SEVEN well-known celebrities are to follow in the footsteps of the sixth century Irish monk St Columba as they travel across the island of Ireland to Scotland.
Interior designer and TV personality, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, who describes himself as a non-conforming Pagan and England cricketing legend, Monty Panesar, a practising Sikh, are among those taking part in `For The Pilgrimage: The Road to the Scottish Isles'.
The BBC Two show also features actress Louisa Clein, who is Jewish, TV personality Nick Hewer, an agnostic with Catholic roots, TV presenter Scarlett Moffatt, a Christian, comedian Shazia Mirza, who is a Muslim, and Paralympian Will Bayley, a lapsed Christian.
The group will follow ancient pilgrimages and heritage walking trails with the celebrity pilgrims beginning their journey in Donegal before travelling through Northern Ireland and over the sea by boat to western Scotland.
From there, they head up towards the Highlands before exploring the Hebridean Isle of Lewis and Harris.
They then go to Stornaway and onto the Calanais Stones before arriving at their final destination, Iona, a tiny island in the Inner Hebrides and the site of Saint Columba's most revered monastery.
Covering more than 1,600km, they will visit places of worship, from pagan stones to an early Christian cave and a contemporary mosque and Sikh temple.
Daisy Scalchi, BBC Commissioning Editor, Religion & Ethics, said: "We are thrilled to see the wonderful Pilgrimage return for Spring 2022.
"This is an exceptional cast bringing a wide variety of perspectives to some of life's big questions, at a time when conversations around meaning and values are more important than ever."
