UK Tourism on TV – May
There's not a lot to spot in the schedules by way of UK tourism related
TV programming for May. A new series of 'Coast' begins on BBC2, Suns in
mid-month while worthwhile repeats of 'Canal Walks' (Mons, BBC4) and
the second series of 'Great British Railway Journeys' on BBC4 on Tues
(8/5) and continues on Weds; as this seems to be a bit of a slot filler
expect to see this bounce around the weekday schedules. 'The Dales'
limps on... and on... on Mons ITV1 - but ends this month. And there's
little else, apart from 'Countryfile' on BBC1 Sun 6/5, this looks like
the last of the series, surely not – it's been going for ever it seems!
As always, our tip to keep an eye on Blighty, Yesterday and Discovery
History as some previous travel gems often repeat on these. Click this
item for further TV listings...
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Posted: Sat, 05 May 2012 13:22:14 GMT | 
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UK Tourism on TV – April
A new programme in April that has a travel interest is a 4x60m series
called 'Our Food'. Showing on BBC2 on Weds, it's billed as a
gastronomic tour of the UK so it's likely to be more about food than
locations, but maybe worth a shot. Otherwise 'The Dales' (yawn)
continues on ITV1, Mons as does 'Countryfile' on BBC1, Suns while
worthwhile repeats continue of 'Great British Railway Journeys',
usually on Tues, on BBC4. Finally, Yesterday and Discovery History are
worth checking out for travelogue repeats. Click this item for further
TV listings...
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Posted: Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:04:47 GMT | Permalink Comments [disabled]
Tourism on TV – March Addition
Further to our post on March TV programming, we've since noticed a
promising looking addition to mention. Called 'Britain's First Photo
Album' it's running on BBC2 on weekdays for two weeks (10x30m) and
compares various places across Britain 'then and now'. Looks like an
interesting enough theme, and with John Sergeant at the helm hopefully
it'll escape any dumbing down.
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Posted: Sat, 10 Mar 2012 14:45:16 GMT | Permalink Comments [disabled]
UK Tourism on TV – March
'The Great British Countryside' on BBC1, Thurs. sadly finishes its
short but excellent run in early March; what a refreshing change it has
been to the identikit treadmill travelogue. Talking of which, a new
series of the mundane 'The Dales' is showing on ITV1 on Mons. and
'Countryfile' on BBC1, Suns. -now this one's surely well past its
use-by date now! Welcome repeats worth checking out if you've missed
them are 'Great British Railway Journeys' currently popping up on BBC4,
Mons., and 'Britain's Best Drives' (BBC4, Weds.). We've now lost
Blighty, which leaves Yesterday to keep an eye on for travel related
repeats, but also check out Discovery History as this channel also
sometimes schedules relevant repeated programming. Click this item for
further TV listings...
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Posted: Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:16:16 GMT | Permalink Comments [disabled]
Tourism on TV – February Addition
Further to our February report a little gem of a tourism related
programme has started mid February we just have to mention! Called 'The
Great British Countryside', it's on Thursdays on BBC1 and has
presenters Hugh Dennis and Julia Bradbury exploring a different area of
the country in each week of its 4x1hr parts. Often criticised on the
web forums for the offish attention she gives the people she meets in
her previous series', even Julia Bradbury seems interested in her
subjects this time around (maybe the new baby has mellowed her)! And
that Hugh Dennis comes across as a very agreeable chap too. Looking
excellent so far, it stands head and shoulders above the usual so-so
travelogue offerings of late, check it out!
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Posted: Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:57:20 GMT | Permalink Comments [disabled]
UK Tourism on TV – February
For February there's a promising new travelogue series showing every
weekday on BBC2 called 'Britain's Heritage Heroes' which travels the
country uncovering past times industries and crafts and will probably
contain a tourism aspect too. It replaces the just finished 'Great
British Railway Journeys' which proved a little gem this time with more
preserved railways covered – just how we like it here at micbinks (look
out for repeats on BBC4, Weds). Sticking with BBC4 on Weds another
repeat showing is 'Britain's Best Drives', if you can stomach the
rather staid delivery style of Richard Wilson. Elsewhere, 'Cornwall
with Caroline Quentin' on ITV1, Mons, continues until mid-month with
the last few of the series which has been a bit mixed, and
'Countryfile' continues on BBC1 on Suns. Finally, as usual keep an eye
on Blighty and Yesterday for other worthwhile repeats of travel
programmes. Click this item for further TV listings...
