The critically acclaimed Pilgrimage series is back on BBC Two and iPlayer this Easter with a new three-part series. This time, seven well-known personalities with different faiths and beliefs, meet in northern Portugal to tackle a modern-day Catholic pilgrimage.
Su Pollard:
“The greatest thing that came out of it was joy. And I think that’s what life should be about. The most marvellous moment was when we went to a convent, and we spoke to this nun behind a wall of bars. And she was just the happiest I’ve ever seen. It was all fabulous. It was just a great experience. I’m very, very glad I did it, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Travelling by foot, road and train, Hi De Hi star Su Pollard, who was raised Church of England; Jewish former EastEnders regular 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, will live as pilgrims.
Following Portugal’s Northern Way, their destination is the famous Sanctuary in the city of Fatima, where in 1917, three local shepherd children reported seeing apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
Word of the apparent sightings soon spread and on the date of the Virgin’s last apparition, tens of thousands of people were drawn to the site. What they saw that day became known as the Miracle of the Sun, and the story made international news. Fatima, once a small village, is now one of the biggest Catholic pilgrimage destinations in the world.
They begin their adventure in the border town of Valenca, and over 14 days the celebrity pilgrims will follow the 364-kilometre path as it winds its way south through stunning landscapes, passing places of historical and cultural interest. Carrying their own backpacks, they will sleep in simple pilgrim hostels, a basic campsite, as well as a working fire station.
Shane Lynch:
“It’s given me more interest in God and doing another pilgrimage. I’d even go back on the Northern Way, because I liked it. And I definitely came home after two weeks of peace, with a sense of peace, which was lovely. I’ve never felt that peace before.”
For the first time ever in this fifth series, the celebrity pilgrims are on a deadline: they need to arrive at the Sanctuary in time for a major celebration with a spectacular night-time candlelit procession, attended by tens of thousands of pilgrims who have travelled from across the world to celebrate the story of the miraculous apparitions of the Virgin Mary. But will they all make it?
Fridays at 9pm on BBC Two & BBC iPlayer from 7 April 2023. All three episodes will be available on the iPlayer from April 7.
