Japan With Sue Perkins, BBC1 ★★★★
‘‘ The only sporty stop on the itinerary was sumo - and that’s not even in the Olympics
Ever since the day a Japanese student joined her primary school Sue Perkins had wanted to visit Japan.
So she must have been delighted when Tokyo was announced as host city for the 2020 Olympic Games.
It meant she could go on a licence fee-funded trip and no one could that she was simply another celebrity traveller on a jolly. As if to emphasise the legitimacy of her mission, Sue helpfully mentioned in her intro that “the eyes of the world are turning to Tokyo ahead of next year’s games”.
The Olympics stuff must be in next week’s episode. The only sporty stop on last night’s itinerary was sumo – and that’s not even in the Olympics.
This was still a fascinating look at the quirkier end of Japanese culture, helped by the fact Sue is obviously passionate about the subject.
She even dressed up in sumo gear and stepped into the ring for an, albeit brief, bout with a lady wrestler.
She also threw herself into Hell Camp, a business boot camp where men in suits tearfully confess their shortcomings and promise to do better in future.
A bit like The Apprentice, only with genuine tears.
The strangest sight was Sue joining a group of middle-aged male fans as they attended a special meetcomplain and-greet for a girl group called Tornado. Still, hardly the first time ex-Bake Off host Sue has hung out with an old guy with a fondness for women half his age.