Trip hazard: my great British adventure
Rosie Jones sees what the UK has to offer… ● TRAVELOGUE / 8.30pm / C4
Comedian Rosie Jones, styling herself as a ‘disabled, Northern Joanna Lumley’, hosts this delightful, irreverent series in which she and celeb pals enjoy UK short breaks. The series begins in the Lake District, where Rosie and Scarlett Moffatt attempt to write poetry at William Wordsworth’s house, bed down in a stable and cause chaos with a sausagemaking machine. Olivia Colman’s arch narration is a treat, as are the scenes where Rosie checks in with glib C4 boss Saskia (Rachel Stubbings).
★★★★ SP
NEW FRIDAY / C4 / 8.30PM / EP 1 of 4 / TRAVELOGUE
Rosie Jones is on a mission to put her stamp on celebrity travelogues.
In the heightened world of her new spoof series, financial constraints and COVID halt the comedian’s plans for a luxury global adventure. So instead she convinces C4 bosses to let her explore four UK destinations – the Lake District, Whitby, Norwich and Anglesey – on a shoestring to prove that all you need for a brilliant break is a sense of humour.
Here, Rosie, 30, who has cerebral palsy, tells TV Times more...
Have you always wanted to host a travelogue?
Yes, for so long! I’m good friends with Romesh Ranganathan and I just think, ‘Why does he get them all? Give some to me!’ I don’t dwell on it, but I think being disabled brings something different as well.
Does it feel like you’re breaking new ground with this series?
Yeah, and it’s quite groundbreaking that I’m a woman as well! Normally the travel shows are all Romesh, Jack Whitehall, Russell Howard. I never want it to be all about disability; I hope that’s an underlying layer that doesn’t need to be yelled about. In Anglesey, I go on the world’s fastest zip line, and we never explicitly say it, but if I can do that, almost anyone can.
You have a celebrity companion with you for each episode…
They all bring something different: Scarlett Moffatt in the Lake District meets me on my level of enthusiasm, and then in Anglesey Jenny Eclair and I have a motherdaughter relationship. And Jamali Maddix in Norwich and Joe Wilkinson in Whitby –
I bullied them both!
Did you enjoy visiting the Lake District for episode one?
It was beautiful. The highlight was making sausages – me and Scarlett could not stop laughing, until I accidentally broke the sausage machine. I was mortified!
How did you get The Crown star Olivia Colman to narrate?
My producer asked me who I’d like, and I replied, ‘Oscar-winner Olivia Colman. Just ask her.’ Then Olivia said yes, and I screamed for about 48 hours! Her narration elevates the whole thing – I love hearing her sarcastic voice in every scene!