(Bristol – Penzance)
Released On: 24 Jul 2022. Available for over a year
Author, actor and comedy icon, Alexei Sayle continues his travels across the country by rail in the third of a new six part series for Radio 4. Alexei’s mission is to break the golden rule of travelling by train and actually talk to his fellow passengers in a quest for conversations that reveal their lives, hopes, dreams and destinations. There’s humour, sadness and surprise as people talk about what is going on in their lives and, as Alexei passes through familiar towns and cities, he also tells stories and memories from his career and childhood. Alexei has a lifelong “ticket to ride” in his DNA. His father was a railway guard and the Sayle family benefitted from free travel in the UK and across Europe. As a boy, Alexei and his family roamed far and wide from the family home in Anfield, Liverpool. At a time when most people thought an exciting trip by train was to Brighton or Blackpool, Alexei travelled thousands of miles to mysterious towns with unpronounceable names in far flung corners of the continent. In each programme in the series, he embarks on a rail journey, taking a chance on who he might meet and inviting them to have a conversation with him. In this episode, Alexei travels from Bristol to Penzance and meets Bert, a Cornish Bard, Marissa and Leanne who have travelled the world working on cruise liners, Angela who for many years ran one of Cornwall’s most famous and historic pubs, and Astra who is learning the ropes at circus school.
Producers Peter Lowe and Nick Symons
A Ride production for Radio 4
Lyndon Jones Media 