Joanna Lumley’s Spice Trail Adventure: an ‘uncynical’ celebrity travelogue
This four-episode series follows Lumley to Indonesia, Madagascar, India, Jordan and Zanzibar
![Joanna Lumley pictured sorting through ginger roots in Kochi, India](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XxjkvsbhWacu8opyVUTADL-415-80.png)
“As most of us are unlikely to be invited on holiday with Joanna Lumley any time soon, let us enjoy the next best thing,” said Anita Singh in The Daily Telegraph: an ITV series in which she travels through Indonesia, Madagascar, India, Jordan and Zanzibar, tracing the history of the spice trade.
“Celebrity travelogues are the scourge of television, but I will always make an exception for Lumley”, whose enthusiasm and manners never flag. “Look at this, a dear little cabin with my own kettle,” she beams aboard an unlovely ferry from an Indonesian port.
The bathroom, she adds, has “one of those nice buckets where you wash your bottom with a pipe”. Most stars would recoil in horror, but Lumley sighs contentedly: “Couldn’t be better.” She has “reasons to be cheerful”, of course – she’s on an all-expenses-paid trip – but her approach to her televised travels feels refreshingly “uncynical”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Lumley floats around looking lovely in linen, smiles charmingly and says “golly” a lot, said Ben Dowell in The Times. All this makes for very “soothing television”, but you do find yourself wondering if there could be a bit more insight.
Lumley is nothing if not game, said Lucy Mangan in The Guardian, and the producers are clearly aware that there is something a bit tricky about a “posh, white lady born in India under the Raj” presenting a tour of Britain’s former colonies: the historical controversies are alluded to. But the overall effect is still uneasy. Perhaps this kind of travelogue has just had its day.
Where to watch: ITVX
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Red Speedo: a 'darkly comic' doping drama
The Week Recommends Lucas Hnath's play stars Finn Cole as a 'reptilian' swimmer determined to win at all costs
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
One Aldwych: where London's creative spirit takes centre stage
The Week Recommends This five-star Covent Garden hotel is the epitome of elegant independence
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Charlotte Dujardin and equestrianism's dark side
In the Spotlight Olympic gold medallist and dressage star's suspension over horse whipping brings abuse in horse sports back into the spotlight
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
6 coastal homes in Cape Cod
Feature Featuring a wall of glass in Mashpee and an undulating roofline in Wellfleet
By The Week Staff Published
-
Peng Shepherd's 6 favorite works with themes of magical realism
Feature The author recommends works by Susanna Clarke, George Saunders, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Francis Alÿs: Ricochets – a 'heart-stopping' exhibition at London's Barbican
The Week Recommends 'Mesmerising' films of children at play around the world from Kharkiv to Mosul
By The Week UK Published
-
Mishal Husain: BBC journalist shares her six favourite books
The Week Recommends Newsreader and Radio 4 presenter picks works by Louisa May Alcott, Jamil Ahmad and more
By The Week UK Published
-
Eno: 'stimulating and cerebral' documentary that's never the same twice
The Week Recommends A 'fascinating' look at the mercurial British musician and activist Brian Eno
By The Week UK Published
-
Longlegs: 'nerve-jangling and devilishly bleak' horror film
The Week Recommends Nicolas Cage gives perhaps the most 'terrifying' performance of his career as the titular serial killer
By The Week UK Published
-
The CIA by Hugh Wilford: 'lively and original' history of America's spy agency
The Week Recommends The book has been dubbed a 'must-read' for those interested in intelligence and national-security affairs
By The Week UK Published
-
Laura van den Berg's 6 favorite books with hidden secrets
Feature The author recommends works by Patricia Lockwood, Gillian Flynn, and more
By The Week US Published