Rory Bremner s Great British Views

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3-5 Episodes 1-5 synopsis Page 6 For further information please contact: Publicist: Rob

1 Rory Bremner s Great British Views The information contained herein is strictly EMBARGOED until Tuesday 9 April 2013 Programme information Pages 2 Interview with Rory Bremner Page 3-5 Episodes 1-5 synopsis Page 6 For further information please contact: Publicist: Rob Sharpe, rob.sharpe@itv.com Picture Publicist: Peter Gray, peter.gray@itv.com

Rory Bremner s Great British Views It s a journey around Britain looking for the most spectacular views - taking in the natural beauty of our mountains, lakes and coastlines and the fascinating

2 Rory Bremner s Great British Views It s a journey around Britain looking for the most spectacular views - taking in the natural beauty of our mountains, lakes and coastlines and the fascinating history of our cities and castles. Along the way I get to meet people who live and work in the midst of some of our finest scenery. It doesn t get any better than that. Rory Bremner Brand new ITV Daytime series starts 15 April, weekdays at 2pm In a brand new series for ITV Daytime, Rory Bremner embarks on an awe- inspiring adventure across Great Britain, hitting the road to visit an array of visually stunning views and magnificent beauty spots that have a special place in the hearts of the nation. Rory Bremner s Great British Views sees the impressionist, satirist, and writer guide viewers through a personal tour of the British Isles celebrating sweeping vistas of the rolling countryside, dramatic coastlines, historic buildings and architectural cityscapes. From the beautiful Scottish Borders to the breathtaking Cheddar Gorge, the dramatic Jurassic coastline to the historic Warwick Castle Rory travels in his classic convertible Morgan to explore Britain s varied landscape and meet the local folk passionate about their area. Along the way, Rory immerses himself in the local culture finding out how the landscape is used today, learning about its surprising history and heritage, and its charming past and present inhabitants. Rory will also unveil other vistas in the region, discovering plenty of unfamiliar facts about Britain and revealing the places that are close to his own heart. Mixing Rory s passion for Britain, captivating landscapes and the stories from the people who rightfully declare this as their view, the 20 x 60 series will revel in the beauty of the British Isles and leave viewers with a new perspective on the nation s favourite beauty spots. Rory Bremner s Great British Views is an ITV Studios Shiver Production for ITV Daytime. The Series Producer is Julie Bradshaw and Executive Producer is Andrew Nicholson. 2

3 Interview with Rory Bremner Tell us about your new series? It s a journey around Britain, looking for the most spectacular views - taking in the natural beauty of our mountains, lakes and coastlines and the fascinating history of our cities and castles. Along the way I get to meet people who live and work in the midst of some of our finest scenery. I was lucky enough to do so many fantastic things I went to the top of the Forth Rail Bridge, saw the workings of Big Ben, swam around Brighton Pier, shovelled coal from the footplate of a steam engine, rowed the Thames with Olympic Champions, made haggis, gingerbread, chocolate and ice- cream (not on the same plate), danced at Blackpool Tower, sailed the Cornish Coastline and sat in a giant Jacuzzi with the former Mayor of Bath. It just doesn t get any better than that. In the series we learn the history of the areas you visit and the people that currently live and work there. Can you let us know if there were any facts that you learnt about our countryside that has really stuck in your mind? I was struck by the extraordinary variety of our countryside - so many different landscapes on a relatively small island. But it was the common threads that were so fascinating - the influence of men like William the Conqueror and Capability Brown, the astonishing effects of the Industrial Revolution which brought the first factories to Derbyshire and the first railways to Britain s seaside towns, or the extraordinary geological forces that created Cheddar Gorge and the magical network of caves beneath the Peak District. The two most striking discoveries for me were the role of the Industrial Revolution in transforming Britain and the mind- blowing story of the geological forces that shaped the land beneath us. I had no idea that, millions of years ago, Britain was actually on the equator. The evidence is still there. The weather, alas, isn t. Were there any particular characters that you met along the way that have inspired you in anyway? Many. Perhaps the most moved I felt was listening to, and singing with, a Welsh Male Voice Choir - it s a sound that comes deep down in their tradition and their culture. The tragic story of Eyam in the Peak District - the village that cut itself off from the rest of the world as its residents died of the Great Plague was desperately sad, and given a poignant twist by the tale of one of their descendants. In Blackpool, seeing people, young and old, dancing in the famous ballroom brought back memories and admiration for the older participants, and the 3

