argentina.

The first five-part series follows Reeve as he travels from Alaska down to Costa Rica, with the second series – set to be filmed next year –set to showcase his travels through South America.

During his journey, Reeve delves into areas of the Americas few outsiders, or even locals, get to experience.

After exploring over 40 cities across nine series, Richard Ayoade (The Crystal Maze) will pass the baton to Joe Lycett as presenter of Travel Man: 48 hours in... next year.

The series sees Ayoade explore some of the world’s most popular holiday destinations for 48 hours, each journey with a different famous companion to join him on his trip.

The pair were friends, and worked together on Herzog’s film Cobra Verde, which was adapted from Chatwin’s book The Viceroy of Ouidah.

“We were kindred spirits - he as a writer, I as a filmmaker,” said Herzog of their friendship. “Bruce Chatwin was a writer like no other. He crafted mythical tales into voyages of the mind.”

When Chatwin was dying, he gave Herzog the rucksack he’d taken on his travels around the world.

The duo’s warm and funny relationship is once again dissected for the third season of their travelling adventures.

Following the success of the pair’s USA Road Trip, the new 6-part season will see mother and son discover a world of Samurais in Japan, advanced technology in South Korea, and an island paradise in Thailand.

Their journey continues with a visit to a 5-star acting academy in Mumbai to learn what it takes to make it in Bollywood. The pair also attempt folkoric water puppetry in Vietnam and care for rescue elephants in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand.

Morecambe & Wise in America 

Gold, 8.00pm

Jonathan Ross hosts new documentary Morecambe & Wise in America, which will focus on the comedy double act’s attempt to break America.

Palin travelled over 1300 miles through the secretive country, at a historic moment for the region.

The presenter and his crew were in the country during the momentous meeting of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and South Korean president Moon Jae-In, and captured the reactions of ordinary citizens.

“The visit was an eye-opener for me, and I'm sure it will be the same for others,” said Palin, who returned from his trip earlier this month. “In all my travels around the world I have never had the same sense of fascination and revelation as on this journey to North Korea.”