Passage to India

JOANNA LUMLEY’S INDIA | ITV 9PM

There’s a personal angle to Joanna’s latest travelogue – she was born in India, but left when she was just a year old, so she has no personal memories of living there, only those she’s gleaned from her parents.

In this three-part series, she’s heading back to the subcontinent to see the places that her family once called home. Starting out in the city of Madurai, Joanna visits the towering Meenakshi temple and attempts to eat a traditional lunch with her bare hands, with moderate success.

Then it’s on to Hyderabad, home of the Telugu-language Indian film industry referred to as “Tollywood”, where their special effects team transforms Joanna into a goddess. And then she’s off to Kolkata, the birthplace of her great-great grandfather.