The Real Marigold Hotel

The Real Marigold Hotel
GenreTravel documentary
Narrated byTom Hollander
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series4
No. of episodes15
Production
Running time50–60 minutes
Production companyTwofour
Original release
Release26 January 2016 (2016-01-26) –
28 May 2020 (2020-05-28)

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 elderly 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.[1][2]

Episodes

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The Real Marigold Hotel

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Series Episodes Air date Participants Location Ref.
1 3 26 January – 9 February 2016 Miriam Margolyes, Sylvester McCoy, Wayne Sleep, Roy Walker, Rosemary Shrager, Bobby George, Patti Boulaye, Jan Leeming India, Jaipur [1][3][4]
2 4 15 February – 15 March 2017 Bill Oddie, Paul Nicholas, Rustie Lee, Sheila Ferguson, Amanda Barrie, Lionel Blair, Dennis Taylor, Miriam Stoppard India, Kochi
3 4 1 – 22 August 2018 Stanley Johnson, Selina Scott, Stephanie Beacham, Susan George, Bob Champion, Syd Little, Janette and Ian Tough, Peter Dean India, Udaipur
4 4 30 April – 28 May 2020 John Altman, Duncan Bannatyne, Susie Blake, Henry Blofeld, Barbara Dickson, Britt Ekland, Paul Chuckle, Zandra Rhodes India, Puducherry & Rishikesh

The Real Marigold on Tour

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Series Episode Air date Participants Location
1 1 27 December 2016 Miriam Margolyes, Wayne Sleep, Rosemary Shrager, Bobby George United States, Florida
2 30 December 2016 Japan, Kyoto
2 1 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 Mai
3 1 13 February 2019 Miriam Margolyes, Bobby George, Sheila Ferguson, Stanley Johnson Russia, Saint Petersburg
2 20 February 2019 Wayne Sleep, Paul Nicholas, Sheila Ferguson, Jan Leeming Argentina, 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

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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.[5] 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.[6]

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.[7] 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.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "The Real Marigold Hotel". Twofour. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  2. ^ "Television Reality And Constructed Factual in 2017". BAFTA. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  3. ^ a b Dowell, Ben (24 August 2017). "The Real Marigold on Tour gets a "bumper" BBC1 run". Radio Times. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  4. ^ "BBC: The Real Marigold Hotel". Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  5. ^ Delgado, Kasia (26 January 2016). "The Real Marigold Hotel might entice you to India — but you might want to leave Miriam Margolyes at home". Radio Times. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  6. ^ "BBC - The Real Marigold Hotel - series two - Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk.
  7. ^ Monahan, Mark (15 February 2017). "The Real Marigold Hotel was gentle and decidedly winning – series 2 review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
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