Touring on the telly

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
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Shoogle
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Touring on the telly

Post by Shoogle »

Tonight at 21:00, BBC Alba. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07wsqby
It’s in Gaelic with English subtitles. It’s a repeat but it’s the only cycle touring documentary I’ve seen on mainstream telly, if you could call BBC Alba mainstream. (It is in my house).
Norman H
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Re: Touring on the telly

Post by Norman H »

Also on tonight is Along for the Ride with David O'Doherty, on Channel 4 at 10pm. Each week he rides with a different guest and in last weeks show he cycled with Richard Ayoade from Winchelsea to Dungeness, by way of Romney Marsh. It's a mixture of entertainment and cycling designed I think to appeal to a wider audience than just cyclists, but none the worse for that. Last week's show should be available on catch up and is worth watching if only for a glimpse of his impressive bike shed.

I'm looking forward to tonight's show which features Grayson Perry in the Brecon Beacons. Future guests in episodes 3 and 4 will be Mel Giedroyc, in Northumberland, and Joe Wilkinson exploring the Suffolk coast.
bogmyrtle
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Re: Touring on the telly

Post by bogmyrtle »

Thanks for the heads up about the BBC Alba programme. That was proper touring.
Was able to understand without the text. Duolingo is paying off!
A bike does more miles to the banana than a Porsche.
richardfm
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Re: Touring on the telly

Post by richardfm »

Norman H wrote: 29 Nov 2021, 4:29pm Also on tonight is Along for the Ride with David O'Doherty, on Channel 4 at 10pm. Each week he rides with a different guest and in last weeks show he cycled with Richard Ayoade from Winchelsea to Dungeness, by way of Romney Marsh. It's a mixture of entertainment and cycling designed I think to appeal to a wider audience than just cyclists, but none the worse for that. Last week's show should be available on catch up and is worth watching if only for a glimpse of his impressive bike shed.

I'm looking forward to tonight's show which features Grayson Perry in the Brecon Beacons. Future guests in episodes 3 and 4 will be Mel Giedroyc, in Northumberland, and Joe Wilkinson exploring the Suffolk coast.
I've just watched the Grayson Perry episode and throughly enjoyed it. There was some great Welsh scenery (much of which I recognised because I have cycled it) and witty conbversation between David O'Doherty and Grayson Perry.
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Traction_man
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Re: Touring on the telly

Post by Traction_man »

With slow TV featuring canals and walking old railways, it's odd that cycling travels have not featured much, on UK TV at least?

I'd have thought there's good potential, plenty of YouTube bikepacking vids etc, makes for quite compelling viewing. Chuck in the odd celeb and a bit of historic stuff en route would do well.

Cheers,

Keith
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Re: Touring on the telly

Post by keyboardmonkey »

I’m enjoying the David O’Doherty programmes despite our man’s tendency to lay - or throw down - his bike on the driveside (no wonder his gears are out of synch) and the advert for Thornton’s chocolates that you can’t FFWD through.
mattheus
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Re: Touring on the telly

Post by mattheus »

Shoogle wrote: 29 Nov 2021, 12:46pm Tonight at 21:00, BBC Alba. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07wsqby
It’s in Gaelic with English subtitles. It’s a repeat but it’s the only cycle touring documentary I’ve seen on mainstream telly, if you could call BBC Alba mainstream. (It is in my house).
Wow, thanks for this. (20mins in so far). I've seen a few scottish outdoors/wildlife telly things, and they usually charm with a .. "different" tone to more southerly TV (even though this one is mainly set in Asia!).

I think I know which of the 2 trips here I'd choose:
- snowy deserted mountain roads, 4000m up. or
- riding in 40'c through "one of the busiest tourist areas in South East Asia".
Still, they both seemed to have an adventure, so that's good!
tatanab
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Re: Touring on the telly

Post by tatanab »

A counter view - there has to be some because we are all different. :P

I watched the first one, which I found tedious.
The second one I recorded. I really disliked Perry's silly (to me) comments about gearing (narrow tyres giving much lower gearing so I might not keep up on the flat) from a reportedly experienced rider. After that I flicked through the rest of the programme which I also found tedious.

