Fish-head curry, aphrodisiac fruit . . . the recipe for a tasty travelogue

Alexander Armstrong In Sri Lanka ★★★★☆ Bangers & Cash: Restoring Classics ★★★★☆

So that’s where all the civil servants have gone. In a beachfront bar with superfast wifi, on the island paradise of Sri Lanka, everyone was busy on their laptops, ‘working from home’.

Alexander Armstrong chatted to one sun-tanned Millennial who claimed to be writing a novel, though why he’d need a broadband connection for that wasn’t clear. Perhaps this debutante Dickens has to check his Facebook every five minutes for inspiration.

others in the cafe were financiers and coders, said the writer. My guess is they’re civic officials from South Cambridgeshire District Council where, the Mail revealed this week, just six per cent of staff were at their office desks in 2022.

You won’t catch Xander working from home. Alexander Armstrong In Sri Lanka (Ch5) gives him the chance to explore some of the stranger sights, such as a Buddhist temple with a chamber of horrors, and a factory making paper from elephant dung.

He enjoyed clowning around on a surfboard and taking part in an exorcism ceremony to rid him of his ‘ demons’ — though he’s such an urbane, genteel fellow that I’m sure his demons would be willing to leave without protest if asked to do so politely.

Most of all, his travelogues allow him to indulge his foodie yearnings. All his amused detachment vanished at the first sniff of fried rice with peppers at a street stall.

Driving a baker’s tuk-tuk through the streets of Galle, he was drooling at the thought of his wares — ‘wholegrain, sourdough, pain au chocolat . . .’

He was so excited by a fish-head curry served outdoors that he barely noticed when the tropical rains began. And he went into raptures over a pungent durian fruit with seeds that he compared to soft, smelly cheese. ‘You’ve got to be careful,’ warned his guide, as he wolfed another one. ‘All these fruits can be an aphrodisiac.’

His love of new dishes and tastes is an unfeigned enthusiasm. I’d like to see him make a travel show concentrating solely on the gastronomy. He could call it Alexander Armstrong Eats His Way Around The World.

A similar hankering for spin-offs lies behind Bangers & Cash: Restoring Classics (Yesterday). Based on the car auction show that has become a firm favourite with UKTV viewers since 2019, it sees the camera crew buying rusty old motors to repair and sell.

Since the TV techies lack the expertise to restore the vehicles themselves, they have to pay mechanics — wiping out any hope of a profit.

But the money isn’t the point. This is a makeover show for petrolheads: instead of somebody’s mum getting a much deserved new hairdo, we’re seeing well-loved family runarounds from the past given a tune-up and a lick of paint.

The headliner this week was a Vauxhall Nova with a 1.2 litre engine. Ten years ago, the auction wizards reckoned, you could pick one up for 50 quid.

Now, one in mint condition will fetch up to eight grand.

DJ Stephanie Hirst from Hits Radio, a Nova devotee, brought her mate Tim to inspect it. ‘Stick your head in there,’ he said, admiring the interior. ‘Smell the 1990s.’

The real star, though, was a 1978 Czech trail bike, known as a ‘yellow tank’. Practically indestructible, it was running as soon as motorbike mechanics Brian and Rob gave the spark plugs a clean.

According to auctioneer Dave, bikes from the punk era now sell better than 1950s mopeds, once beloved by Mods. ‘It’s an age thing,’ he explained. ‘Guys that are interested in a Velocette scooter can’t get their legs over the saddle any more . . .’