Take a Hike
Contents |
Host
Narrator:
Rhod Gilbert (2021)
Robert Pugh (2023)
Broadcast
Cardiff Productions for BBC Two, 13 September 2021 to 20 January 2023 (30 episodes in 2 series)
Synopsis
Each week, five walking enthusiasts take it in turns to lead a hike. They'll be marked by the other walkers, assessing the route, views, the picnic they've provided, and any other attractions they might like to lay on. The prize? £500 voucher for outdoor gear plus a "coveted" golden walking stick.
Five go wandering in Northumbria.
Every half-hour show follows the walkers along their walk: a five-mile wander through rugged country, or along the beach. A gentle pace ensures the group stays together, and can chat amongst themselves.
As the week progresses, we find out a little bit more about each competitor. Who is more interested in looking good than walking sensibly? Who has made their own picnic and who phoned out for fish 'n' chips? Everyone's got their reason for choosing this walk, and this route, and has a moment on BBC2 to explain their choice.
Rhod Gilbert is the narrator, a practiced comedian who knows when to crack a gag and when to let the walkers make their own fun.
Going through Hadrian's Wall.
For casual viewers, the highlight of the show can be the entertainments - one week included a fashion show in the middle of a forest, an impromptu Spice Girls concert on the seafront, and a sheepdog trial with the walkers as sheep and dog.
Each day's walk gets marked out of ten, the highest total score wins the coveted walk of the week. Scoring was tweaked in the second series, as there was felt to be too much emphasis on the ancillary items - food and entertainment - and not enough on the walk. Ramblers were now asked to concentrate on the views, the difficulty of the walk, and the leader's hosting skills and local knowledge. There was a change in narrator, too; at the time the second series was announced, Rhod Gilbert was undergoing treatment for cancer, and was replaced by Robert Pugh.
Inventor
Based on Am Dro!, a Welsh show that had been running (well, walking) since 2020.
Trivia
The first two weeks aired at 6:30pm, with It Takes Two knocking the last week back to 7pm. The second series aired at 6.30, except for episode two, which aired at 7pm after the first, which had been delayed due to bank holiday schedules.
