Write Around The World on BBC 4

We liked it too, having read some of the books. My Brilliant Friend was a great tv prog.

I’ve binge watched all of it but, as per usual, because I watch it late at night, I’ve nodded off at times and need to rewatch it. Which won’t be a great hardship. It’s the sort of programme I can watch over and over again.

Yes very interesting what I’ve seen. Will definitely rewatch the bits I missed when my eyes were closed.

Lovely programmes. When people say “what’s wrong with just holidaying in beautiful Britain” I wonder how they could look at these programmes and not understand the desire to travel !

I really enjoyed the first programme and I'm looking forward to the next two. I'm also going to try and read the books mentioned. Hopefully if this series has a good response from viewers BBC4 might commission another series. I love Richard E Grant's presenting style as he is so enthusiastic about what he sees and eats he takes you with him on his journeys.

Really enjoyed it, it reminded me of what it's like to go to a place that's really different from home. Some of the books will be finding their way on to my reading list.

Richard E. Grant would be a great travelling companion. He sure enjoyed that pizza!

Thank you Soroptimum for flagging up this series.

I loved it. Going by the long library holding queues for some of the books he mentioned, particulary Carlo Levi's Christ Stopped at Eboli, so did many others.

I particularly enjoyed Richard E. Grant's exchange with the very enthusiastic Francesca Del Vecchio in Pompeii.

Programme one should definitely come with a warning to have pizza warming in the oven!

I'm already on to programme two with Cervantes and Dumas et al in Southern France.

Here's a link to the Open University site mentioned at the end of each programme:

www.open.edu/openlearn/tv-radio-events/tv/write-around-the-world#episode-details_26090

I loved it. I did think there was a bit of a twinkle in Richard. E. Grant's eye as he stayed in the best hotels and drove an open top car through. Italy. Talk about a dream job!

It’s a delightful programme, just the thing to watch on a dreary day. Richard E Grant a pleasure to listen to and the scenery is amazing, I will be putting some of the books on my reading list. Thanks for the recommendation.

Carol Drinkwater mentioned on Twitter that he comes to lunch at her Olive Farm in the french one. That should be interesting.

Having had my recent encounter with ticks I’m still freaking out about the guy from Genesis’s description of the ticks on his land ! I hadn’t heard of some of the books mentioned. I had no idea Carol Drinkwater now wrote books.

There’s a really interesting web chat with Carol Drinkwater on a Lockdown Book Festival that I’ve found. I’ll try to do a link. This lovely series is taking me on a journey in more ways than one!

Is it this one Maybee70?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7ONF0Kc2ik

Good to see Paul Blezard. I used to enjoy him hosting the now defunct OneWord digital radio station.

Yes. That’s the one. Thanks.

I'm really enjoying this. Intelligent, entertaining TV. I thought the BBC had forgotten to make it.

Just watched Episode 3 from Andalucia, such a beautiful place ,lovely people. Was lucky enough to spend some time in the Rhonda, such a sad history, and had read about the awful executions. Read for whom the Bell Tolls aged 15, will be reading again.

Very sorry to read that Joan Washington has died.
She was a film and celebrity dialect coach and the wife of
Richard E Grant.
The couple had been married for 35 years.

TOP Joan

So sorry, predictive text!!!!

RIP Joan

Very sad

Oh no. I so fell in love with him after watching the series and wanted him to live happily ever after. So sad. Poor man.

Soroptimum, thank you for the recommendation.
I loved episode one, it brought back memories of our visit to Naples, Pompeii and Positano, pre Covid., I have read the Neapolitan Trilogy, and watched the excellent TV version of My Beautiful Friend, but I did not know that the author's name is a pseudonym.
Now watching episode two.
I am impressed with Richard E. Grant's attempts at a Scottish accent when reading R.L.Stevenson, very good!
Looking forward to episode three, we love Andalucia, visited often pre Covid. We had a memorable day at Rondda.

R.I.P Joan.

I’ve just found a really good Michael Palin series about Hemingway on iplayer. Must have missed it first time round.

I'm enjoying the book series too. I wonder if he'll go to Russia? I love russian literature
And sad to read about the death of Richard's wife.