Armchair travel

A fine fresh film brings a bit of Hollywood to Kendal, while a slew of new shows from old friends take us all over A Perfect Planet

TV, podcasts and books to fire your travel imagination.

It takes a lot to upstage heavyweight Hollywood thesps Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci, but the Lake District certainly gives the A-listers a run for their money.

Kendal and its surrounding greenery is the setting for Supernova, which stars Firth and Tucci as long-standing couple Sam and Tusker. The pair campervan through the area as they deal with the devastating fallout of Tusker’s early onset dementia.

It’s a warm, intimate, funny and moving film, and its setting more than provides a suitably elegiac backdrop. At time of press, it was still due in cinemas on 5 March, but keep your eyes peeled for alternative on demand options or dates – it’s worth it.

There’s been a flurry of great TV since Christmas. We’ve obviously been glued to A Perfect Planet [BBC iplayer], which delivers ground-breaking cinematography, thought-provoking commentary and of course Sir David’s timbres, all to truly remarkable – and eye-opening – effect.

Other Wanderlust favourites are also returning to our screens.

Cornwall and Devon Walks with Julia Bradbury [ITV Hub] sees the presenter wander the West Country to explore the views, history and myths hidden in its celebrated landscapes. But it’s also a great advert for Bradbury’s philosophy on the positive power of a good hike, and you can sign us up to that.

Elsewhere, Ben Fogle’s back with New Lives in the Wild [Channel 5]. His latest adventures with people who’ve chosen to live off-grid sees him head up the Welsh mountains and to the glacial rapids of east Iceland.

There’s a new face on the travel block, too. Last Woman on Earth with Sara Pascoe [BBC iplayer] sees the comedy star journey the planet to tackle endangered jobs.

That’s why we find her attempting to shimmy up coconut trees in Cuba, trying polyphonic singing in Georgia and dressing as Santa‘s helper in Finland – all of which sound pretty good gigs to us in the current circumstances.

Now, where’s our elf hat?

Primate power Explore the forces of nature that support life with Sir David Attenborough in his new BBC series, A Perfect Planet; (below) Supernova in the Lakes