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00:01The spectacular landscapes of North East England.
00:05Oh, my God, look at this view!
00:08A cradle of English Christianity,
00:11from where a new faith spread throughout England and beyond.
00:16As soon as you see that cross, you know you're in good hands.
00:19It's here that seven celebrities are forging their very own pilgrimage.
00:24Wow, look at this!
00:27Among them, a pilgrim with a strong Christian faith.
00:31We do have a path that I believe God intends for us,
00:36and I think part of the journey of life is seeing if you can find it.
00:42An observant Muslim.
00:44There's a line in Frasier where he says,
00:46ethics is what we do when no one's looking.
00:48That chimes in with Islam.
00:49Everything you do should be to please Allah,
00:52and that makes you a better person.
00:54And a self-proclaimed a la carte Catholic.
00:57I take the best bits of Catholicism.
01:01I love the service and the pomp and the circumstance of it all.
01:05I believe the power of prayer.
01:08They'll trace the footprint of legendary Celtic Christian saints
01:11from the 7th century.
01:13That's the most beautiful view I've ever seen in my life.
01:16Before arriving at their final destination, the holy island of Lindisfarne.
01:20Some people think this is the holiest place in England.
01:25Over 12 days.
01:26Oh, God!
01:28There will be challenges.
01:29It is really slippery.
01:31You're like my carer.
01:33Realizations.
01:34We have very different views, don't we?
01:36And tears.
01:37For the first time, I feel like I belong somewhere.
01:40It's a common pilgrimage, they said.
01:43Come on, Patsy!
01:44I'm coming!
01:46But where will this journey of self-discovery take them?
01:49Great pilgrimage, everybody!
01:51Thank you!
01:57The north-east of England is renowned for its national parks
02:00and dramatic scenic beauty.
02:03This vast area is criss-crossed by trails,
02:07celebrating early Christian history
02:09and the saints who dedicated their lives to bringing Christianity
02:12to a turbulent and pagan country.
02:16A faith that shaped the culture and spiritual landscape
02:19for centuries to come.
02:24The pilgrims will meet for the first time in North Yorkshire
02:28on a coastal path just south of Whitby.
02:32Ashley Banjo, leader of the dance troupe Diversity,
02:36is first to arrive.
02:38I'm a Christian.
02:40No doubt about it.
02:42What I've wrestled with getting older
02:44is not whether I believe or not,
02:48it's what that belief means.
02:50What do I do with it?
02:52I'm first by the looks of things.
02:55Fantastic!
02:56This for me is just about surrendering to the journey.
03:00It's like we're geared up, we're gear six
03:02on the faith drive sort of thing
03:04and I'm looking forward to that.
03:05I'm looking forward to walking, thinking and reflecting.
03:09First pilgrim to join Ashley is actor Hermione Norris.
03:14I'm not as fit as I used to be.
03:16I'm 58, do you know what I mean?
03:17And that can make me feel quite vulnerable sometimes.
03:19I bet there'll be lots of fitties, you know.
03:22Oh, here's someone.
03:23Who is that?
03:25Hello, I'm Hermione.
03:26Ashley.
03:27Very nice to meet you, Ashley.
03:29I love people.
03:30If you get a group, you know, you never know what you...
03:32Oh, no, you never know what you're going to get, do you?
03:38It's a little colder up here than I thought it was going to be.
03:40I know.
03:40I'm a little higher up than you as well.
03:41Yeah, yeah.
03:42I really feel it on the old ears.
03:45On their way to meet the pilgrims
03:47are comedian Ashley Blaker
03:49and TV personality and dancer Tasha Goury.
03:54I feel like the first day at school,
03:56just like a little kid for the first time, all giddy.
04:00Is that Ashley Banjo?
04:01No!
04:01I can hear a voice.
04:03Can I come join Diversity?
04:05If you want.
04:07Dance your way up.
04:08Hello.
04:08Hello, I'm Hermione.
04:10How are you?
04:10I'm Ashley.
04:11Ashley.
04:12Two Ashleys.
04:13It's going to be a challenge in many ways.
04:15It's definitely going to be a physical challenge.
04:18It may well be an emotional challenge.
04:21Good to see you.
04:21Yeah, good to see you.
04:22Are we going to dance our way along?
04:23I can be Ashley.
04:24I love that.
04:28Next to join the pilgrims
04:29are stand-up comedian Hassan Al-Habib
04:33and radio presenter Jane Middlemiss.
04:37When I am in the North East,
04:39I always feel like I'm home.
04:41And I'm already starting to feel like I'm going to go rogue
04:44and feral very quickly.
04:47Hello.
04:48Hi.
04:51Jane and Hermione have met before through mutual friends.
04:55You are Hassan.
04:57I try and take religion seriously.
05:00It's kind of crazy that we're all on this big rock floating in space
05:03and you want to try and make sense of that.
05:06Hassan, so nice to meet you Hermione.
05:07And if I haven't found the answer by the end of these two weeks,
05:10it will be a failure.
05:11It will be a failure.
05:13You heard it here first.
05:16Last, but not least, is actor Patsy Kensett.
05:20This is just spectacular.
05:23I'm going to find my inner bliss through each step that I take.
05:29There's somebody coming.
05:30Is it a man?
05:31No, that's a woman.
05:33I've got earplugs
05:34and I've got my flannelette pyjamas
05:36that my son bought me for Christmas last year.
