BBC2’s Pilgrimage has won a new 3×60 minute commission.
Pilgrimage: The Road through Portugal (w/t) takes seven well known personalities of differing faiths and beliefs on a personal journey along the northern route of the Fatima Way in Portugal.
The seven celebrity pilgrims taking part in Pilgrimage: The Road through Portugal (w/t) are actor Su Pollard, who was raised Church of England; Jewish actress Rita Simons; Pentecostal Born-Again Christian, Shane Lynch of Boyzone fame; reality TV star and influencer, Vicky Pattison, who is agnostic; Bobby Seagull, a practising Catholic, maths whizz and TV personality; Nabil Abdulrashid, a comedian and practising Muslim; and Paralympian skier Millie Knight, who is non-practising Church of England.
Their destination is the Sanctuary in the city of Fatima, where in 1917 three local shepherd children experienced several apparitions of the Virgin Mary. What was once a small village is now one of the biggest Catholic pilgrimage destinations in the world.
For the first time ever, the celebrity pilgrims are on a deadline: they need to arrive in time for a major celebration which ends with a spectacular night-time candlelit vigil, attended by nearly 70,000 pilgrims who have travelled from across the world to celebrate the story of the miraculous apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
Daisy Scalchi, BBC Head of Religion and Ethics, says: “Pilgrimage is a unique series, using travelogue as a way to explore conversations about faith and belief from a variety of perspectives, with the spirit of curiosity, respect and understanding. We see viewers’ appetite for programmes about belief, morality and spirituality is as strong as ever and Pilgrimage provides an extraordinary opportunity to bring these discussions to a wide audience.”
Caroline Matthews, Executive Producer and CEO, CTVC says: “The power of Pilgrimage is that you never know what experiences the celebrity pilgrims will have on their journey and this new series is no exception! Returning with a brilliant new cast, they physically dig deep, talk faith and ponder life’s big questions. As ever, stripped of their creature comforts, there is strong camaraderie, tears and a healthy dollop of humour to see them through their epic journey.”
Pilgrimage: The Road through Portugal (w/t) (3 x 60 minutes) is a CTVC production and has been commissioned by Daisy Scalchi, BBC Head of Religion and Ethnics. The series is Executive Produced by CTVC’s Caroline Matthews and Michele Kurland.
Jon Creamer
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