The Real Marigold Hotel

Original version

BBC One region covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

BBC One East Midlands

Documentaries

Factual

A group of celebrities see if they can have a better retirement in India than in the UK.

A group of celebrities travel to India to see whether retirement would be more rewarding there than in the UK.

Series 4

BBC Two

Simulcast of network BBC One in high definition. From 03/11/2010

BBC One HD

BBC One London

London

BBC One Yorks & Lincs

BBC One Yorkshire

BBC One West Midlands

BBC One Channel Islands

The BBC East region started on 1st May 1959 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One East.

BBC One East

BBC One Oxfordshire

Simulcast of BBC One Northern Ireland in high definition. From 24/10/2012

BBC One Northern Ireland HD

BBC One North West

The BBC South region started on 5th January 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South.

BBC One South

BBC One Wales

Wales

BBC Northern Ireland region started on 19th April 1955 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One Northern Ireland.

BBC One Northern Ireland

The BBC North East & Cumbria region started in 1959 (tbc) as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One North East & Cumbria.

BBC One North East & Cumbria

Simulcast of BBC One Scotland in high definition. From 14/01/2013

BBC One Scotland HD

The BBC South West region started on 20th April 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South West.

BBC One South West

BBC One Cambridgeshire

BBC One Scotland

Scotland

Simulcast of BBC One Wales in high definition. From 29/01/2013

BBC One Wales HD

Formerly part of a wider BBC One South East region that included London and part of the South region. Separated from BBC One London 2001-09-03 following reorganisation of the South East region.

BBC One South East

The BBC West region started on 1st September 1957 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One West.

BBC One West

Simulcast of network BBC Two in high definition.

BBC Two HD

BBC Two England

England

Simulcast of BBC Two Wales in high definition

BBC Two Wales HD

BBC Two Northern Ireland

Until 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales (analogue) was known simply as BBC Two Wales. BBC Two Wales (digital) was BBC 2W. From 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales schedules on both analogue and digital became identical

BBC Two Wales

Simulcast of BBC Two Northern Ireland in high definition

BBC Two Northern Ireland HD

Tom Hollander

John Altman

Duncan Bannatyne

Susie Blake

Henry Blofeld

Barbara Dickson

Britt Ekland

Paul Chuckle

Zandra Rhodes

Naomi Templeton

Ben Archard

David Clews

Caroline Davies

Two Four Productions

The Real Marigold Hotel: Series 4: Episode 2

Episode 2

BBC One - The Real Marigold Hotel, Series 4, Episode 2

The group take a night train to Madurai to attend the famous Chithirai festival.

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.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Real Marigold Hotel

Series 4

Episode 2

Contributors

Genres

Formats

Brand

Series

BBC One East Midlands

About BBC One