05:38Wow, that's a walk though.
05:40This is a walk, yeah.
05:40That is a strut.
05:42I think it's another comedian.
05:44Hello, how are you?
05:45Hi.
05:46Can I not see you?
05:47Being a pilgrim, it's going to be right up my street.
05:51Nice to meet you.
05:52Hi, Ashley.
05:53Hi, Ashley.
05:54Nice to meet you.
05:56We're all together.
05:57Yep.
05:58How do we start? When do we start?
05:59Oh, we've got to get a map.
06:01And our phones, right?
06:02All the pilgrims have phones with maps
06:04and information about the route.
06:07Yep.
06:07So, before we start, I think we should do a selfie.
06:10Yes.
06:10Shall we do it?
06:11Let's do it.
06:11Let's get the smiles in now.
06:13I'll go to the back.
06:14You're doing it.
06:15You're doing it.
06:16There you go.
06:18Yes.
06:18That's nice.
06:19That's amazing.
06:20Well done.
06:20Follow me, everyone.
06:21Let's have it.
06:22Let's do it.
06:22Pilgrimage.
06:23Pilgrims score.
06:25This is just the start.
06:27Yeah.
06:28The group are starting their unique 390km pilgrimage
06:32in North Yorkshire, on the coastal path to Whitby,
06:36picking up the way of St Hild.
06:40Travelling on foot and by bus,
06:42they'll make their way to Durham,
06:43and then head north-west to Heavenfield in Northumberland,
06:47the start of St Oswald's Way.
06:50The pilgrims will explore the glorious coastline,
06:53before traversing north-west to St Cuthbert's Way
06:57in the Cheviots in the Scottish borders.
06:59They'll make their way to the legendary Cuthbert's Cave,
07:02before heading to Holy Island, also known as Lindisfarne,
07:06their final destination.
07:10For more than a thousand years,
07:12the faithful have trekked across the changing tidal sands
07:15to reach this historic place of pilgrimage.
07:22It's beautiful, isn't it?
07:24Yeah. It's gorgeous.
07:25The coastal path boasts dramatic views as it heads north towards Whitby.
07:32But the pilgrims learn fast that weather in the north-east
07:35can be unpredictable.
07:37Lovely day for it.
07:39Yeah.
07:39I know, right?
07:41There's literally all my personalities in one day.
07:43Yeah.
07:46I said yeah a bit too convincingly, though.
07:48I apologise for that.
07:48This is getting steep now.
07:51Yeah.
07:51Don't look down.
07:53You OK?
07:54I'm a straggler, look.
07:56I'm holding you back.
07:58Ah.
07:59Ah, and then, suddenly it stops raining.
08:02Wow.
08:02And there's a bit of a rainbow.
08:04Is there?
08:05There is, look.
08:07A biblical sign.
08:08Yeah.
08:09There you go.
08:09Onwards.
08:11You know what they say about coincidences.
08:13There is no such thing as a coincidence.
08:15No, it's just God showing off.
08:16Yeah.
08:17That's it.
08:17When I went by my hoots, the shop assistant said,
08:21Oh, are you doing that pilgrimage thing?
08:23Because somebody's just come before.
08:25Really?
08:26It's dark hair from the north, quite small.
08:28Were you like, oh, it's Cheryl Cole.
08:30Did you think I was Cheryl?
08:31It was Cheryl.
08:32It was Cheryl Cole.
08:33Hello.
08:34You look like a pop star.
08:36You sound like you're a pop star.
08:39I last saw you probably 11, 12 years ago.
08:43That was when I was just about to go off to India.
08:47I was going to go away for a year.
08:49Yeah.
08:49So I put everything in storage.
08:51And went for five.
08:52And went for five.
08:53Of course you did.
08:54And you know, I did a bit of Buddhism.
08:55I flirted with them all, you know.
08:56Yeah, yeah.
08:57How lovely.
08:57What about you?
08:58I don't subscribe to any organised religion.
09:03Mm-hm.
09:03I believe in love and connection and peace and tolerance and inclusivity.
09:09I respect anyone who draws comfort from organised religion, but that's not for me.
09:17I don't like dogma.
09:18No, me neither.
09:19Not comfortable with that.
09:22Hermione's most known as an actor for her roles in Spooks and Cold Feet.
09:27But it was during drama school that she had to cope with a heart-wrenching loss.
09:32I experienced, as quite a young person, somebody taking their own life.
09:36And what happens to you after you die?
09:39You know, Christianity was you burn in hell.
09:42Catholicism, you're in purgatory.
09:44Eastern philosophies, you had to come back and sort of do life again until you'd learnt your soul's journey.
09:49And it really, really upset and bothered me because I needed for myself to find peace with it.
09:55I wouldn't describe myself, in any way, as defined by a particular religion.
10:01My faith is experiential.
10:03It's how I experience the love of my children, my family, relationships with people.
10:09I see the soul in a person's face.
10:13It's sort of that shining light in people's eyes.
10:16I experience it in art, when I listen to a beautiful piece of music.
10:22And also in nature.
10:24Mother Nature, in all her glory.
10:29I couldn't have lived my life without that.
10:32I couldn't have got through without that connection.
10:37I shot an episode of Cold Feet on Lindisfarne, years ago.
10:42And I recall it as somewhere that had a power to it, an energy.
10:46It was very alive, spiritually to me.
