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  • 2009-11-10T20:00:00Z
  • 30m
  • 1h 30m (3 episodes)
Millions and millions of people come to Britain. It is a fabulous destination and we’re so busy roaring off in aircrafts, getting tans and sitting on beaches abroad, we have no idea what it’s like for people to come here and just think ‘Wow, what an amazing place.’” John Sergeant John Sergeant is returning to his roots as a tour guide in a brand new, three-part factual series for ITV1. ‘John Sergeant On The Tourist Trail’ follows him on a celebratory journey around Britain, where he meets tourists of all nationalities who visit the UK for a huge variety of reasons. John joins tourist parties on their visits to Britain and learns about the quirks of different nationalities as he ‘looks at them looking at us’. John follows die-hard fans of The Beatles on a tour of John Lennon’s old house, joins the thousands of German bikers who travel to the Isle Of Man every year and meets an American family as they explore their Scottish ancestry at Edinburgh castle. He spends an afternoon punting along ‘The Backs’ of Cambridge, discovers what draws the Japanese to the Lake District and revisits his childhood home for the first time in 30 years. Over the course of three months, John travels all over the UK to find out why 32 millions tourists visit Britain every year. ‘John Sergeant On The Tourist Trail’ is brand new and exclusive to ITV1. Tuesdays from 10th November at 8pm. A Mentorn Production for ITV1. Each year millions of tourists visit Britain for a huge variety of reasons and a host of surprising destinations. Festivals, medieval battles, niche museums, beautiful gardens, haunted castles, ancient highlands, a royal family, breathtaking scenery, luxurious hotel rooms and famous Britons cause tourists to flock to the UK in their droves every year. John delves into the history of the British Isles and the famous individuals and legendary figures who bring tourists to our shores including Jane Austen, Sherlock Holmes, Robin Hood an

3 episodes

Series Premiere

2009-11-10T20:00:00Z

1x01 Green & Pleasant Land

Series Premiere

1x01 Green & Pleasant Land

  • 2009-11-10T20:00:00Z30m

John Sergeant joins a host of foreign tourists who have come to Britain to enjoy our great outdoors. He tags along with a coach load of gardening fanatics from California who have travelled to the beautiful gardens of RHS Wisley in Surrey, to breathe in the scent of the English rose. The group then enjoys a traditional English garden party complete with Pimms, scones and a game of croquet.

Next, John joins thousands of Germans as they invade the Isle of Man for the annual TT (tourist trophy) motorcycle race. He discovers why they love to return to Britain year after year, despite bringing all their own food and litres of German beer.

John then goes monster hunting on Loch Ness and tries to understand why tourists delight in running screaming into the icy waters of the Loch.

John travels to the Lake District with a group of Japanese tourists. Despite the beauty of their surroundings, they have not come to the UK to enjoy the scenery. They are here to pay homage to Peter Rabbit, as massive fans of Beatrix Potter. And a dance festival in Wales sees John meet a group of tourists from Java who have travelled to the Eisteddfod festival. He just can’t help but join in which they perform some of their traditional music.

Finally, John gives his own tour to some of the German bikers, which has a personal significance. He revisits the idyllic village of Great Tew in the Cotswolds where he spent his childhood and wanders round his old family home for the first time in 30 years.

2009-11-17T20:00:00Z

1x02 Kings & Castles

1x02 Kings & Castles

  • 2009-11-17T20:00:00Z30m

John joins a host of foreign tourists who have come to Britain to enjoy our royalty, history and traditions. He finds out why they are so keen to see the Trooping of the Colour before joining a group of American ladies who have travelled all the way to the UK for Ascot’s Ladies Day. With their expectations based on classic scenes from My Fair Lady, they find an event which isn’t quite as ‘classy’ as they were hoping.

John joins the Edwards family from Orlando to stay overnight in Chillingham Castle, reputedly the most haunted castle in the world. He find out why such a scary ordeal draws tourists from the other side of the world.

Next on John’s tourist trail is a visit to the Royal Suite at The Lanesborough in London where wealthy tourists stay if they want to live like a king. The huge rooms face out towards Buckingham Palace, so the location is as exclusive as they come. The £7500 a night suite provides a home from home for Middle Eastern royals, American billionaires, Russian oligarchs and Hollywood stars.

John joins a group of French tourists who have packed armour and swords rather than guidebooks and cameras. They are at a field in Gloucestershire to re-enact one of Britain’s most famous battles – the War of the Roses, which decided who our Royal family would be.

We then go north of the border as John joins the Henderson family from North Carolina who are over on holiday in Edinburgh to search for their Scottish roots. John arranges for the family to march in the Gathering Of the Clans.

And John takes in Cambridge’s rich history with a host of nationalities - while having a go at punting. Over four million visitors a year come to Cambridge and see its waterways and beautiful ancient buildings, as typical of Britain’s stunning heritage.

2009-11-24T20:00:00Z

1x03 Land of Heroes

1x03 Land of Heroes

  • 2009-11-24T20:00:00Z30m

John joins a host of foreign tourists who come to Britain to pay homage to our national heroes; from the Beatles to Sherlock Holmes. John takes a magical mystery tour around Liverpool, taking in John Lennon’s house and the inspiration for the song ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’.

John then joins the Janneson family from Holland who are attending a festival in Nottingham to pay homage to Robin Hood. It’s the sixteenth year running that they have attended and they are playing for free as musicians at the festival, due to their love of the Robin Hood story.

Sherlock Holmes attracts tourists from from France, Switzerland and Japan and John joins them for a murder mystery evening on Dartmoor, dressing for the part as ‘Doctor Mortimer’.

And finally he becomes Mr Darcy for a group of American ladies who have travelled over to the UK to experience the world of Jane Austen. To their delight they also take part in a 19th century style dance, made famous through the screen adaptations of Austen’s novels.

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