Pilgrimage on BBC Two has returned this spring, with a new three-episode season in which seven celebrities “follow in the footsteps” of Saint Columba (a crucial figure in early British Christianity) and embark on spiritual journeys of their own.
Their path takes them from the Republic of Ireland, to Northern Ireland, to Scotland as they explore their own relationships with faith.
But who’s taking part this time around? Meet the celebrity cast of Pilgrimage to the Scottish Isles.
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen
Faith: “Non-conforming pagan”
Interior designer and TV personality Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, who’s best known for appearing on Changing Rooms, believes that pilgrimage is about “clearing out your mental closet by physical exertion and conversation with yourself or, if you believe it, then conversation with your God”.
Monty Panesar
Faith: Practising Sikh
Monty Panesar, legendary international England cricketer, is “really interested to learn how Christianity evolved and also learn a bit about [himself]”.
Louisa Clein
Faith: Jewish
Louisa Clein, widely known for her role in the ITV soap Emmerdale, is “really looking forward to learning more about what being Jewish means” to her. Clein says it’s “been an amazing feeling to see my children learning Hebrew and learning the Bible stories and going to Synagogue”, especially considering the impact Judaism had on her mother’s life as a Holocaust survivor.
Nick Hewer
Faith: “Agnostic with Catholic roots”
Famous for his previous roles as Lord Alan Sugar’s advisor on The Apprentice and as a presenter on Channel 4’s Countdown, Nick Hewer is doing the pilgrimage because he wants “to know whether what the others believe in is genuine, and how they got there”.
Scarlett Moffatt
Faith: Christian
Scarlett Moffatt would describe herself as a “Christian, but not a strict Christian”, and said she’s doing the pilgrimage to be able to ‘answer with confidence’ what her religion is. Moffatt is a TV presenter, podcast host and social media influencer known for her role in the Channel 4 programme Gogglebox and for winning season 16 of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!.
Shazia Mirza
Faith: Muslim
Comedian, actress and writer Shazia Mirza is well known for her stand-up comedy The Kardashians Made Me Do It, along with her articles in The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph. Mirza is going on the pilgrimage in hopes that it “elevates [her] to a higher level of being [herself]”.
Will Bayley
Faith: “Lapsed Christian”
Table tennis Paralympian Will Bayley says of Pilgrimage: “I wouldn’t say I’m a Christian but I’d say I believe… this pilgrimage will push me absolutely to my limits.”
Pilgrimage: The Road to the Scottish Isles begins on Friday 8th April at 9pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
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