10:48And I sort of feel slightly like I'm being called back there a little bit at the moment of that
10:53sort of mystical land, really.
10:56I am in the autumn of my life now.
11:00And I think life is a pilgrimage, isn't it?
11:03And I think life is a good place to do.
11:29So, I'm going to be a part of my life now.
11:33testament actually and you're the new testament that's what we are yeah i like that that's how
11:37we should know ourselves oh my god look at this view oh wow oh look there's dolphins yeah wow look
11:46oh my gosh there's more there actually as well there's loads they're dancing they're dancing
11:51that's so lovely you could choreograph them maybe yeah maybe side them up what could be more like
11:57that's diversity it's interspecies yes that's how diverse diversity is exactly the new member
12:01members of dolphins ashley banjo has devoted the past 18 years of an explosive career to diversity
12:11we first entered britain's got talent when i was 19. so at the very start of my journey into adulthood
12:17we then get thrust into the public eye where you get all your creative ideas from you know i was
12:24blessed i just so i had to then navigate growing up in front of everybody millions and millions of
12:30people i think one of the barriers that stopped me exploring faith sooner was the commitment to the
12:39person i'd become to survive all of that public exposure but i've come to learn that the journey
12:46of discovery is part of faith if anything the more i know the less i realize i know
12:52if that makes any sense perhaps fittingly diversity studio is a converted church
13:01i don't have a particular moment when faith was introduced to my life my dad and his family were
13:10brought up christian my dad's from nigeria came here when he was younger i just remember
13:17faith and the idea of god always be there in some way i know what faith i follow but the
13:27pilgrimage
13:27i think gives me a chance to dive deeper
13:35the pilgrims are nearing the ruins of the famous 13th century whitby abbey wow which earned much of
13:43its modern day popularity through the literary classic and gothic horror novel dracula you know
13:49they broke a world record there a few years ago for the greatest number of people dressed as vampires oh
13:56yeah they do that they do goth weekend whitby abbey was built on top of a seventh century monastery
14:04which had filled the entire headland and became one of the most important religious centers in the anglo-saxon
14:11world it's here the pilgrims pick up the trail of their first northern saint hild a woman from a
14:19powerful aristocratic family who converted from paganism to celtic christianity at 13 and became an
14:26abbess at 33. who was in charge of the abbey originally hill hill hill hill it was all female
14:34power female run it was like by the magnificent hill yeah girl power yeah was it men and women
14:40together and she encouraged a lot of learning and education she loved the um the great outdoors and
14:49the wilds didn't she she ran a very tight ship though yeah she was very very strict that's one of
14:55the
14:55reasons i was actually like super interesting to see in this place because it was like a real like
14:59kind of like a real engine like a real powerhouse to like spread christianity in the 7th century faith
15:07in the god of christianity was seen as a way to salvation unlike paganism it gave the promise of
15:14eternal life and could also be a source of political power the ruling families put money into the church
15:22and into monasteries run by their own educated women folk like hilde that way they served god
15:28and also kept the lands and property under family control
15:34hilde was so respected in 664 a.d she was asked to host the synod of whitby this meeting was
15:42pivotal for
15:43the future of the english church it brought celtic christianity into line with roman traditions
15:49uniting them with continental europe and tying the english church to the roman papacy
15:57it's so dramatic the majesty of it all wow the thing that i feel with places like this is that
16:04so many things have happened yes like for so many years people were praying and building energy energy
16:11energy here that's pretty special i think estate agents would probably call this a fixer-upper
16:18i think they might they might just call it a fixer-upper indeed so you're a would you call
16:25yourself a practicing christian yeah absolutely yeah i'm a christian i've believed all my life
16:30but really embracing my faith it's only really been in the past past couple of years and so still very
16:38much very much on a journey with it you know what about you see i yeah see i i'm proud
16:44to be jewish
16:44i don't really feel any sense i really want to keep all the rules anymore and 15 years well i
16:51was
16:51super super super super doing it absolutely to its the most you could do it now that is in a
17:01three times a day i used to go into a ritual bath every morning to cleanse myself
17:07uh studying every day 15 years 15 years and so what and then i finished it completely
17:15mate completed it just completed judaism come take that one off the list mate yeah i completed it
17:21i grew up in a very traditional jewish home where we're affiliated effectively with
17:27orthodox judaism as the vast majority of jews in this country do jews always think that what they're
17:34doing is the gold standard exactly how they do it is the right amount to do it that is my
17:42parents
17:42in an absolute nutshell so that 15 year period where i became super super observant they thought i
17:50was completely crazy meshugana what's he doing and now i've gone the other direction they hate it
17:57even more why is he covered into twos why isn't he coming to synagogue ashley had worked as an award
18:04winning tv producer and writer but the job became challenging the more strictly he followed the rules
18:09of orthodox judaism firstly i didn't own a tv i didn't work up to a certain point on fridays i
18:19was going home
18:20and leaving all the other producers to work while i was at home praying and eating chicken soup a more
18:27unusual upshot of these rules was that i didn't shake hands with anyone of the opposite sex apart
18:33from my spouse and working in an industry like television where everyone is not only shaking
18:40hands but hugging and kissing hello and what have you did make for quite a few very uncomfortable meetings
