DOCUMENTARY

BBC2, 8pm

Ever resplendent in his trademark bright chinos, dazzling shirts and one of an admirable collection of hats, Michael Portillo is back and this time he’s in India.

He has his trusty 100-year-old Bradshaw’s Handbook, which he peers into at all times.

At one point he does this while on a rickshaw and couldn’t look more like a British tourist if he tried – he just needs a big camera round his neck and a spot of sunburn. Michael is embarking on a rail journey from Amritsar to Shimla, taking in everything from awesome temples and Bhangra dancing to the foothills of the Himalayas. You’ll even see him feeding an elephant and bathing in rose petals.

But heaven has truly been sent for Michael when he has Kurta pyjamas made to measure for him in one of Punjab’s biggest cloth markets. “Bright colours please, don’t bother with the dull ones!” he says. And the tailor doesn’t disappoint.