Robson Green’s Weekend Escapes season 2 sees the Grantchester star continue to champion the benefits of spending time in the great outdoors.
"Life just seems to be getting busier", says Robson, 59, who'll also be seen soon in Grantchester season 8. "My way of hitting the pause button is getting into the great outdoors and spending quality time with friends and family. It’s one of the best ways I know to relax and recharge."
Like the first series, the new 15-part run will see Robson meet up with family and friends as he explores his beloved North-East, and a little further afield.
Among the guests joining Robson for relaxing and revitalising jaunts in the North East, the Lake District and the Scottish Borders are his acting pals Kevin Whately, Denise Welch and Tessa Peake Jones, sporting legend Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, former Newcastle United striker Shola Ameobi, as well as his brother David and Uncle Matheson, and older siblings Dawn and Joanna.
Along the way, there will be stays in unique accommodations as well as an array of activities to help boost the mind, body and spirit. and discovering hidden gems along the way. "There are places that at nearly 60 I didn’t know existed," says Robson, who reaches the milestone age in 2024. "When you take the road less travelled, you come across some real surprises!"
Here we look at what's coming up in the new series including guests, episode synopses and a chat with the man himself, Robson Green.
Robson Green's Weekend Escapes season two release date
Robson Green's Weekend Escapes starts on New Year's Day 2024 at 7 pm on BBC Two and continues weekdays at 6.30 pm until January 19.
Robson Green's Weekend Escapes guests
Airing every day for three weeks, the first five episodes feature Robson's acting pals Kevin Whately, Angela Lonsdale, Mark Benton and Denise Welch, as well as his brother David and Uncle Matheson, on breaks in the North East, the Lake District and the Scottish Borders.
In the second week, Robson enjoys breaks with his Grantchester co-star Tessa Peake Jones, celebrity chef Kenny Atkinson, sporting legend Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, former Newcastle United striker Shola Ameobi and his older siblings Dawn and Joanna on jaunts to North Yorkshire, the Scottish Borders and Northumberland.
Lastly, in the final leg of his travels, Robson meets Steps singer Faye Tozer in Northumberland’s Breamish Valley and explores the Scottish Borders with wine expert Olly Smith. In Durham, he’s joined by The A Word star Lee Ingleby, while former England rugby star Sarah Hunter revisits her North-East roots and Robson takes his uncle Matheson on a trip to the Lake District in Cumbria.
Robson Green's Weekend Escapes episode guide
Here's a look at what's in store in the first week of the series…
Episode 1 - New Year's Day
Robson Green spends his weekend escape of the series with old friend and star of Auf Weidersehen, Pet and Lewis actor Kevin Whately. As they reminisce about growing up in the North East, they head to Alnmouth beach to try their hands at making pictures in the sand at low tide and also go to sea in a rowing boat and test their musical skills on the Border pipes.
Episode 2 - Tuesday, January 2
Robson’s reunited with acting pal and former Coronation Street star Angela Londsdale to find relaxation in the Northumberland countryside. After Robson introduces Angela to wild swimming at Sweethope Lough, they head to their accommodation which is a refurbished railway carriage. Later, the pair have a go a making their own perfume and attend a Laughter Yoga workshop
Episode 3 - Wednesday, January 3
Robson's reunited with acting pal Mark Benton for a weekend which sees them staying in a horse drawn caravan to explore the Eden Valley, which is nestled between South West Northumberland and the Lake District. Along the way they enjoy a campfire sing-song, get a Tai Chi taster session take a trip on the heritage Ullswater Steamer.
Episode 4 - Thursday January 4
Robson's former Soldier, Soldier co-star Denise Welch joins him for an escape to the Northumbrian Countryside. As the actors reminisce about working together, they get to explore their artistic sides by painting the Allendale countryside, enjoy a horse ride and wind down with a sound bath on the moors.
Episode 5 - Friday, January 5
It’s a family affair as Robson, his brother David and uncle Matheson join him for a two-day break on a canal boat in the Yorkshire Dales. Learning how to navigate the Leeds-Liverpool canal with its locks and swing bridges in a downpour is challenging but there are some light-hearted moments along the way. Also on the itinerary is a spot of fishing and an abseiling challenge
Robson Green's Weekend Escapes Q&A with Robson Green
The first series struck such a chord with viewers when it aired in January 2023. Were you surprised by the response?
"When we came up with the concept of bookending your working week by escaping to the great outdoors, we thought we were on to a winner because it’s what a lot of people would like to do at the end of a busy week at work.
"We then made this high-end series with incredible production values and great guests for a ridiculously low amount of money. You would have thought we spent millions on it, but we hadn’t. So I wasn’t surprised when it did well. Then the BBC kept repeating it and repeating it."
Is there anything different about the latest run?
"It’s better in many respects than the first series, because we were just working out what worked, and what didn’t, in that one. What we found worked was doing things that were unusual, and what we get involved in this time is more entertaining, in my view.
"Another difference is that we’ve really gone to town in making the overnight accommodation that we stay in unique, different and surprising."
You don’t just stay in the North–East either, do you?
"No, we also go to the Scottish Borders and the Lake District, so we’re moving further outwards. I guess if we do more, that distance would continue to get greater."
What do you enjoy most about making this show?
"I get to hang out with my mates and my family, which I don’t do much of. I get to hang out with my two sisters, my brother and the man who kind of got me into the outdoors, fishing and immersing myself in nature — my Uncle Matheson. It’s hanging out with people I like to hang out with, basically!"
In the first episode of the new series, you meet up with Kevin Whately. What was that like?
"I knew Kevin as Neville in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and I saw him on stage at the Tyne Theatre in Shakespeare’s "Henry VI: Part One". He was brilliant. He’s a wonderful actor. He didn’t know me then, but he had the voice that inspired myself and other actors like me to give acting a go. He was saying if he can do it, anyone can. You’ve just got to work hard and do the graft. He’s a wonderful actor and what a legend."
You also meet up with your former Soldier, Soldier co-star Denise Welch?
"I’ve actually known Denise forever, way before she was an actor. Hand on heart, she is one of the funniest people you are likely to come across. She has brilliant comic timing. I’ve known a lot of these guys forever."
We hear there’s a funny story about getting The A Word’s Lee Ingleby on board…
"I’m such a fan of Lee Ingleby. I’d never tell it to his face but he’s one of my favourite actors. However I genuinely thought he was a geordie, because his geordie accent is so good. That’s why I went to him! I didn’t know he was from Burnley!"
Another of your travelling companions is former Newcastle United striker Shola Ameobi, who we hear is one of your football heroes. Tell us more!
"I couldn’t believe he said yes! I’ve been watching this guy do extraordinary things on the football pitch for years. He is a genuine legend. His story of coming to the UK from Nigeria and growing up in the North-East is amazing. He loves the area, the people and the outdoors, but not the weather! Spending a weekend with him was a real highlight."
How do you go about getting the guests on board?
"We have a wishlist of people I’ve known and loved over the years. We approach them and ask if they are up for it, and they say ‘Yay’ or ‘Nay’. It was quite difficult to pitch the idea to certain people for the first series, but, this time, there were a lot of people who wanted to do it. We had to turn down a few people, sadly."
Like the first series, the new run sees you discover lots of hidden gems in your homeland…
"When I was a child, it seemed like everyone else went to Spain for their holidays, but we spent a lot of time in the North-East at places like Seahouses or Bamburgh on the Northumbrian coast line. And lucky for us, I say. But there are these beautiful places that, at nearly 60 years old, I never knew existed. When you take the road less travelled, you come across some wonderful surprises!"
