Jill Halfpenny is touring the North East for a brand new show for the BBC. Easter Journeys will see the popular actress discover her homeland's unique Easter traditions, its historical links to Christianity and the amazing, rural landscape.
Right after having millions of viewers gripped every night as the lead character in Channel 5 thriller The Holiday, former Byker Grove, Strictly and Waterloo Road star Jill is taking on a very different role, for a series that she has admitted has taken her 'out of her comfort zone.' The two part series will air on BBC1 on Good Friday and Easter Sunday and looks set to be a hit with people of all ages.
The first episode will see Jill take viewers on a journey of discovery through the North East and the Scottish Borders, exploring the beautiful landscape, its significance to Christianity and the unique traditions still celebrated at Easter.
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Jill visits Hexham, joining bellringers in the Abbey and the Abbey Choir. In Corbridge Roman Town, she helps clean the museum statues and learns about the Roman God’s links to Christianity. In Lauder, Jill meets a horseman who explains the annual tradition of riding the parish boundary.
Jill then visits Jedburgh and begins the Jedburgh Hand Ba’, an event played by hundreds of players with no rules and typically takes place on the first Thursday after Shrove Tuesday. In Peebles, Jill joins renowned chocolatier Ruth Hinks as she makes one of her legendary Easter Eggs. At Cherrytrees Farm, Jill meets sheep farmer Ally and his family as they care for 5500 sheep and discuss the Early Spring.
She also meets walkers who make an annual pilgrimage across the region to Cuddy’s Well, blessed by St Cuthbert. Jill’s journey then ends on Lindisfarne, where she meets artist Mary Fleeson who draws in a similar style to the monks who used to live there, and shows Jill mindful practices of prayer.
After a hectic first episode, there's no let up for Jill in episode two as he travels take her to her hometown of Gateshead, visiting the Angel of the North, and Hexham to meet the creator of the Angel, Sir Antony Gormley.
She also visits The Hearts of Oak pub in Peterlee, where she rediscovers a traditional game from her youth – Egg Jarping. The pub hosts the official world championships every Easter.
Walking in the footsteps of St. Cuthbert, Jill visits Coquet Island, home to a number of Cuddy Ducks. She also visits an Anglo-Saxon village at Jarrow Hall, learning about The Venerable Bede who lived in the nearby monastery in the 8th century. He’s thought to have first identified the origins of the term Easter and calculated when it should fall.
At a former catholic seminary in Ushaw House, Jill takes part in a unique game, invented and only played there. Jill ends her journey at the cathedral in Durham, where the Canon washes her feet and explains the tradition, and also joins the gospel choir, Voices of Virtue, in song.
