Father and son on cycle adventure
Britain by Bike with Larry & George Lamb
Channel 5, 8pm
ACTOR Larry Lamb and his presenter son George have been cycling together for a long time. Speaking to the Daily Express, Larry said: “When George was a boy, I had a little seat for him that was fixed to the crossbar of my bicycle. “He would sit there with his little feet up in between my arms. Then, as he got older, he had a seat on the back and we’d cycle all over London.”
But last year, someone had the bright idea to get George his own bike and send the pair off on a trip around Britain.
Some viewers may think that going on an extended road trip with one of their parents, especially one that involved a lot of tiring exercise and cameras, would be a recipe for bickering, but luckily the Lambs’ bond can stand the pressure.
George told Shortlist: “We have a unique relationship, an interesting dynamic. We know each other inside out – we are father and son at the end of the day – and we know how to push each other and muck about in a television way and then immediately click back to what we’d be like just in our living room. Even though we are mates, there’s no getting away from that parent/child dynamic.”
Their first jaunt went so well, the pair have saddled up again for a second series, and in this third episode they are in the Peak District, Britain’s first National Park.
Biking around the peaks may sound gruelling, but the Lambs decide to start with the most popular – and flattest – cycle route, the Monsal Trail.
They are not staying grounded for long though, as former Eastender Larry encourages George to confront his fear of heights by abseiling off one of the route’s old Victorian viaducts. Then it’s on past the spectacular
Chatsworth House to the valleys of the White Peaks, where the father and son challenge each other to a race – can George and his bike out-pedal Larry in an original 1920s Model-a Ford?
Once we know the answer to that, they get another chance to indulge their competitive instincts when they call in for refreshments at a local pub and find they are in the home of World Hen Racing. So, the Lambs borrow a couple of chickens and join in.
But after all that fun, it’s time for the hard work to begin as they set out along Winnets Pass, one of the steepest
roads in the Peak District, which features a 28 per cent gradient. Larry’s electric bike powers him up the hill, but George understandably struggles on his manual cycle.
Luckily, they don’t have to wait long to be rewarded for their efforts as they head to Bakewell, where they discover a pudding that might be even better than the famed local delicacy, the Bakewell Tart.
Then, after a brief pause to take part in springtime tradition of sheep-washing, it’s on to the final stop on this leg of their journey – Castleton and its annual garland festival.