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Posted: Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:42:43 GMT | Permalink Comments [disabled]
UK Tourism on TV – January
No less than two new tourism related series kick-start the new year;
first off is 'Cornwall' on ITV1 on Mons where Caroline Quentin explores
this gorgeous West Country county during the summer, while showing on
BBC2 every weekday throughout January is a new series of 'Great British
Railway Journeys'. This again sees Michael Portillo travelling by train
and thumbing through his by now well-thumbed vintage Bradshaw's Guide,
stopping off at places of interest and trying his hand at stuff - ho
ho, we wonder if they'll be oodles of obvious continuity errors to spot
again! Also on BBC2 weekdays (and another one with amusing production
goofs) is a welcome repeat of 'One Man and His Campervan'; we suspect
this is running again ahead of a new series. Elsewhere, on BBC4 there's
yet another repeat of 'Railway Walks' on Mons, and 'Climbing Great
Buildings' (Tues) could just turn up a tourism theme in part, while on
Weds check out a repeat of 'The Great British Outdoors'. Don't forget
'Countryfile' on BBC1, Weds, and finally, our usual tip to keep an eye
on Blighty and Yesterday. So a bumper crop for January, click this item
for further TV listings...
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Posted: Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:44:03 GMT | Permalink Comments [disabled]
UK Tourism on TV – December
Let's start December's look at tourism related TV programming with a
new series that started late last month, called 'The Adventurer's Guide
to Britain'. It's on ITV1 on Tues and is much more tourism orientated
than the 'Ade in Britain' last month which turned out mainly culinary
themed. We see our regular 'Countryfile' on BBC1, Suns is still in
there, and worth checking on Ch5 on Weds & Thurs respectively is
'Highland Emergency' and 'New Highland Emergency' – just for the
Scottish scenery. Otherwise, just our usual pointer to keep an eye on
Blighty and Yesterday for worthwhile repeats of many past gems of the
same genre. Click this item for further TV listings...
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Posted: Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:57:09 GMT | Permalink Comments [disabled]
UK Tourism on TV – November
A new travelogue series is showing during early November, called 'Ade
in Britain' on ITV1 weekdays. Presented by Adrian Edmondson and
visiting different parts of the country, it follows from the somewhat
lacklustre 'The Dales' that ran during the early summer – hmmm... maybe
that's why it's placed in a late afternoon slot. 'Countryfile' (BBC1,
Suns) and 'Coast' (BBC2, Suns) are still running, and a worthwhile
repeat of 'The Golden Age of Canals' is on BBC4 on Tues. BBC4 is always
worth keeping an eye on for tourism related programming, as is Blighty
and Yesterday for gems like Julia Bradbury's and Fred Dibnah's back
catalogue of travel programmes. Click this item for further TV
listings...
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Posted: Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:16:26 GMT | Permalink Comments [disabled]
UK Tourism on TV – October
For October we start with a new three-part series called 'All Roads
Lead Home' on Wednesdays on BBC2, where the presenters use only nature
to navigate the UK. Hopefully it should show some of the country, but
then we rather got things wrong last month with our tip for 'Reel
History...' Ho hum. Moving on, 'Britain's Best Drives' is half-way
through another repeat run on BBC4, Tues, while once again
'Countryfile' is on BBC1 on Suns, and 'Coast' on BBC2 Mons. And that's
about it, looks like another lacklustre month for tourism on TV, even
Blighty and Yesterday don't have a lot doing at the time of writing.
Click this item for further TV listings...
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Posted: Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:27:56 GMT | Permalink Comments [disabled]
UK Tourism on TV – September
First up, running throughout September is a 20-part series on weekdays
on BBC2 called 'Reel History of Britain' which shows films of the
country's modern history, so the series should throw up something of a
travel/tourism related interest along the way. Elsewhere, 'Countryfile'
continues on BBC1 on Suns, as does 'Coast' on BBC2 (Mons & Fris).
Remember to keep an eye on Blighty which is good for various outdoor
and tourism related programme reruns. And Yesterday often does the
same. That's it for September, not a lot really but with the autumn
approaching this should improve. Click this item for further TV
listings...