18:47so ashley left that world and turned to stand up two years ago he found out that he's neurodiverse
18:56looking back now through the lens of my diagnosis with autism and adhd i can see that my being super
19:05observant may have been a hyper fixation a hyper fixation for many neurodivergent people like myself
19:13can really take over their brain completely and the trouble is with all hyper fixations once you've
19:20lost interest in it that's it so my tattoos are a current hyper fixation i guess and are quite interesting
19:28in terms of my faith because tattoos are strictly forbidden in orthodox judaism now i would define myself as
19:39agnostic but surely everybody is agnostic because anyone who tells you that they know for sure that
19:47there is a god or that they know for sure that there is no god is lying because no one
19:54knows
20:00it's definitely a bit cold it is the wind is a bit more severe yeah i know you're a south
20:06end on
20:06seaboard so you're more familiar with this but this is a level up from south it is a level up
20:11like an
20:11emotion yeah with whitby behind them the pilgrims continue north on the coastal path the way of
20:18st hild they're heading to runswick bay on the jurassic coastline me doing pilgrimage i'm kind of
20:27coming completely unknown to any kind of faith or religion well it's beautiful because you could
20:33you know come away with some like epiphany i don't know if you knew about i was born daphne where
20:39cochlear implant okay i always believed in obstacles coming your way for you to overcome them right because
20:45you're meant to overcome them and i really believe in that that's why i want to do this so i
20:50can
20:50learn from each yeah and every one of you just try and find gratitude every day and just believe
20:58in this loving universe and that you know that there's not an angry god up there i mean i was
21:07raised
21:09catholic yeah and i went to a convent and i call myself an a la carte catholic okay because there
21:15are
21:15bits that i really love
21:20i can't diss the catholic church it has been a great comfort to me but i'm a spiritual person more
21:29than
21:29a religious person so i'm not stuck in one thing i'm a mixed bag patsy's life has been similarly varied
21:40over the years from films such as the great gatsby with robert redford and mia farrow
21:45to roles in tv soaps like eastenders and emmerdale high profile marriages and divorces to rock stars
21:53jim kerr and then liam gallagher only added to her reputation as a 90s icon
22:00growing up patsy was very close to her mother my mother was a very devout woman you know we had
22:07to
22:07go to mass every sunday i was 22 when my mother died i mean she was just an angel she's
22:16with me and in me
22:17and i prayed to her i see white feathers all the time which is you know a sign i think
22:27from her
22:30something might be not going my way or whatever and suddenly i just see this pure white feather in
22:36front of me and i believe it to be a a message of reassurance i am so blessed to be
22:44doing pilgrimage
22:45it's something that i'm doing for myself it's an adventure and it's mine to have
22:55the pilgrims are still following the coast heading to runswick bay known for its fossils
23:02cash you're gonna use sticks yeah i've got some they're quite good you know according to legend
23:07there was a plague of snakes where hild was building her abbey so she turned the snakes into
23:13stone and threw them off the cliffs in medieval times ammonite fossils found on the beach were
23:20thought to be hilled snake stones and have been popular finds with pilgrims ever since
23:26i mean it's a great trick if you can do it if you can do it do you think that
23:30actually happened
23:30no do you no i i'm not entirely i'm not entirely convinced no i'm not buying it it's a good
23:37story yes and it will bring the pilgrims in no we know what an ammonite is don't we yeah i
23:43think so
23:45after three kilometers the pilgrims have runswick bay in sight this is the ammonite beach yes is that
23:52what wait is that how you say it anonite anonite anonite anonite amonite do you ever know how to say
23:58it
23:58proper amonite amonite along all this coastline people would find black ammonites that they would
24:06associate with the snakes that she had that's incredible and is that what the hit film snakes
24:11on the plane is based on is it based on the legend perhaps it's based on that legend we should
24:16see if
24:16we could find some absolutely first one fights uh what do you get snake just wins pilgrimage
24:23i'm getting down there let's do it let's do it
24:28it's getting windy it really is
24:31the thing is i'm not sure you'd know what i look like when i see it
24:37this bit looks a little bit i know i'm going to regret only having one pole after you then
24:42ash be careful this is slippery yeah be careful here i've got my sticks okay the sticks are pretty
24:48good i just want to sit down my legs are killing now oh god
25:01i just honestly i just nearly lost my footing yeah yeah yeah you go first okay i'm gonna hold
25:06your rucksack ashley banjo saves life on beauty pilgrimage i'm just i'm just very it's slip really
25:12slippy after hassan al-habib comedian pushed jane down the ashley banjo bravely stepped in
25:19right i'm gonna hold on right i don't think the sticks are helping i was gonna say do you want
25:24me to take them from you yeah yeah hassan al-habib robs jane of poles
25:35finally down the pilgrims make their way to the rocky end of the two kilometer long beach
25:40in search of hilled snakes let's look for some ammonites let's do it
25:50nothing fossil like yeah the search continues absolutely zero
26:02ashley you seen anything a lot of rocks a lot of rocks
26:07oh wonderful i am i knew i would you okay yeah i'm fine i'm fine i'm fine thank you patty's
26:16rescuer
26:16is a fellow fossil hunter byron blessed the pilgrims ask him to help them with their search
26:23do you want to see what one looks like and how to find them please are they inside rocks byron
26:28they
26:28are inside rocks here's one here look i've already split open look oh wow look at that that's brilliant
26:38byron can i ask a question about the ammonites ammonites yeah uh did they have heads they didn't have heads
26:45as such they would be this way up on the seabed okay uh and they would have like tentacles that
26:51came
