The Real Marigold Hotel gets a second outing for celeb pensioners’ jaunt to India
Adventurous eight spend a month in the country to see if it would suit them for retirement
THE Real Marigold Hotel will be back on telly for a second series after the heart-warming celebrity oldsters' jaunt to India was a surprise hit.
The documentary about eight pensioners trying out retirement living across the globe went down a storm with BBC2 audiences.
More than four million tuned in to watch the stars see if they would consider relocating to India, spending a month living in Jaipur in the North.
Actress Miriam Margolyes, news reader Jan Leeming, dancer Wayne Sleep and pals followed in the footsteps of 2011's smash film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel starring Dames Maggie Smith and Judi Dench.
The small-screen bunch of travellers also included actor Sylvester McCoy, chef Rosemary Shrager, Catchphrase host Roy Walker, darts player Bobby George and singer Patti Boulaye.
Their experiences of life in India made it BBC2's favourite factual show of 2016.
Memorable topics of conversation were Leeming on loneliness and Margolyes less movingly on farting.
Now the series has been grabbed by BBC1 which expects another hit on its hands in the New Year. The line-up will be entertainer Lionel Blair, TV cook Rustie Lee, singer Sheila Ferguson, presenter Bill Oddie, snooker ace Dennis Taylor, TV's Dr Miriam Stoppard, actress Amanda Barrie and actor Paul Nicholas.
This time around the bunch head for Kochi in South West India.
BBC content boss Charlotte Moore called the four-parter a “perfect fit” for BBC1. She said: “The first series was a big hit that connected with viewers in a really heart-warming way. It was entertaining whilst enlightening, celebrating a universal subject."
BBC2 editor Patrick Holland waved it out with: “Who would have thought that a show about retirement would become such a hit with audiences young and old?"
Four of this year's Real Marigold Hotel stars will be in a BBC2 two-part Christmas special to eye up retirement in Florida and Japan.
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