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Posted: Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:04:47 GMT | Permalink Comments [disabled]
UK Tourism on TV – August
Tourism on TV in August is looking to be another slack month, but then
it is peak tourism time with people out doing touristy things rather
than watching TV! It's already been running for a while, but 'Grand
Tours of Scotland' on BBC4 on Tues is worth a punt, as is another short
series that's half way through – 'Town with Nicholas Crane' (BBC2,
Thurs). See if you can catch repeats as these new series often rerun
quite quickly after their initial showing. As always 'Countryfile'
continues its run on BBC1 on Suns and there's always Blighty and
Yesterday as a good source of back-catalogue tourism related
programmes. Click this item for further TV listings...
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Posted: Wed, 10 Aug 2011 17:35:06 GMT | Permalink Comments [disabled]
UK Tourism on TV – July
Well, it looks like we're in for a lean month in July for tourism
related TV programming. The new series of the wonderfully informative
'Coast' continues on BBC2 on Sundays (repeated Tues) while the ever
faithful 'Countryfile' continues on BBC1 (Suns) and 'Countrywise' on
ITV1 on Tues. We see another rerun of the rather enjoyable 'Great
British Railway Journeys' on weekdays on BBC2 and... er, that's about
it! Just before we go, at the time of writing we note more repeats of
'Coast' and 'Railway Walks' on Yesterday and Blighty – between these
two channels there's always something tourism themed popping up so
they're worth keeping an eye on. Click this item for further TV
listings...
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Posted: Mon, 04 Jul 2011 14:43:36 GMT | Permalink Comments [disabled]
UK Tourism on TV – June
Last month's highlight - 'Julia Bradbury's Canal Walks' - is being
repeated on BBC2 on Fridays, well worth watching if you didn't catch
it. And a new series of the informative 'Coast' is on BBC2 on Suns with
back-catalogue repeats shown on Fris and weekdays on Blighty. Blighty
is also showing 'How We Built Britain'; it's worth keeping an eye this
channel for UK tourism related programme re-runs (as is Yesterday).
Back to mainstream channels then, and 'Countryfile' continues on BBC1
on Suns, 'Countrywise' on ITV1 on Tues, and there's just a few more of
'The Dales' left to run on ITV1 on Mons (this one should have been so
much better). Finally, another repeat if you missed it is the
excellently enjoyable 'Britain By Bike' on BBC4, Mons. Click this item
for further TV listings...
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Posted: Mon, 06 Jun 2011 10:13:01 GMT | Permalink Comments [disabled]
UK Tourism on TV – May
The tourism related TV highlight for May has to be 'Julia Bradbury's
Canal Walks' on BBC4, Mons. While her presenting style irritates some,
her seemingly never ending and well-produced (by Skyworks, with their
terrific aerial shots) 'Walks' series certainly shows the UK's
wonderful countryside off. Another new series is 'Britain's Secret
Seas' on BBC2, Suns which should potentially show off the coastline to
good effect. The long running 'Countryfile' (BBC1, Suns) is always
worth checking out, as is 'Countrywise' on ITV1, Tues. 'The Dales'
continues its long and tedious run on Mons on ITV1 (yawn). Among
repeats 'Coast' is showing on BBC2 on Thurs, and don't forget to keep
an eye on both Blighty and Yesterday – as we write we see 'A Picture of
Britain', more 'Coast', more of Julia's 'Walks', plus Fred Dibnah's
various back catalogue. Click this item for further TV listings...
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Posted: Sat, 07 May 2011 15:50:58 GMT | Permalink Comments [disabled]
UK Tourism on TV – April
Our scan through the schedules for April sees a new series of
'Countrywise' starting on Tues on ITV1, and the lacklustre 'The Lakes'
is replaced by an equally dull (so far) 'The Dales', themed on the
Yorkshire Dales, on Mons, ITV1. The always enjoyable 'Coast' pops up on
Blighty on weekdays, while the equally pleasing 'Fred Dibnah's Made in
Britain' shows on Mons on Yesterday. Another new series which may have
some tourism relevance is 'A History of Celtic Britain', BBC2 on Tues.
So, a bit of a mixed bag for April, but see if you can find more by
clicking this item for further TV listings...
