A deep love steers Tim & Pru journey
Couple barge dementia fears in 150-mile Nile adventure..
travelled on 2,000 years ago. As they navigate from Luxor to Aswan they discover how travel along the Nile was vital to ancient Egyptian civilisation, and how the first canals were built to carry building materials for Karnak. There are lots of stops along the way, with time to visit a Nubian village and buy aphrodisiacs at a souk.
West End legend West, who played Mick Carter’s dad in Eastenders, said his wife’s deteriorating mental health made them think hard about the project.
He revealed: “It has slowed us down, but not so it closes up opportunities.
“We both love doing the programme and it’s important for her to have things that fascinate her that she likes doing, otherwise she would slow up. That’s the inevitable thing about that kind of dementia. You could just settle down and watch daytime television and go to sleep.
“She loves meeting people, seeing places, going back – perhaps in her mind – to things that she remembers about her life.” The couple’s fascination with canals started 50 years ago when a friend offered them the use of a narrow boat for a two-week holiday.
Now the couple can be seen dancing by moonlight and reading excerpts from the Hercule Poirot mystery Death On The Nile.
And while Timothy has misgivings about such a trip, he’s won over by Pru’s desire for fresh adventure.
Great Canal Journeys is on Channel 4 tonight at 8pm.