The Real Marigold Hotel (known in Australia as The Indian Dream Hotel) is a British travel documentary series created by Twofour productions, directed by Aparna Sanyal and broadcast on BBC One and BBC Two. The show, whose name is based on the film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, follows senior celebrities as they travel around India and experience the culture. In 2017, the show was nominated for a BAFTA in the category of Best Reality and Constructed Factual.
Episodes The Real Marigold Hotel SeriesEpisodesAir dateParticipantsLocation 1 3 26 January – 9 February 2016Miriam Margolyes, Sylvester McCoy, Wayne Sleep, Roy Walker, Rosemary Shrager, Bobby George, Patti Boulaye, Jan LeemingIndia, Jaipur 2 4 15 February – 15 March 2017Bill Oddie, Paul Nicholas, Rustie Lee, Sheila Ferguson, Amanda Barrie, Lionel Blair, Dennis Taylor, Miriam StoppardIndia, Kochi 3 4 1 – 22 August 2018Stanley Johnson, Selina Scott, Stephanie Beacham, Susan George, Bob Champion, Syd Little, Janette and Ian Tough, Peter DeanIndia, Udaipur 4 4 30 April – 28 May 2020John Altman, Duncan Bannatyne, Susie Blake, Henry Blofeld, Barbara Dickson, Britt Ekland, Paul Chuckle, Zandra Rhodes India, Puducherry & Rishikesh
The Real Marigold on Tour SeriesEpisodeAir dateParticipantsLocation11 27 December 2016Miriam Margolyes, Wayne Sleep, Rosemary Shrager, Bobby George United States, Florida 2 30 December 2016 Japan, Kyoto21 4 December 2017 China, Chengdu 2 11 December 2017 Miriam Margolyes, Wayne Sleep, Jan Leeming, Bobby George Cuba, Havana 3 20 December 2017 Sheila Ferguson, Rustie Lee, Paul Nicholas, Dennis Taylor Iceland, Reykjavík 4 31 December 2017 Rosemary Shrager, Sheila Ferguson, Paul Nicholas, Dennis Taylor Thailand, Chiang Mai31 13 February 2019Miriam Margolyes, Bobby George, Sheila Ferguson, Stanley JohnsonRussia, Saint Petersburg 2 20 February 2019 Wayne Sleep, Paul Nicholas, Sheila Ferguson, Jan LeemingArgentina, Buenos Aires 3 27 February 2019 Wayne Sleep, Rosemary Shrager, Stephanie Beacham, Syd Little Vietnam, Hanoi 4 6 March 2019 Rosemary Shrager, Paul Nicholas, Janette and Ian Tough Mexico, Guadalajara & Ajijic
Reception First aired on BBC Two, the series was described as heart-warming by The Independent and credited by The Daily Telegraph as exposing the contrasting perceptions of ageism in India and the United Kingdom. The Radio Times called it funny and charming. The show was nominated for a BAFTA award for Best Reality and Constructed Factual. The first series was the highest rating factual series on BBC Two in 2016 with an average of 4.1 million and a 13.6 per cent share. It was also awarded a prestigious Rose d’Or Award for Reality and Factual Entertainment, a Grierson Award for Constructed Documentary Series, and a Broadcast Award for Popular Factual programme.
After the popularity of the first series, the show's second series was moved to BBC One where it continued to receive mostly positive reviews despite a different cast of celebrities. After the series ended, a new series named The Real Marigold on Tour was commissioned which saw celebrities travel to Florida and Japan. A second series was also produced which was broadcast at the end of 2017 with celebrities visiting China, Cuba, Iceland and Thailand.
See also Arvind Singh Mewar
References
External links