No more celebrities on tour, says ITV (unless it is Joanna)
SINCE Michael Palin first wandered through exotic locations with a camera crew in tow, the celebrity travel programme has become commonplace in British television.
But the era of travelogues fronted by TV stars may be drawing to a close.
A senior TV executive has suggested that the public has grown tired of “spoilt celebrities getting an allexpenses-paid-trip” in the name of entertainment.
Sue Murphy, ITV’s head of factual entertainment, says that instead she wants to see factual documentaries with more “purpose” to them, rather than being used as a celebrity vehicle.
But she did reassure viewers that at least one popular star will escape the cull – Joanna Lumley.
In a damning criticism of current trends, Ms Murphy told the Broadcast Commissioning Forum that the travelogue genre had become too much of a “cliche”. She said: “We need a broader range of wellknown faces; people from the real world that you think you might know – and I want to push them beyond their comfort zone.
“The travelogue has become a bit of a cliché on ITV and we are a bit bored with spoilt celebrities getting an allexpenses-paid-trip.”
Travel programmes fronted by celebrities in recent years have included Billy Connolly’s trip across America, Griff Rhys Jones travelling by train through Africa and Sue Perkins exploring the Mekong River.
Instead she praised programmes such as the BBC’s – which saw the likes of Bill Oddie, Jan Leeming and Wayne Sleep packed off to experience retirement in India – and – the ITV series in which celebrities such as Joe Pasquale and Ann Widdecombe try to cope with a sugar free diet.
She pointed to the success of and which allowed the audience to “go to scary places, but from the comfort of their sofa” in the company of the two presenters. Ms emphasised Murphy there will Clockwise from main: the seemingly untouchable Joanna Lumley; Sue Perkins up the Mekong River; Griff Rhys Jones on a train; Billy Connolly with his banjo in the US still be room for celebrity presenters, such as Lumley, as long as they can bring an authentic personal experience or insight to the show.
“Joanna, Billy Connolly and Trevor [McDonald] can do whatever they like and we’ll all follow them – and love them. The last Joanna series did brilliantly well.”
As well as commissioning Lumley to present a new documentary series following the recent success of her Japan travelogue, ITV has also lined up the actor Robson Green to present a new survival programme.
Inspired by the story of Robinson Crusoe fending for himself on a desert island, will see Green attempt to survive by his own wits on a similar remote island.
One celebrity series which never took off was ITV2’s 2014 travelogue which was dropped after one series.
The six-part show featured the Olympic diver backpacking around Australia, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Morocco with his best friend, Sophie Lee.
During the “gap-year”-style adventure they went bungee jumping, visited the markets of Marrakesh and ate a meal of animal brains.