4 sight of the empty lifeboat station at Penlee in Cornwall, its crew all lost on the night of December 19, 1981, affected me deeply. I was also inspired by people like the 80- year old, crippled with arthritis, who still swims in the sea at Brighton every day, and the Land Girl from Yorkshire of about the same age who kept the country fed in the desperate days after the war. You drive around the United Kingdom in a beautiful vintage Morgan, how pleasurable was that? There s no doubt it was a head- turner and always fun to drive a classic British sports car, but bearing in mind we went over cobbled streets in places like Edinburgh and Bath, it certainly rattled most of the fillings out of my teeth. Also I m 6 ft 1, and it s designed for people of about 5 6, so I had to devise my own way of climbing in and out, which involved adopting the press- up position beside the car, facing backwards, and rolling sideways into the seat. Much easier on the warm days when the top was down and I could just jump in. During the series you get to experience the tourist trail for each area. What was the most fun you had doing this and do you personally avoid the tourist traps and endeavour to find your own enjoyment in areas you visit? I had a ball pretty much everywhere. Each day, each place was different - from barefoot hiking in the Lakes to sea swimming in Scarborough, Morris Dancing in Cornwall or riding the Pepsi Max ride at Blackpool. There s a reason theses places are tourist attractions - but it goes without saying that the real charm is off the beaten track. One of the greatest views was high up above a slate mine at Honiston in the Lakes their little treasure as they described it. And Port Sunlight, near Liverpool, was a wonderful, peaceful oasis less than ten miles from the heart of Liverpool. What was your own personal favourite view that you visited during the series and why? It s honestly impossible to single one out, and the weather obviously played its part. But my own highlights included Walter Scott s View over the River Tweed near my own home in the Scottish Borders; the Lake District - not just Grasmere but the view across Derwent Water; Rhossili Bay in South Wales; and North Wales - the view over the Menai Straits, with Thomas Telford s amazing bridge in the foreground and Snowdonia in the background. 4

5 What is it about Britain that you love so much? Britain s geography and geology give us a unique variety of landscapes. Being an island, we have bays, inlets, harbours, beaches and cliffs; inland, there are the mountains of Scotland, Cumbria and Wales and the hills and open skies of the Borders, the Peak District and Cornwall. Our eventful history, and the centuries of rivalry and conquest, have given us scores of castles, and the story of Britain - from the Middle Ages, through the Industrial Revolution to the present day - is told in our cities - from the narrow streets of Medieval York to the Georgian elegance of Bath and Edinburgh, the commercial pride of Liverpool s Waterfront or London itself, with Big Ben and the new Shard building sharing views of the Thames. It s really all there. The views are just the start; it s the story behind that I loved to discover. Do you have a passion in particular for travelling and do you have a favourite holidaying destination to visit? I love travelling and spend a lot of time in the Scottish Borders and on tour in some of the less- travelled towns around England and Wales. What was the highlight of the series for you? There were quite a few. Standing beside Big Ben as the mighty bell chimed, rowing on the Thames with two double Olympic Champions and swimming round Brighton Pier were just some of them. Can you tell us about anything else you are working on at the moment? Preparing for a new Radio 4 series and a play with Trevor Nunn - my first theatre role since leaving university thirty years ago. EPISODES 1-5 INFORMATION BELOW. 5

6 Rory Bremner s Great British Views - episode information: April 2013 Monday 15 April 2013 The Lakes In the first episode of this new series, Rory goes in search of the very best view in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. Along the way he learns some important survival skills, and tries out the aphrodisiac qualities of Grasmere gingerbread before taking a barefoot stroll with a foxy shepherdess. Luckily when he reaches the home of Beatrix Potter his impersonation of a sheepdog has them flocking Tuesday 16 April 2013 South Wales Today Rory Bremner s mission to find the best of British views sees him in South Wales. At Cardiff Castle he finds the interior decor jaw dropping. Rory takes a walk through Welsh history at an open- air museum, and on the Gower Peninsula he turns his hand to some new skills, surfing, archery and ice- cream making inventing his own new flavour - Knickerbocker Rory. Wednesday 17 April 2013 York Rory s mission to find the best of British views takes him to York, where he takes a ride on a bus with two fast talking sisters, it s a double act on a double decker. And later, he s a waiter. He serves up a storm at a famous tearoom, until he hits trouble with a fondant fancy. Later he drops in for a pint at a haunted pub but his spirits rise after a visit to York Minster. Thursday 18 April 2013 Cheddar Gorge Rory s mission to find the best of British views takes him to Cheddar Gorge. On a visit to a local cider maker he gets an eyeful and a skinful! He finds a lot to shout about in the town of Wells when he becomes a town crier. He goes on safari at Longleat where he has a lunch date with a gorilla and ends his day getting all cheesy as he tries his hand at making Cheddar. Friday 19 April 2013 Oxford Rory visits Oxford where he gets a very early start - messing about on the river in the company of two Olympic gold medalists. In the oldest shoe shop in Oxford he puts his best foot forward as he tries his hand at shoemaking. His jaw drops when he experiences the splendour of Blenheim Palace but when he goes on the trail of Inspector Morse he gets a clue as to what will be his favourite view. 6

The Eden Project The Eden Project in Cornwall consists of two biomes that include plants from many different climates and environments.

The Eden Project The Eden Project in Cornwall consists of two biomes that include plants from many different climates and environments. The Angel of the North This steel sculpture is 20 metres tall and