IAN HYLAND

On last night’s telly

Robson Green: Walking Coast To Coast, Channel 5

F★★★★ or some reason this show had its title changed at the last minute, from Walking Hadrian’s Wall With Robson Green.

Five minutes into last night’s opener Robson gave us a clue as to why, when he sheepishly informed us that only around 10 per cent of the Roman Emperor’s legendary structure is still standing. Even Donald Trump would accept you couldn’t really call that a proper wall, let alone walk along it.

Luckily for Robson – and us – there is lots to do and see along the path of the original, which meant his 84-mile coast-to-coast trek will have gone straight on many people’s Things To Do Once All The Lockdowns Have Ended list. I’m certainly tempted,

although unless there’s a heatwave I’d probably give the wild swimming in the ice-cold waters of the Tyne a miss.

Robson was also a very informative guide. I learned Wallsend was so-named as it lies at the end of the wall (yes, I did slap my forehead at that realisation), that George R R Martin was inspired to write

Game Of

George R R Martin was inspired to write Game Of Thrones after visiting Hadrian’s Wall

Thrones after visiting the wall, and that the Romans introduced carrots and rabbits to Britain (he did not say if the rabbits simply followed the carrots). He also brought us the news that “moss grows where the sun doesn’t shine”. I never knew that, but you can be sure I’ll be keeping an eye out for it from now on.

COLD SHOULDERS Robson enjoys a dip in the ice-cold Tyne