I will admit, I'm not normally a fan of travel shows, but Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father is very different to the usual 'nice' travel series' that you are all probably more familiar with.
While Jack Whitehall is very much the out going person who is happy to embrace anything new and different, his father, Michael, is very much the opposite. He is a typical grumpy old man that likes doing things his way and anything different, he is not happy about. In his own words, “A trip over Putney Bridge is quite an excursion”.
In the opening episode, Michael isn't even prepared to pack any shorts for his journey, but is happy to take a tie in case they "Visit an ambassador". He isn't even prepared to spend more than 5 minutes in the hostel that Jack has booked them in to, so checks himself into an elegant hotel with pools and spa's. Jack reluctantly follows his father and over dinner he asks him what he is looking forward to the most. His father, predictably, says "The wheels of the plane touching down when they return to Heathrow airport in the UK.
So, what is this travel series about? Well, Jack never did a Gap year when he was younger and so, has decided now is the time to do so. To keep him company, he has persuaded his father to join him on his travels across Asia, starting in Bangkok, then onto Phuket, Cambodia, Siem Reap and Hanoi over five weeks.
Having only watched the first episode so far, I know I'm going to really enjoy the next five just as much. It is a travel show with great humour, but it also shows the two of them bonding together as they check out ladyboys, elephant polo and a very amusing scene where Jack tries non-invasive cosmetic surgery, which involves him having his face vigorously slapped.
Here is a trailer for the series:
Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father gets a huge thumbs up from me and I highly recommend you check it out. All episodes are available to watch right now via Netflix.
Please, do share your thoughts and comments, below. I look forward to reading them.
Written by TonyMayhew on Sep 23, 2017
same, enjoying it so far.
still working my way through the series, most of them were quite funny.
Thought the one that you were teaching the monks new words, was a bit over the top, I am sure you could have filled that scene with something a little less distasteful.