Men behaving GLADLY

Old pals NEIL MORRISSEY and MARTIN CLUNES on reuniting for a journey of discovery in France

NEIL & MARTIN'S BON VOYAGE NEW TUE, 9PM, U&GOLD TRAVELOGUE (BOX SET, SKY BOX SETS, VIRGIN TV BOX SETS & NOW)

Back in 2000, riding high on the success of playing flatmates Gary Strang and Tony Smart in 1990s sitcom Men Behaving Badly, Martin Clunes and Neil Morrissey teamed up for an Australian adventure in TV travelogue Men Down Under. A quarter of a century on, now both in their early 60s, the two friends are reuniting for a road trip across France.

This week’s first episode of Neil & Martin’s Bon Voyage, on U&Gold, sees them take things at a more sedate pace than on their Oz escapade, as they canoe down the Dordogne river, visit the country’s deepest wine cellar and scale Europe’s largest sand dune, before heading to the Pyrenees and Biarritz for leg two and Toulouse in leg three.

The journey also gives the duo a chance to look back over their long careers and reflect on how they have changed over the years. TV Times caught up with Neil, 62, and Martin, 63, who, in between making each other roar with laughter, gave us the low-down on their French reconnection…

What were you hoping to get out of this excursion?

NEIL I was hoping for a lot of fun; it hardly seemed like work, quite frankly! MARTIN We don’t get to hang out like this, so it was really nice – but quite tiresome having to make a programme, to be honest!

How well do each of you know France?

NEIL I’ve had a little old farmer's cottage in the south-west of France for nearly 20 years. No one knows who I am here, and the old ladies elbow me out of the way to get to the prize onions in the market!

MARTIN We used to take a house in France years ago, but it was nice to get to travel around with Neil, because he is so familiar with the country.