We’re back on the ROAD!
Larry Lamb and his son George on jumping on their bikes to explore more of Britain’s beautiful cycling routes…
Former Eastenders star larry lamb and his son, George, first took to the open road last year for channel 5’s Britain by Bike,
and they weren’t sure if anyone would be interested in a show that was essentially a glorified family bicycle ride.
However, after proving a hit with viewers, the pair are back in the saddle for a new six-part series that will take the actor and his TV presenter son to all four corners of Britain.
Over the next few weeks,
Larry, 70, and George, 38, will be exploring more of our most spectacular bike routes, visiting some fascinating places and getting to know the locals along the way. And as they told TV Times when we caught up with them, it’s not the destination but the journey that counts…
You must have been delighted with the reception that the first series received…
larry: Very pleased, because there’s always this sense of the unknown when you do something like this. But lots of people contacted us via social media to say they enjoyed it and they were inspired to visit some of the places we cycled to, which was really nice.
George: One guy came up to us with his baby son and told us that, in a few years, he couldn’t wait to do what we were doing as a father and son, which was very sweet.
Have the two of you always enjoyed cycling together?
larry: When George was a small 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. George: Those were happy times, but before last year’s series, we hadn’t been out together since I was a kid. Now to do it again is a joy, especially when you’re out in the countryside and you can just pootle along slowly and have a natter. It’s the best way to enjoy the British countryside, because you can stop off where you like and meet some extraordinary people. Even when it was belting down with rain, we had a laugh.
Which places are you going to visit this year?
George: Well, we start off in Northumberland and then head to the Peak District, Snowdonia, Northern Ireland and the Outer Hebrides. We also went to the Isles of Scilly, which is a place we’ve both wanted to go for some time, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
larry: We visited some really interesting places. In the first episode, I fulfilled a lifelong ambition of mine, which was to visit a kipper smokehouse. We also visited Chillingham Castle, which is supposed to be haunted, and judged the Waggiest Tail competition at the Bedlington Terrier Convention.
George: That was a real honour and it was a very difficult decision in the end, actually!
Did you see any ghosts at Chillingham Castle?
larry: No, we didn’t, which is a shame because I’ve never seen a ghost and would love to see one. George wasn’t so keen and I think he’d have been pedalling pretty quickly back down the road if a ghost had popped out!
You’ll be visiting some hilly regions, which sounds like a lot of hard work if you’re cycling!
George: It’ll be hard work for me! Dad has an electric bike, so he’s fine. I was tempted to get one as well, but as I’m not yet
40, I think it might have been a little bit embarrassing. larry: When we get to a hill, George is slogging away and I’m laughing all the way to the top. It was great fun!
Would you like to come back for a third series?
George: As long as there are people watching, we’ll be out on our bikes. There’s plenty more of Britain to cover and then we’ll head off to America or Australia or somewhere. We could do another 20 series! larry: I’m not sure I’ll be able to do another 20 series, but you can borrow my electric bike!
Even when it was belting down with rain, we had a laugh
GEORGE LAMB