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Episode 2

The group travel to India’s largest golden temple to explore Hinduism before taking a night train to Madurai to experience the sights and sounds of the Chithirai festival.

It is the group's second week in India, and the senior citizens have settled into their new home on the coast in Puducherry. Keen to find a cure for an old injury, Henry, accompanied by Paul, visits one of the region’s leading hospitals, where yoga is combined with western medicine. They join a regular therapy class, which ends with surprising results for Henry.

Meanwhile, John and Susie try their hand at cooking a traditional Tamil feast with the help of a local chef. There are a large number of dishes involved, and serving it up on banana leaves to the rest of the group proves extremely challenging, but is much appreciated by the others - for many of whom eating with their hands is a first.

Chuckle brother Paul decides to keep out of the kitchen, but braves the chaotic roads instead. He throws himself headlong into his first Indian driving lesson, and finds that the experience is completely different to driving in the UK.

Keen to explore the spiritual side of India and learn more about Hinduism, some of the group head to the city of Vellore to explore India’s largest golden temple, which is gilded with a ton and a half of real gold. Britt is overwhelmed by the cow prayers, and Zandra feels that retirement in India could bring real peace.

Later in the week, some of the group enjoy the challenge of India’s public transport when they catch the sleeper train to Madurai, the cultural heart of Tamil Nadu. But before embarking on their journey, they must find their way through southern India’s busiest station. Once in Madurai, they head to the famous Chithirai festival and rise to the spirit of the occasion by dressing up in traditional outfits.

58 minutes

Music Played

  • Shankar Mahadevan & Surjo Bhattacharya

    Thom Karuvil

  • Abhijeet Bhattacharya & Kavita Krishnamurthy

    Meri Jaane Jana

  • Indian Vibes

    Mathar

  • Baby Alice

    Heaven Is A Dancefloor (Dave Dee! Remix)

  • Mukesh

    Garv Jivan

Credits

RoleContributor
NarratorTom Hollander
ParticipantJohn Altman
ParticipantDuncan Bannatyne
ParticipantSusie Blake
ParticipantHenry Blofeld
ParticipantBarbara Dickson
ParticipantBritt Ekland
ParticipantPaul Chuckle
ParticipantZandra Rhodes
Series ProducerNaomi Templeton
Series ProducerBen Archard
Executive ProducerDavid Clews
Executive ProducerCaroline Davies
Production CompanyTwo Four Productions

Broadcasts

  • Thu 14 May 202021:00
  • Mon 18 May 202000:20
  • Mon 18 May 202000:50
  • Thu 4 Jun 202002:00
  • Tue 15 Mar 202216:15
  • Tue 15 Mar 202216:20
  • Tue 3 Jan 202316:15
  • Tue 12 Dec 202316:00
  • Tue 12 Dec 202317:00
  • Wed 28 Aug 202416:15

Meet the new celebrity residents

Meet the new celebrity residents

Find out who's heading to India to see if they could retire there.