TV preview: The Real Marigold Hotel

The travel series The Real Marigold Hotel returns for a brand new Indian adventure.
By The Newsroom
Published 8th Feb 2017, 23:00 BST
Updated 28th Feb 2017, 11:37 BST
TUT-TUT MEETS TUKTUK: From left, Amanda Barrie, Paul Nicholas, Bill Oddie, Lionel Blair, Dr Miriam Stoppard, Rustie Lee, Dennis Taylor and Sheila Ferguson in the new series of The Real Marigold Hotel.TUT-TUT MEETS TUKTUK: From left, Amanda Barrie, Paul Nicholas, Bill Oddie, Lionel Blair, Dr Miriam Stoppard, Rustie Lee, Dennis Taylor and Sheila Ferguson in the new series of The Real Marigold Hotel.
TUT-TUT MEETS TUKTUK: From left, Amanda Barrie, Paul Nicholas, Bill Oddie, Lionel Blair, Dr Miriam Stoppard, Rustie Lee, Dennis Taylor and Sheila Ferguson in the new series of The Real Marigold Hotel.

Starring a delightful new cast of well-known senior citizens – entertainer Lionel Blair, actress Amanda Barrie, snooker champion Dennis Taylor, TV personality Rustie Lee, Doctor Miriam Stoppard, presenter Bill Oddie, singer Sheila Ferguson and actor Paul Nicholas.

The four-part series sees the group travel thousands of miles to make a new home in Kochi, a city in the south-west Indian state of Kerala. Inspired by, but otherwise unrelated to the blockbuster film, the series documents the authentic experience of the eight characters living out their golden years, to test whether they can set up a more rewarding retirement than in the UK.

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As they adjust to life in India and to living together, initially the group members all have different opinions on their new surroundings. Rustie and Miriam seem charmed by their first days here, while Paul, Bill and Dennis rise to the challenge with humour. However, Lionel, the oldest member at 87, finds dealing with the realities of living in India unsettling.

Sheila is keen to make sure she gets what she wants out of the trip. Paul takes her to try out an Ayurvedic massage which she finds profoundly calming and it triggers a positive shift in how Sheila feels about the whole experience.

The Real Marigold Hotel, BBC1, Wednesday, 9pm