ZapGossip

Seven celebs take on pilgrimage to Istanbul for BBC show

Seven celebrities will live as pilgrims for BBC’s ‘Pilgrimage: The Road To Istanbul’.
The upcoming third series of the show will see Adrian Chiles, Edwina Currie, Fatima Whitbread, Mim Shaikh, Amar Latif, Dom Joly and Pauline McLynn travel on an ancient military route to the historic city of Istanbul to live as pilgrims.
The route to the city was transformed into a modern day path-of-peace 10 years ago to promote tolerance for all faiths and cultures.
‘Pilgrimage’ will see the star-studded line-up don backpacks and walking boots as they follow the untrodden route starting in Serbia’s capital city Belgrade.
Along the way, they’ll stay in basic hostels and sleep in shared dorms throughout Bulgaria and the mountainous Balkans, before crossing the border into Turkey, hoping to reach Istanbul and the magnificent Suleymaniye Mosque.
They will have just two weeks to cover 1,000 kilometres, whilst taking time out to visit historical monuments and buildings, and witness how religions have clashed over centuries.
Daisy Scalchi, BBC Commissioning Editor, Religion said: "’Pilgrimage’ is a wonderful series that brings the conversations around spirituality and faith to a wide audience in an engaging and personal way. The range of beliefs and backgrounds of all seven pilgrims, with their similarities and differences, show that the questions at the heart of religion are relevant to all of us, regardless of faith.
"This new three part series for BBC Two is an uplifting, emotional, thought-provoking journey of self-discovery with insights into the different ways we all approach life."
The first series saw Neil Morrissey, Debbie McGee, Ed Byrne, Heather Small, Kate Bottley, Raphael Rowe and JJ Chalmers arrive in Biarritz and make their way to Santiago.
Series two featured eight celebs – including Les Dennis and Stephen K Amos – head to Rome.