IAN HYLAND on last night’s telly
Wonders Of The Coast Path, ITV ★★★★
Over on ITV last night Sean Fletcher was off to meet a man who has turned bellowing into a fine art.
No, he wasn’t going for a pint with his Good Morning Britain colleague Piers Morgan.
He was on a Welsh hillside, learning how to use a set of traditional bellows in the production of a Bronze Age copper axe head. And if you think I’m being a bit harsh on Piers there, I could point out that even though Sean also went to visit a woman who knows how to handle toads properly, I did not do a line about Piers and Susanna Reid.
It was actually a relief when we finally met the toad lady, Mandy.
When Sean first mentioned
“Talacre Point is home to some of Wales’ rarest inhabitants, but to find them I’m going to have to wait till nightfall” I had some horrible flashbacks to Channel 4’s recent repeat showing of Dogging Tales.
Luckily, the only thing we saw wriggling and writhing by torchlight were some rare natterjack toads.
This was just one of the diversions Sean took as he began his six-part journey around the
Welsh coast.
He is following the official 870-mile Welsh shoreline walkway, which runs from Chester in the north to Chepstow in the south.
Like Christine Lampard’s equally excellent series Wild Ireland, this show is much more interesting when he wanders off the coast path.
At a time when many Brits are debating whether a foreign holiday is actually worth the hassle, this show is also a brilliant advert for the Welsh Tourist Board.
I just hope they’ve ordered plenty of extra ice-cream.
‘‘
The only thing we saw writhing by torchlight were toads