26:51out here more like an octopus that had a hard shell its back and that's all that's remained in
26:57is is just the hard shell ah they've got evidence of these being sold to pilgrims in medieval times
27:03before the scientific knowledge found that these were actually ammonites so this is called
27:07hildoceros lusitanican yeah let's go and have a look armed with more information the pilgrims search
27:13again
27:21i'm trying to break it open to see if there's a hidden impression that
27:27oh byron is this no it's it's got something on there but it's not let's have a look look you've
27:34got the remains of the ammonite there look it's just it's just underneath the rock it might run
27:39underneath that rock but it might start crumbling away and if it's the first one you've ever found
27:44we don't want to break it do we no so that's the ammonite sticking out yeah 180 million years old
27:49wow 180 million years old that's been mad isn't it yeah if you imagine earth time as your arm yeah
27:57and humans have only been around for the last parts of your finger and look how much damage
28:01we've done in that time absolutely
28:06let's get you the nobel prize for that thank you no worries that's 180 million years old quite humbling
28:16isn't it makes me feel a bit sick i know that's really weird but when i i don't know but
28:22it is
28:23sort of this kind of landscape where there's so much kind of like just about to come to the top
28:30and
28:30that people come because they know they'll find something and it's all i don't know why i don't
28:35know why it makes me feel sick but it does
28:41as the heavens open it's time for the pilgrims to move on to find their overnight
28:46accommodation they leave the coast and the changeable weather and head northwest to the
28:52sun and a farm in county durham
28:57we made it we made it almost it is very beautiful what do you think we'll be staying there hopefully
29:04something comfortable and big enough for me to fit i was literally about to say that we're not staying in
29:10a
29:10barn are we yeah we are what like jesus we're looking for a woman called sarah it's a seven
29:16style resort you know do you think that's sarah welcome to woodcroft oh thank you nice to see you
29:21all are you looking for your accommodation just a little bit further up the lane and on the left
29:26it's first left thank you thank you thank you very much first left first left yes thank you
29:36oh this is nice i've got a feeling we're not staying in a house
29:41it could be anything oh wow oh my gosh this is so sweet little pods i've always wanted to stay
29:52in a little i have i've always wanted to stay somewhere like this are we all in that i want
29:57to
29:57see inside oh my god look oh my god look real quick are we all gonna fit oh my god
30:02oh i love it
30:05lovely just so cozy this is lush oh it seems lovely bathroom there's multiples yeah but how many
30:16people i'm not sharing a bed we're not sharing beds there's enough there's enough do you think
30:21that's a bed i don't mind that if you want to sleep in a in a in the bed i
30:25don't mind sleeping on that
30:26all right but i mean do you want to share yeah sure unless i can have my own do you
30:31want to have a
30:32look at the others and check out that they're not nicer no what are we going to share this one
30:36yeah i'll sleep on him are you sure yeah sure i'm fine with that same set off for all of
30:42it okay okay
30:43fine so have a minute there's seven of us yeah yeah so it's two two three so two people are
30:49going
30:49to have to share a bed yeah i think we've got along really well hasn't
30:56we've played our hand too early we've played i know i need to keep it to myself
31:02oh look it's lovely what if we get down there and they've got nicer ones i think they will be
31:09the
31:09same they'll be the same actually do you want the beds whatever's easiest for people
31:16bed hunger games rock paper scissors the blokes will share one and patsy and tash will share one
31:24but what is the debate the debate is they can't work that out yet if you want to keep things
31:31like
31:31the men and women separate yeah yeah uh it'll have to be two two and three boys yeah let's roll
31:37it's been great playing bed hunger games with you let's leave it there well done well done well done
31:43right better luck next time boys let's get this off our backs thanks for being a ruey it's cozy but
31:50it's
31:50nice and and have we found out which way mecca is you don't have an inbuilt detector just feel it
31:56out hassan which way we've got some new islamic technology compass brother masha'Allah recent
32:01technology we invented i'm afraid that i snore you can do whatever racket of noise you want to do it
32:08it will not phase me wait we can just we can put this on the floor literally it's as simple
32:13as that
32:13a muslim a jew and a christian walk into a pod it's been resolved amicably there it is see now
32:20we
32:20need to transport this philosophy into jerusalem and solve the problems there wouldn't that be lovely
32:24right perfect no no no let me help you make the bed up it's a perfect fit
32:37oh my god okay can you fit in that oh that's really comfy have you seen it jane
32:46oh look and that was all that was together and it came apart it came apart in your hand so
32:52it
32:53literally presented itself to you yeah it's like 180 million years 180 million years old and it found me
32:59we'll be like that one day i know dust to dust and all that
33:06i can't wait i can't wait to be a laminite the relief will be palpable
33:15as the sun starts to go down it's time for dinner
33:20i can't lie i already felt a little bit tired today yeah yeah it was quite intense i felt
33:25windy a little bit yeah yeah there was a point where i just thought my legs felt so heavy
33:31boys are looking forward to a night together yeah some peace and quiet for a chinese
33:35tsunami i'm joking i'm joking come on you're going to be a bit of a squash and a squeeze three
33:41of you in
33:42there aren't you yeah the good thing is we're all petite so it doesn't you know yeah
33:49yeah jane you say this is where you grew up not quite county durham higher up to where we will
33:54be going
33:56tomorrow the group are heading towards the city of durham a major pilgrim destination in the northeast
34:04as the pilgrims won't come across a mosque anywhere on their pilgrimage route hassan has plans to visit
