Patronising celebrity travellers.

I find these "celebrity" travel programmes a complete pain. I am interested in the countries they visit, but frankly not in them. They always have to pull some stunt - look at me I'm going to try getting in a canoe! - well whoopy-doo for you - I'd rather learn about the river you're in than watch you making a fool of yourself Mr/Ms/Mrs Celebrity.

She did a series about Cornwall which I was very much looking forward to as I used to live there but I stopped watching after the first one;it was so lightweight and predictable. I think travel programmes are a bit like interview type programmes; it looks easy but not many people can do them well [remember the Nigella Lawson one that disapeared withough trace very quickly]. As for India, a friend of mine goes there sometimes and I'm always saying how much I'd like to go but, on overhearing one of these conversations, another friend said to me at a later date it was not the place for me to go as I would be too upset by the poverty I would see there.

The most famous or infamous was Sandy Tostig on Alderney. The BBC had to apologise!

Trouble with all travelogues is they cannot show it all. Also there is an argument for showing a broader perspective of a country.. so not always showing starving children in Africa, street kids in India etc but showing a cross section of a society. This is sometimes to encourage tourism which is an important income for many places. It can be just as condescending to present the poverty image as being the image of developing countries. This has been a problem for charities as the general public becomes 'blind' to suffering.

I am sure many Americans think we are all living in quaint villages or London!

Don't we?

jeni not me I am afraid!

I really dont like any of what I call 'Blue Peter TV' where actors/celebrties present subject matter they no thing about . I am fed up with sports presenters on the news having to 'try out' every obscure sport, celebrity cooking shows, celebrity farming etc. Oh please can we just have experts in their field who know what they are doing. The last wildlife safari type programme was presented by Julia Bradbury ( a woman whose walking programms I have thoroughly enjoyed and the twit from Top Gear - ruined the programme and we tunred off. Bring back Big Cat Diary with proper wildlife experts.

What I would like to see is a balanced view of other countries, preferably without endless shots of the celebrity presenter. We know what they look like - we want to see what they are seeing.

Remember Kate Humble doing the Spice Trail, I think it was called.
It was inane.
Why not stick with those who are good at it? Like Louis Theroux?

TV companies think us viewers are so devoted to celebrities we won't watch the programmes unless they present them! Very patronising.

Although I did like Michael Palin's programmes & despite Sandi Tokvig's faux pas she is a good travel writer!

Definitely Louise Theroux for me - I believe he has got married this weekend and had his reception in a pub. Understated as always!

I love him, too. A very clever interviewer, as well as being entertaining!

I loved the one where Louis Theroux met an anti-Semitic red-neck American!

He just doles out the rope for them to hang themselves, doesn't he?

uk.news.yahoo.com/palin-urges-geography-field-trips-020619785.html Well said Michael Palin

Well put, when; it's what I was thinking but didn't know how to put words to it.