Miriam Margolyes (Professor Sprout from Harry Potter to you and me), is gliding stylishly to national treasure status. Yet judging from her scathing commentary on her adopted homeland in this entertaining travelogue, Margolyes is unlikely to be an international treasure anytime soon. Maybe that’s why she’s so entertaining.
In The Guardian Rebecca Nicholson says of Margolyes: “Her ability to ask whatever she wants to, no matter how unsparing, makes her explorations unique in a way that few travel presenters can muster.” And “the essence of her travel documentaries is simply the old saying that there’s nowt so queer as folk… her keenness to learn and understand those folk makes her programmes very much her own.” Hugo Rifkind in The Times writes, “She is, and I say this with affection and some awe, quite, quite mad.” He concludes his review, “She’s amazing, and so is her show, and you come away yearning for more of her company. Although not in person. God no. Eeek.” The Telegraph’s Michael Hogan says that “Time and again, Margolyes ventures way out of her comfort zone – armed only with her natural wit, hard-won wisdom, attentive listening skills and hefty dollop of chutzpah.”
There’s consensus that Margolyes is an acquired taste, but also that she is raucously refreshing, and that is as good a reason as any to tune in to this unusual exploration of the land Down Under.
First shown July 2020. You can watch the trailer by pressing play on the show image, or by clicking here.
