Table of Contents
It seems like all you need to host a TV show these days is a couple of middle-aged male celebrities, a Volkswagen van, and a travel itinerary.
Hugh Dennis and David Baddiel are the latest celebrity couple to embark on a road trip for our entertainment.
The Outnumbered star will cycle through France with his comedian friend Baddiel, a slightly less enthusiastic cyclist, who will travel on an electric bike.
But the Channel 4 show is just the tip of the travelogue iceberg, as Men Behaving Badly’s Neil Morrissey and Martin Clunes will also be joking around in France for an upcoming series called Neil and Martin’s Bon Voyage on UKTV.
Earlier this year, we saw another bromance blossom between Paddy McGuinness and ex top gear co-star Chris Harris while they frolicked Greece, Sweden and Switzerland, trying to discover the secret of old age.
And then a three-way friendship emerged between Gordon Ramsay, Gino d’Acampo and Fred Sirieix who traveled to Lapland and united by nothing more than their love of food.
Here, FEMAIL speaks to TV experts to find out why we can’t get enough of middle-aged blokes telling us about their travels…
Hugh Dennis (left) and David Baddiel (right) are the latest celebrity couple to embark on a road trip across France for our entertainment on a Channel 4 show.
THEY ARE CHEAP TO MAKE AND THE TALENT HAD FUN MAKING THEM
Founder and editor-in-chief of AllYourScreens.com Rick Ellis revealed that there are a variety of factors at play that help make road trip series successful for networks; The first is its relatively low cost.
“They’re very cheap to make,” Rick told Femail.
For people like Men Behaving Badly’s Neil Morrissey and Martin Clunes, a free adventure through France is considered “part of their pay”.
According to Rick, this keeps the cost of talent down and makes casting famous faces “doable.”
In addition to low talent costs, only a few crew members are hired to facilitate transportation, along with your equipment, between filming destinations.
For a typical travel show, Rick said the behind-the-scenes crew is “small” and often only has a camera crew and a handful of producers.
Men Behaving Badly’s Neil Morrissey (left) and Martin Clunes (right) will be joking around in France for a series called Neil and Martin’s Bon Voyage on UKTV.
EASY TO TRADE: VIEWERS LOVE A ROAD TRIP
In addition to keeping costs down with smaller, lower salaries than a typical television show, Rick explained that road trip series are “easier to market.”
Explaining to Femail, he said: “The shows are easier to market than a new series, thanks to the fact that a couple of people who are already known to the public were chosen.”
“Often these are stars who are not actors, but presenters and comedians.
“It gives viewers a chance to see them in a new situation.”
Rick said several media outlets will also write articles about the shows due to the popularity of the men who star in them, which helps reduce marketing costs.
This was certainly the case with Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour which aired in May this year.
Having endured painful divorces, criminal lawyer Rob Rinder, 46, and presenter Rylan Clark, 35, said they were both looking for “a fresh start” as they embark on their tour of Italy.
Presenter Rylan Clark (left) and criminal lawyer Rob Rinder (right) in Venice while filming Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour.
The two spoke openly about their sexualities, their failed relationships, and bonded with Botticelli while visiting Venice, Florence, and Rome.
In fact, they got along so well that the media quickly theorized that they were romantically involved.
Amid the promotion, Rob added fuel to the fire when he tweeted, “Friendship can, and often does, turn into love.” See you with him tonight at 9 pm’
Although provocative, the quote was actually from the romantic poet Lord Byron and a nod to their show as the pair follow Byron’s journey through Italy, two centuries after his death.
Clarifying later, Rylan said: “We started this process as partners and ended it as true friends.”
But after news of their bromance broke out on social media and various news platforms, more than three million people tuned into BBC Three to watch Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour.
It was quickly renewed for a second season.
Amid the promotion, Rob added fuel to the fire when he tweeted, “Friendship can, and often does, turn into love.” See you next to him tonight at 9 pm
A TRIP DURING THE TRIP: THEY ARE AN EXCELLENT WAY TO ADDRESS TABOO TOPICS
While not all travelogues feature middle-aged men – for example Miriam Margoyles’ A New Australian Adventure or Sue Perkins’ Perfectly Legal on Netflix – TV expert Rick recognized it as a “dominant casting choice”.
He said: “It’s a reflection of the popularity of these shows among a demographic of viewers that the networks see as a core audience: older viewers, less interested in racy comedies and dark dramas, which are nevertheless appreciated by advertisers”.
Television and media expert Chad Teizeira agreed, telling Femail: “When it comes to commissioning television series, it’s about finding that special connection with the viewer.”
“For many middle-aged men, the role of husband, son, brother or father can take its toll and escaping into a virtual adventure through television rekindles their passion for life and adventure.”
For men who “don’t like to talk about issues in their lives,” a travel series starring two celebrities who are willing to open up can be used as an outlet to “break taboos and barriers.”
“No topic of conversation is off-limits on these shows,” Chad said.
‘You learn more about famous friends as they reveal the good and bad of their relationships, hopes and dreams. “We laugh with them, we cry with them and we can really relate to them on a personal level.”
Chris Harris (left) and Paddy McGuinness (right) riding mopeds on Ikaria, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, for the show Paddy and Chris: Road Tripping.
Paddy McGuinness (left) and Chris Harris (right) stop off on their road trip and pose in their bathrobes on a balcony at the five-star Grand Resort Bad Ragaz hotel in Switzerland.
ESCAPISM, BUT WILL VIEWERS EVER GET BORED?
It’s hard to say when networks started commissioning the all-male road trip format.
Perhaps the trend started in 2010 when Ricky Gervais sent his partner Karl Pilkington around the world in An Idiot Abroad, or in 2015 with Richard Ayoade bumbling through various cities in Travel Man.
But TV expert Chad believes the format will continue to roll out for years to come.
He said: ‘I don’t think we’ll stop seeing road trips with middle-aged men on our screens anytime soon!
‘We may not all be lucky enough to take a road trip this year, but we can enjoy the experience alongside celebrities like Hugh Dennis and David Baddiel or Martin Clunes and Neil Morrissey.
‘Immersed in the hour-long TV shows, we really feel like we’re accompanying Rob and Rylan as they explore parts of Venice, Florence and Rome on their Grand Tour. It is far from everyday life. It’s exciting and makes you feel alive again.
‘This type of heartwarming format is expected to be brought back into operation over the next few years!’
Gordon Ramsay (left), Gino D’Acampo (center) and Fred Sirieix (right) in their American Road Trip series
Viewers and industry insiders have taken to X to express their despair at the sheer number of celebrity travel series being commissioned.
But it seems that some viewers are already starting to get bored with this “touching” format.
One ranted about X: ‘I hate all these white guy road trip shows.’ So tedious. Think of new ideas, TV people!’
Another frantic viewer commented: “I’m sick of these kinds of shows.”
And a third angrily added: ‘How many celebrities do we need on a road trip? The BBC is making the cheapest television possible and it really shows.’
Even industry experts are aware of the problem. Tweeting about Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour, TV critic Scott Bryan said: “Yes, it’s another BBC celebrity travel show in Italy, but it’s moving, personal and refreshingly honest.”
While promoting the ‘heartwarming’ series from the sofa on This Morning, Rylan Clark acknowledged the problem, saying: ‘The first thing I said to Rob was: “We’re not going to be two more celebrities doing a travelogue in Italy. I’m not “. I don’t want to do that. “Everyone is doing one.”
‘It is not a travel diary. It’s almost like a reality show, a documentary, it’s everything.”