Star trek for the faithful

INVENT a TV show in which an assortment of famous people come together to face a challenge of some kind and you’re pretty much obliged to stick “Celebrity” in its title. It’s just the way television likes to do things.

To be honest, I’m fine with that. “Celebrity” here is a handy bit of shorthand, letting us viewers know what to expect.

Celebrity Mastermind, Celebrity MasterChef, I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here. They’re effectively telling us: “You’ll probably have heard of at least a couple of the people we’ve signed up for this thing, although we doubt you’ll know the one we found on YouTube, who we only really included so it looks like we’re down with the kids...”

But now and again you come across a show where, regardless of the fact that it’s thrown together yet another ragtag celeb ensemble, “celebrity” is a word that would here feel a bit too tacky to deploy.

One such example is PILGRIMAGE: THE ROAD TO THE SCOTTISH ISLES, which starts tonight at 9pm on BBC2 (or at 8.15pm tomorrow inWales).

As with the first two Pilgrimage series, it makes a point of referring to its participants simply as “well known personalities”.

And while that’s not a label I’d imagine will catch on elsewhere (“I’m A Well Known Personality... Get Me Out Of Here!”), its calm, measured, low-key non-shriekiness seems entirely fitting here.

As is customary, the seven taking part in this latest series, each of whom has a different faith, belief or lack thereof, will be undertaking a gruelling 15-day journey, in this case in the footsteps of 16th century monk St Columba, an experience from which they’re sure to emerge with a greater understanding of their own spirituality, plus blisters from hell.

More importantly, they’ll also emerge with a greater understanding of, and respect for, the way others are guided by their own faith.

That’s got to be a good thing, hasn’t it? A little more tolerance is something we should all strive to show.

Yes, it flipping is, don’t argue. The people taking part, who’ll be covering 1,600km (or, if you prefer things in miles, trudging a blooming long way), are former England cricketer Monty Panesar, who’s a Sikh; Alan Sugar’s former Apprentice adviser Nick Hewer, who’s an agnostic; actor Louisa Clein, who’s Jewish and stand-up comedian and actor Shazia Mirza, who’s a Muslim.

Then there’s Paralympian table tennis ace Will Bayley, who’s a lapsed Christian; and former Gogglebox and I’m A Well Known Personality…Get Me Out Of Here! winner Scarlett Moffatt, who’s a Christian of the non-lapsed variety.

So there’s all those, plus Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, who’s an interior designer.