Joanna Lumley

JOANNA LUMLEY’S UNSEEN ADVENTURES

NEW TUESDAY / ITV / 9PM / EP 1 of 3 / TRAVELOGUE

dventurous and knowledgeable with a knack for gaining offthe-beaten-track access, Joanna Lumley has proved to be an absolutely fabulous travel companion.

Over the past decade, her ITV travelogues have seen her journey along the River Nile, try to uncover the truth about Noah’s ark in Turkey, India and Oman, take a trip from Hong Kong to Moscow on the Transsiberian Express, explore the historic Silk Road from Venice to China, as well as visit Greece, Japan, India, and the Caribbean.

Now, in a new three-part series, Joanna Lumley’s Unseen Adventures, we join the muchloved star at home as she shares previously unseen footage from her travels, as well as giving viewers an insight into what goes on behind the scenes.

‘I’ve been lucky enough to visit some incredible places. Travel is my passion. What you eventually see on your screen takes weeks to shoot and months to edit and we didn’t have time to show you everything we filmed. We have kept the unseen stories safe and now I can reveal this treasure trove!’ says Joanna, 74.

Here, she tells TV Times more…

AWhat have you enjoyed about this new series?

It contains extra riches that we weren’t able to show before and it gives glimpses into faraway lands. I think people will think, as Louis Armstrong sang, ‘What a wonderful world.’ I have missed travelling so much. When I looked on the map, I thought, ‘Wow, we have been to all these extraordinary places.’

Which are your favourite moments? One extraordinary one was in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where we watched people firing neutrons at ordinary quartz and turning it into

this fantastic glittering blue topaz. It was like a magician at work – these jewels suddenly appear. I loved that. Another is having tea at The Peninsula hotel in Hong Kong. It’s going to be so touching to see it now, knowing all the troubles of Hong Kong and China. To have a tranquil interlude in that most historic hotel is rather lovely.

What is your favourite location in the series?

When I think of my favourite place, I always come back to Georgia. It’s easy to get to, you don’t need a visa and you can fly direct. There are gorgeous mountains and sea resorts, fascinating ancient churches and the food and the wines are just unbelievable. It makes you sit up in your seat and go, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s delicious.’ Extraordinary things like pine cones soaked in honey and things you have never tasted before.

Which others locations have been special to you?

When we were in Iran, we went to Yazd and saw these extraordinary men training to become fair knights of the realm, practically. They do all their work in secret, they’re incredibly fit and strong and they’re the champions you’d always long for. So if there’s a widow who can’t make ends meet, or children who are hungry or somebody’s got a hole in the roof, these men go around secretly at night and they either leave money or food or fix things.

What behind-the-scenes secrets will we get to see?

Quite often these shows look so effortless, but, of course, it’s not like that. We show some of the complications of getting things done, like me having to interview people via a translator and us rushing and cramming stuff on to trains, things you wouldn’t normally see on screen.

Pilgrimage: With a monk at Japan’s Yakuoji Temple

With lockdown restrictions, what have you missed about travelling? The excitement of the unknown. I think we all have misconceptions in our minds – for example, shamefully I thought that Uzbekistan was a very faraway country with desert streets and humble little stalls.

Then I see this fabulous capital, Tashkent, with first-class opera houses, grand town halls and beautiful boulevards and parks.

Where would you like to travel to when restrictions are fully lifted?

I would like to see more of the United Kingdom. We live in such a fabulous country with such a rich history and mix of people. People think, ‘Let’s get away,’ but going away can be here in England, Wales, the Scottish Highlands or Ireland. All the things we have here, we’re incredibly lucky.