'Ireland With Simon Reeve' Commissioned

BBC Two has announced a new series, Ireland With Simon Reeve, as part of a new Religion & Ethics commission. The 2x60' series will follow Reeve as he travels around the north and south of Ireland and explores how centuries of history, politics and religious, have shaped life in the country and how it still affects people today.

Following a similar style of Simon's previous documentaries for BBC Religion & Ethics (Pilgrimage With Simon Reeve; Sacred Rivers), he will uncover a place of myths and spirituality, and where identity and values are still being discovered in a multicultural region where communities no longer just define themselves along Protestant and Catholic lines.

Commenting on the series, Simon said: "I really hadn't travelled much in Ireland before starting this journey, so the whole experience was a complete eye-opener. It's a stunning place to visit, packed with extraordinary history, wonderfully welcoming people, and spectacular landscapes. Unlike almost all the other telly travellers who've been there in recent decades, I'm not Irish – I don't even have an Irish auntie. But that was part of why I wanted to go: there's nowhere closer that I understood less.

"So I set out on a journey around the whole island. I felt at home there, but it also felt exotic. It's close to where I'm from, but still far away. My trip taught me a huge amount about the place, and I think I understand a bit more now about Ireland's complex history and ongoing challenges. I loved the place, and I loved the Irish – north and south. They were endlessly funny and patient when dealing with a daft outsider asking daft questions."

Ireland with Simon Reeve is produced by in-house BBC Religion & Ethics. The series producer is Dominic Ozanne and the executive producer is David Upshal. The series is due to air on BBC Two later this year.

Aaqil Ahmed, Head of BBC Religion & Ethics and commissioner for the Ireland series, added: "David is an excellent addition to our team and brings with him a wealth of TV experience and knowledge. I've been lucky to work with David on a number of projects over the years and I am really excited about working with him more closely and benefiting from his creative talents and ideas.

"This latest project is a real challenge as it's a subject most people have never really thought about – yet it's so close to home. Simon and the team have delivered an exciting series and it's exactly where religion should be – explaining how we got to where we are today, in this case the making of modern Ireland and Britain's often challenging relationship with it."

Image: Simon Reeve at Malin Head, Co Donegal, Ireland's most northerly point. Photo courtesy of BBC Media Centre.

www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre

(JP)