The most annoying thing to me was the ridiculous laughter which came every couple of minutes. Not sure who that was from. So, not for me thanks, but if you like it then please go ahead.
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mjr
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Re: Touring on the telly

Post by mjr »

Traction_man wrote: 30 Nov 2021, 9:56pm With slow TV featuring canals and walking old railways, it's odd that cycling travels have not featured much, on UK TV at least?
There have been a few, including Britain By Bike with Larry & George Lamb (C5), Britain By Bike (BBC Four, presented by Clare Balding) and Micky Flanagan's Detour de France (Sky/Pick/Now), but I don't remember anything on UKTV who seem to broadcast quite a lot of railway shows.

The first episode of "Along for the Ride" was the closest yet to my style of touring. Most of the others have featured contrived stunts or jumping about the route, a bit in the style of Portillo's Railway Journeys, which normal people can't easily do.
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Traction_man
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Re: Touring on the telly

Post by Traction_man »

mjr wrote: 1 Dec 2021, 1:23pm
Traction_man wrote: 30 Nov 2021, 9:56pm With slow TV featuring canals and walking old railways, it's odd that cycling travels have not featured much, on UK TV at least?
There have been a few, including Britain By Bike with Larry & George Lamb (C5), Britain By Bike (BBC Four, presented by Clare Balding) and Micky Flanagan's Detour de France (Sky/Pick/Now), but I don't remember anything on UKTV who seem to broadcast quite a lot of railway shows.

The first episode of "Along for the Ride" was the closest yet to my style of touring. Most of the others have featured contrived stunts or jumping about the route, a bit in the style of Portillo's Railway Journeys, which normal people can't easily do.
By 'UK TV' I meant really TV in the UK not 'UKTV' itself!

Thanks for those suggestions, I see 'Britain by Bike' was 2010, unfortunately no longer available on BBC iplayer--https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00t69gd

I do remember now seeing some of the Channel 5 'father and son' series and enjoying it.

all the best,

Keith
richardfm
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Re: Touring on the telly

Post by richardfm »

tatanab wrote: 1 Dec 2021, 1:06pm A counter view - there has to be some because we are all different. :P

I watched the first one, which I found tedious.
The second one I recorded. I really disliked Perry's silly (to me) comments about gearing (narrow tyres giving much lower gearing so I might not keep up on the flat) from a reportedly experienced rider. After that I flicked through the rest of the programme which I also found tedious.

The most annoying thing to me was the ridiculous laughter which came every couple of minutes. Not sure who that was from. So, not for me thanks, but if you like it then please go ahead.
Thank you for your permission to watch it, even though you don't like it.
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horizon
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Re: Touring on the telly

Post by horizon »

Traction_man wrote: 30 Nov 2021, 9:56pm With slow TV featuring canals and walking old railways, it's odd that cycling travels have not featured much, on UK TV at least?
My guess is that these programmes have to be fronted by celebrities, preferably aging ones. Not many celebrities know one end of a bike from another. Frankly I would rather watch real people who know what they are doing (or at least fully into experiencing it) - the BBC Alba film was superb. Billy Connolly did a good one on the North Pole (or near to it) but I can't see him on a bicycle. And then you need camera people who can keep up . . . So, not impossible but a bit rare.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
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Shoogle
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Re: Touring on the telly

Post by Shoogle »

Billy Connolly did a fair bit of cycle touring round Scotland in his younger days.
As for the Grayson Perry thing, it just reinforced my feeling that most commercial TV is unwatchable.
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horizon
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Re: Touring on the telly

Post by horizon »

Shoogle wrote: 2 Dec 2021, 11:03am Billy Connolly did a fair bit of cycle touring round Scotland in his younger days.
Actually I wondered that as I posted it. However, that doesn't mean he is inclined to do it now - I'm just wondering if there is something about cycling that doesn't lend itself to celebrity presentation. Age and fitness would be obvious barriers (doesn't stop canal cruising, old cars, trains etc). And yet both Connolly's Arctic adventures and the current IACGMOOH are fairly challenging for older people I would have thought.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Norman H
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Re: Touring on the telly

Post by Norman H »

We should welcome any attempt by program makers to raise the profile of cycling in the eyes of what is a mostly non cycling audience. Even the BBC has to have some regard for audience figures in order to justify its existence. Sadly it's much easier to stick to the well known formulae for success than to gamble on what might be a minority interest program. That's the reason there's so little cycle touring and so much reality TV on our screens.


Shoogle wrote: 2 Dec 2021, 11:03am
As for the Grayson Perry thing, it just reinforced my feeling that most commercial TV is unwatchable.
Is GP any more acceptable to you when he appears on the BBC?
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