Actor sets foot in the Peak District for new TV series

The stunning scenery of the Peak District can put a smile on even the grumpiest of faces. Don’t believe it? Well, just ask Richard Wilson.
Richard Wilson in the Peak District.Richard Wilson in the Peak District.
Richard Wilson in the Peak District.

The actor, famed for his appearance as Britain’s favourite television grump, Victor Meldrew, in the hit comedy One Foot in the Grave, returns to our screens tonight (Monday) in a brand new ITV series, Richard Wilson on the Road.

And the first episode in the six-part series sees the 78-year-old touring landlocked Derbyshire in his vintage 1960s Daimler, armed not with a Sat Nav but instead a Shell Guide first published in the 1930s.

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His journey takes him to the Chestnut Centre conservation and wildlife park in Chapel-en-le-Frith, where he met owner Carol Heap and had the chance to feed the giant otters Manoki, Panambi and Meamu.

Richard Wilson with his 1960s Daimler in Derbyshire.
 Photo: Curve Media
.Richard Wilson with his 1960s Daimler in Derbyshire.
 Photo: Curve Media
.
Richard Wilson with his 1960s Daimler in Derbyshire. Photo: Curve Media .

But, as Carol explained, not everything went according to plan during last year’s filming.

“Giant otters are very vocal so once the cameras were rolling the otters decided to make some noise,” she said.

“They had to call ‘cut’ on a number of occasions.”

The actor also hears more about the mass trespass of Kinder Scout which paved the way for the right to roam, and pays a visit to the historic towns of Buxton and Bakewell, turning his hand to cooking one of their famous puddings.

Richard Wilson on the Road begins on ITV at 8pm.