34:09a muslim prayer room at durham university two people can come with me so who wants to take
34:15advantage of this unique offer to go visit a muslim prayer room you'll see me praying i'd love to i
34:22think
34:23it'll be amazing to see you in your religion and just learn from you so i'd love to take that
34:28opportunity and pleasure you know lovely something very new and yeah great thank you that's good on
34:34you love that absolutely i love that perhaps i can auction the last spot off i'm open to bribes i'd
34:41love
34:41i would be i would be really interested i really want to go okay whoever's willing to convert gets to
34:46come to
34:46the prayer room just whoever wants to recite the shahada right now who wants it the most i want to
34:55see
34:57every mosque i've been to they've always had um a really open policy when i was in edinburgh
35:03they had islam week i went did you fringe to the mosque in edinburgh so i've only once i've
35:09been to a mosque yeah so you've been there done that so you're out there running
35:21i mean i would absolutely yeah yeah i would absolutely come with us to watch have you locked
35:25in ashley at this stage because patsy's up no honestly i'm i'm i'm i'm really easy i want you
35:33to go no but don't be too enthusiastic because then it looks islamophobic if you if you
35:38you well i didn't want to say anything but it's all coming out now um no no no ash you
35:48go and then
35:49and i'll convert you later okay yeah well i think that seals it that seals it
35:56it's interesting being surrounded by people of different beliefs because my mind is completely
36:02open to explore cultures traditions faiths but obviously my heart is already set so it's an
36:10interesting thing to go and observe and experience hassan's faith and also just getting to know hassan
36:16more because he's a dude being in a group of not knowing people i'm really pleased that they all seem
36:24really genuinely nice people yes but i wonder you know if you are going to be pushed to the limit
36:31mentally physically spiritually i mean it brings out the best of the worst in people without doesn't
36:36it well a pilgrimage is meant to do all of those things it's meant to squeeze every single thing
36:44that needs to come up yeah to be given to my life i've had enough of that
36:53i think you're an incredible woman like you really are you're so strong you're so forceful
37:00empowering oh and i've learned so much from you already and i can't wait to learn more from you
37:05you don't have to marry all your boyfriends that's something i found out kind of just you know in
37:12in my new 50s love it on to a new day yes a new day we've got this
37:34it's seven a.m this is the earliest i've woken up in god knows how long
37:39it's not the best night of sleep i've had but bless my brothers in the pod for not snoring
37:45it's nice to feel more connected with the natural world in our accommodation
37:56there we go officially i'm awake patsy how did you sleep i just had mad dreams last night
38:04it was about making my first communion so that's kind of on topic i guess but it was angelina jolene's
38:13making hers and i don't know why on earth i was thinking about her
38:17i don't know that i'm ready for today's quest but um oh i will once i i'll wake up properly
38:29in a minute
38:31i slept really well can't speak for you no this is sounds really weird i woke up thinking of jesus
38:36and then i thought that's why we have them have what the middlemen in between us and god i didn't
38:44have anything so profound first up first early doors
38:50no but i'm grateful to you for you to have shared that with me
38:56it doesn't make me sound a bit like a nutella no not remotely jane hosts a well-known daily radio
39:03show
39:03and has been a familiar name on radio and tv for more than two decades
39:13i think my interest in spirituality would be because i think that is the main question to ask
39:20ourselves in life you know why am i here 13 years ago jane packed a bag and went to india
39:28open to the himalayas i don't do spiritual journeys quietly i go up a mountain in india
39:34do you know what i mean with a guru i have to be dramatic about it you know i have
39:38to
39:38breathe in the ganges every day which was amazing and i got so much from it but it's intense
39:46you know so i would like to find a way in which i incorporate my faith into the real world
39:52without
39:53needing to go up a mountain in india i do believe we are born into certain families and we are
39:59souls
39:59from different places but we inherit things from our ancestors that are just in us i grew up with those
40:06vast spaces the wildness of the northumbrian countryside which i do think is a part of my character
40:15this is who i am and i think there's a part of me that has not disregarded that but forgotten
40:24i was born cv and i went to a cv school and i'm doing this pilgrimage to reconnect
40:32to the land i grew up with and to i suppose the teachings that my ancestors all had
40:59this morning the pilgrims will be joining a local trail known as the way of life
41:04it ends at durham cathedral which contains the remains or relics of three seventh century northern
41:11saints saints are revered the cathedral was built for them and has been a place of pilgrimage for over
41:19a thousand years beautiful morning it's gorge yeah so how long does your prayer not too well you
41:30know also because i'm traveling yeah the prayer is shorter so at home how often do you play
41:35maybe five times a day five times a day yeah okay this is so scenic it is it turns out
41:44some of the
41:45pilgrims are big tree enthusiasts this is a sort of terrain i grew up in yeah like woods like this
41:51yeah
41:52woodland i love a woodland i do too has anyone ever hugged a tree i have yeah have you yeah
41:59i've never
41:59done it good for you do it yeah should try this one don't think just do and just feel he
42:04could
42:04tell i recycle so he was he likes me it's a nice tree yeah no it's like really nice look
42:11at that
42:12love me i'm going in it's a nice one it does look a bit nutty
42:18hug a tree
42:19feel much better you have to hug a tree all that energy and strength and power and to connect
42:32with the earth and the elements i really highly recommend it
42:39it's a great thing to do while they're communing with nature the pilgrims encourage hassan to turn
42:43his attention to the local livestock are you going to play the call to mass to the sheep yeah go
