The Real Marigold Hotel

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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

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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.

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