A tiny figure is beckoning to us from across a blazing stretch of beach. We approach, tentatively. Who is this squinting gesticulator? Closer inspection reveals a hat (sensible) and a suitcase (brown). The heart leaps. Could it be Paddington? Close. It’s Sandi Toksvig. “And this,” she says, as the camera swoops over her shoulder to reveal a gasp-inducing sweep of Mediterranean coastline, “is my Great Riviera Rail Trip”. A montage of coming attractions sets out our guide’s stall. Here is Toksvig eating bouillabaisse in a bib; Toksvig bobbing, seal-like, in an infinity pool; Toksvig pounding up a set of steps, her fringe bouncing like a blond trampette in the breeze. The idea? “I want to explore the region’s rich past and vibrant present,” she says. “A simple rail trip of just over one hundred miles” allows her to take in the artists, writers and “freethinkers” who helped transform the Riviera from a fluttering ribbon of snoozy fishing villages into “one of the world’s dream destinations”.
So, it’s all aboard the Toksvig express for the first of a four-part choo-choo along the Côte d’Azur.