42:49on
42:50see if they come come on try it cool to match see the viral islamic tick tock trend go on
42:57if it
42:58doesn't work i don't want loads of people to suddenly leave the islamic faith and think it's all
43:02right everyone has to be quiet that one looks pretty interesting
43:17i bet that one's a bit curious
43:21i don't think it's working it was calm the problem is these well these are close to the cathedral so
43:26they'll be christian that's that's the thing i don't know about the sheep but i was on board the
43:32tick tock i saw they use cows oh so maybe let's speak a different language i don't know yeah hassan
43:39is an award-winning stand-up comedian from birmingham i was aware of faith from a pretty early age
43:46i was lucky that i was definitely aware of my religion before i was aware that people don't
43:51like it necessarily or there are some people that are prejudiced against it i was growing up kind of
43:57post 9 11 during the iraq war and that's why for a long time i was kind of ashamed of
44:01being iraqi
44:02because i didn't like being associated with this war i didn't like being seen as the face of this
44:06conflict so i tried to be as white british as i possibly could and i realized that if you were
44:13funny
44:15people liked you and that was a that was an invaluable currency for me at the time because people
44:20didn't like me being iraqi now career-wise it's been a really good thing it's definitely something
44:28i lean into now maybe even too much for someone that doesn't speak arabic fluently and has only
44:33been to iraq once in their life i'm really looking forward to the big questions and the searching
44:39questions that come as a part of doing this process if you're a rational human being you've got to wonder
44:44like what happens at the end of all this where did we come from people spend their whole lives
44:49answering those questions so to have this opportunity to do it with other people
44:55i think is really um i'm gonna say it's a blessing
45:03this particular trail into durham has a challenging section known by its local nickname
45:09i reckon the steps of doom are either really
45:12high yeah and really like the gradients like that or they're really steeped down
45:17there they're all here we are told you oh this is it this is the steps of doom yes
45:23doom wow let's think let's be positive maybe call it steps of happiness okay should we just go
45:29let's do it one two three do it one the challenge 224 steps do you want a hand no that's
45:39fine i'm
45:40gonna just do it my own okay target happy thoughts happy thoughts this is hard i thought they'd be like
45:50stone steps oh look at this honestly i do it i just can't do it slow i just want to
46:02get it out
46:02away hate it is that the top because if that's the top i can do it do it guys
46:12you're like my carer you are this keeps getting steeper i know i don't think we're that far off no
46:26i think this is the end nice hard work
46:44get out of breath
46:54i think you killed me you okay patsy no you survived hard to kill patsy i think what throws
46:59you as well is every step is different i kept saying mentally thank you for today just from
47:05putting it out there to the universe yep it's not worked all right so i think we are going in
47:13that
47:14direction that direction let's go let's go the grind don't start my family found out when i was 12
47:21months old that i was deaf and i got my first cochrane plant when i was five years old i
47:28wasn't the best
47:29in school when it came to education because i struggled with taking in information i was so
47:34exhausted by having to lip read all the time i was interested so much more in doing drama doing art
47:41doing dance it all started when i got my cochrane plant i used to come downstairs strutting down
47:51and my dad and mom used to put steps on the tv
47:57and then i went to a local dance studio in my town and that's really where my passion for dance
48:01started it became space where i can just feel the music no judgment i'm just there just to be me
48:12her love of dance and a growing career in modeling and television
48:15took tasha to the finals of strictly come dancing in 2024
48:25but in 2022 after taking part in love island she'd found herself struggling with life in the public eye
48:33i suffered with ableism whilst i was on a reality tv show people use your disability as their point to
48:44hate somebody when people going on tick tock making videos literally taking a mic off how i spoke
48:53it still gets to me now i don't like crying so um
49:03it's literally three years ago but it still gets to me
49:06i think it's because i saw the impact it had on my family
49:10you know my dad and mom had to see so many horrible comments off my disability my cocoa implant
49:18and that's why now i have a stronger shield within me
49:27now on the outskirts of durham the pilgrims take a detour off the path
49:32to get their first view of the cathedral i'm really really excited yeah whoa
49:38oh yeah yeah right now we're talking wow look at that it does look spectacular doesn't it beautiful
49:48monumental majestic majestic majestic yeah the three saints entombed in the cathedral
49:54were key to turning the pagan kingdom of northumbria into the heart of early christian england
50:01king and saint oswald helped found the monastery on lindisfarne while the venerable bead wrote
50:08about the english conversion to christianity and the lives of the early saints but it's saint
50:14cuthbert a devout celtic christian monk whose legacy resonates most strongly in the north even today
50:24it looks close but i've got the feeling no that's further away it's further away than it seems
50:29it's deceptive it's like being at westfield yeah yeah oh look there's h and m
50:37so this is where we're going to split okay ashley and tasha we're going to go to the prayer room
50:44at durham uni have an amazing lovely lovely time thank you see you there guys see you in a bit
50:48a good time see you soon already we'll be reunited we will we will bye guys bye bye bye keep
50:57it real
50:58while the other pilgrims continue on the way of life towards the cathedral ashley tasha and hassan head off
51:05to the nearby university prayer room durham is one of the oldest universities in england it has 17
51:15colleges scattered around the city and its outskirts and has built an islamic prayer room for students
