BBC Two Brings Back Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage is returning to BBC Two and iPlayer this spring with a new 3×1-hour season.

Pilgrimage: The Road through Portugal (w.t.) takes seven well-known personalities of differing faiths and beliefs on a personal journey along the northern route of the Fatima Way in Portugal.

The seven celebrity pilgrims taking part in Pilgrimage: The Road through Portugal (w.t.) are actor Su Pollard, who was raised Church of England; Jewish actress Rita Simons; Pentecostal Born-Again Christian Shane Lynch of Boyzone fame; reality TV star and influencer Vicky Pattison, who is agnostic; Bobby Seagull, a practicing Catholic, maths whizz and TV personality; Nabil Abdulrashid, a comedian and practicing Muslim; and Paralympian skier Millie Knight, who is non-practicing Church of England.

For the first time, the celebrity pilgrims are on a deadline: they need to arrive in time for a major celebration that culminates with a night-time candlelit vigil attended by nearly 70,000 pilgrims who have traveled from across the world to celebrate the story of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary.

Daisy Scalchi, BBC’s head of religion and ethics, said: “Pilgrimage is a unique series, using travelogue as a way to explore conversations about faith and belief from a variety of perspectives, with the spirit of curiosity, respect and understanding. We see viewers’ appetite for programs about belief, morality and spirituality is as strong as ever, and Pilgrimage provides an extraordinary opportunity to bring these discussions to a wide audience.”

Caroline Matthews, executive producer and CEO of CTVC, said: “The power of Pilgrimage is that you never know what experiences the celebrity pilgrims will have on their journey, and this new series is no exception! Returning with a brilliant new cast, they physically dig deep, talk faith and ponder life’s big questions. As ever, stripped of their creature comforts, there is strong camaraderie, tears and a healthy dollop of humor to see them through their epic journey.”