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Posted: Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:03:27 GMT | Permalink Comments [disabled]
UK Tourism on TV – March
Well, 'One Man and His Campervan' last month proved a little gem
(despite some adverse comments on the blogs), even if there wasn't too
much emphasise on the tourism aspect. If you missed it, look out for an
early repeat. Anyway, what does March look like, programming wise?
First off, check-out 'Royal Upstairs Downstairs' on BBC2 weekdays for a
look at some grand country houses, many open to visitors, while on
Blighty 'The Nation's Finest Gardens' does the same for, er, grand
gardens. 'Countryfile' is on Suns BBC1 and we see 'Coast' repeats same
day on BBC2. 'The Lakes' limps on (ITV1, Mons); 'Seaside Rescue' (often
showing the UK coast as a by-product) on Dave, Mons; and finally, yet
another worthwhile showing of the very enjoyable 'Britain By Bike' on
Fridays on BBC2. Click this item for more TV listings...
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Posted: Tue, 08 Mar 2011 16:45:07 GMT | Permalink Comments [disabled]
UK Tourism on TV – February
Following on from the absorbing 'Great British Railway Journeys' is
'One Man and His Campervan' (in the same every-weekday-evening time
slot on BBC2) – an around the UK travelogue by vintage camper with a
cooking element thrown in too - yum! Also in Feb we find 'Country
Tracks' and 'Countryfile', both on BBC1 on Suns (now that might cause
some confusion); also on Suns 'Coast' repeats this month pop up on
BBC4. The excellent 'Britain By Bike' repeats continue on BBC4 on Tues,
as does the lacklustre 'The Lakes' on ITV1 on Mons. Now, keep an eye on
Blighty for such gems as 'My Brilliant Britain', 'British Isles: A
Natural History' and 'Rory and Paddy's Great British Adventure' (yes,
it's that Rory again!) Finally, on Yesterday we note the always
welcome 'Fred Dibnah's Building of Britain' is showing again. Click
this item for more TV listings...
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Posted: Sat, 05 Feb 2011 16:30:50 GMT | Permalink Comments [disabled]
UK Tourism on TV – January
The tourism programming highlight this month has to be a new series of
'Great British Railway Journeys' (weekdays, BBC2) with Michael Portillo
following a vintage railway guide to Britain and visiting many UK
locations along the way; let's hope the many continuity errors and
backwards running footage that plagued the previous series has been
fixed! Another new series is 'The Lakes' on Mons, ITV1, and set in the
scenic Lake District, and, erm, let's hope Rory McGrath is a more
enthusiastic presenter this time around! Now, if you're quick you can
catch a cluster of repeats on BBC4 on Wed 5th about Britain outdoors,
vintage coach travel, and camping. 'Countryfile' is ongoing on BBC1 on
Suns, and Blighty is showing back-to-back repeats of 'Coast'. Finally,
see Dave on Fris for repeats of 'Seaside Rescue' with more clips of the
UK's wonderful coastline. Click this item for more TV listings...
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Posted: Tue, 04 Jan 2011 07:14:23 GMT | Permalink Comments [disabled]
UK Tourism on TV – December
Let's start off with a very worthwhile early repeat; 'Britain by Bike'
on BBC2 Fridays visits many areas by cycle we've visited ourselves.
It's already been running for several weeks, but you can still catch
the remaining 4 (of 6) programmes if you're reading this at the
beginning of Dec. Also showing on BBC2 (Sats), is 'Making Scotland's
Landscape' which should be good for some, er, Scottish landscapes. As
usual Blighty has another selection of travel related repeats,
including 'Great British Journeys', 'Coast' and 'The Nature of Britain:
A User's Guide' while on Yesterday we see some Fred Dibnah re-runs and
'A History of Scotland' on various weekdays. 'Seaside Rescue' with its
beach and coast theme pops up on Dave during the week and the similar
'Sea Patrol UK' (Ch5, Tues), while it may be pushing the limit of our
travel theme, can show some stupendous scenic coastal features while on
the same channel on Thursdays 'Highland Emergency', surprise surprise,
features a lot of Scotland's mountain scenery. Finally, the ever
present 'Countryfile' continues on BBC1 on Suns. Click this item for
more TV listings...
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Posted: Mon, 06 Dec 2010 18:14:52 GMT | Permalink Comments [disabled]