51:20and staff as well as the local community this really takes me back to when i was at uni whenever
51:28there was a gap in my labs or my lectures i'd uh yeah i'd go to the prayer space at
51:34university do my prayers
51:36at the same time as working on his stand-up hassan was awarded a phd from cambridge in oncology
51:45the pilgrims are going to meet marsheed who 15 years ago was the first woman to be made a muslim
51:51chaplain at a british university hello hello welcome peace be with you thank you for having us
52:01you're in durham i'm tasha nice to meet you tasha thank you so much you're welcome this is my first
52:08time ever in a muslim prayer room oh wonderful i'm really excited here to learn from you tasha has family
52:17links with southeast asia my last name is guri and came from my dad's side of family so my dad's
52:24name
52:24is tarik amangumi and it's actually my dad's dad who was indian pakistani but i never met him i'm so
52:31unknown to my heritage my past so is my dad like i don't really know much about faith i would
52:37say
52:37i am an atheist but doing pilgrimage might unlock something in me that maybe i did have the whole
52:42time but i just never knew so that could be something i could walk away with so it may seem
52:49very
52:49strange for people who've never seen a muslim pray you know bowing prostrating but actually it's all
52:57very symbolic and it's a way that muslims join in with the cosmic order of a whole creation because
53:05muslims believe that everything in creation praises and glorifies their creator what's interesting is the
53:12notion that that god is everywhere that the energy runs through everything that we see
53:21touch and feel so i i absolutely understand that completely and that's beautiful because when muslims
53:27pray they are part of that symphony if you like they're part of that order and harmony and sunrise
53:34and sunset has a lot to do with it and when muslims pray those significant times they are becoming
53:41part of that harmony and that recharges them because if you're not charged we can't really
53:46help others i don't come from a religious background but i really do believe in recharging
53:51yourself and being thankful and grateful every day that we get to live an amazing life it's so
53:57beautiful to hear that you you have your kind of route that you go to inside me i'm thinking i
54:04have
54:05some similarities but i don't obviously have a religion but i do believe in having to recharge in
54:10yourself i do believe you have to stop and look outside and see where you are and be grateful for
54:29that it's a genuinely great experience but also in some ways there were moments of realization even
54:37sadness for me because there's just so much division in the world and as human beings there's a unity
54:45between us all i don't have to take on the same beliefs as hassan but as a human being i
54:54100 embrace
54:56it it is starting to maybe open up my eyes more on a different perspective of
55:03okay maybe i should be more open to learning more about it and just
55:10not be so closed off no you won't just definitely changed my perspective on connecting with myself
55:17again it was really good just seeing another muslim and talking about prayer and spirituality
55:25yeah i'm very glad that we did it
55:29the rest of the group are on their way to the historic city center
55:32where they'll meet up with the other pilgrims do you pray i do i pray all the time do you
55:38ever find
55:39your prayers answered because someone once said to me your prayers are always answered but
55:44unfortunately sometimes the answer is no yeah it's like when you pray you can get three answers it's
55:50either yes nor or not yet and i like that i think as humans we struggle with that because
55:58we like to be in control exactly so we want what we want exactly the pilgrims are reuniting next to
56:04the famous preben's bridge which stretches over the river weir oh we're back hi did you miss us
56:13because we missed you how was it really good let's get going let's do it thanks for telling
56:19the bridge is alongside durham cathedral and it's part of the unesco world heritage site and it's
56:26this iconic view which has inspired artists and writers for centuries oh wow that's pretty stunning
56:32isn't it isn't that beautiful look at the color of the stone it's sort of revealing itself gradually
56:38though we haven't had the full view have we no and a poem here by walter scott we need an
56:44actor
56:44to read this hermione will you do half with me you start because i think you're better than
56:49let's do half each right okay great towers of durham yet well i love thy mixed and massive piles
56:58half church of god half castle gainst the scott and long to roam these venerable isles
57:06with the records stored of deeds long since forgot oh wow there he goes there we go shall we head
57:17on
57:18yeah yeah look at this stunning view this is very cool you just need like a little logo visit england
57:27and there's just a perfect picture there yeah perfect gorgeous we're glad you went this afternoon no
57:35honestly it was amazing i'm never gonna forget her yeah just i felt quite emotional because just seeing
57:41them two and just really embracing their religion and just doing their prayer but it was when they
57:48were doing it together and that's what made me go like wow it was just powerful and it made me
57:55realize
57:56we used to be more open-minded about religion and just not judge what people believe in just because
58:03believe in something different to what we may believe in absolutely nice that you had that as
58:09well with your dad's roots isn't it yeah i'm definitely curious next time jane falls in love with the
58:19ancient saints okay you ever thought about starting like a cuthbert oswald fan club get lost banjo
58:25ashley blaker gets into a debate about judaism not unequal you said unequal not unequal different
58:32while an old battlefield leaves hermione and patsy completely baffled men with no knickers on no
58:39pants on no pants running around chopping each other to bits yeah and then praying
58:47step into the story of pilgrimage from ancient paths to virtual experiences with the open university's
58:53interactive journey through time scan the qr code or visit connect.open.ac.uk
59:00slash pilgrimage
59:01slash pilgrimage
59:30Transcription by CastingWords
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