Seven celebrities take a pilgrimage through the Austrian and Swiss Alps for brand new BBC Two and iPlayer series

BBC News

17-03-2025

With Easter approaching, the annual Pilgrimage series is returning to BBC Two and iPlayer next month, as seven well known personalities, of differing faiths and beliefs, tackle a challenging 300km pilgrimage, through the majestic and awe-inspiring Austrian and Swiss Alps.
Across 3 x 60 minute episodes, the brand new, Pilgrimage: The Road Through the Alps, will follow celebrity pilgrims, as they take a personal journey along a revived medieval Catholic route, travelling from just outside Innsbruck on the Austrian Camino and finishing near Lake Zurich in Switzerland. Pilgrimage: The Road Through the Alps will be part of the BBC's forthcoming Faith and Hope Season, details of which will be announced soon.
Taking part in this physical and spiritual journey are; agnostic Jay McGuiness, singer from boy band, The Wanted; actor and comedy legend Helen Lederer who is from a mixed heritage background, with a culturally Jewish father and a Protestant mother; practising Catholic, Harry Clark - The Traitors (series two) winner; standup comedian Daliso Chaponda, who grew up in a Christian family but is exploring the Baha'i faith; presenter Jeff Brazier, who went to Catholic schools but now is spiritual and meditates as part of his everyday life; retired Paralympian and practising Christian Stef Reid and journalist Nelufar Hedayat, who refers to herself as a modern Muslim.
The seven pilgrims begin their Camino in the picturesque village of Inzing, 17km outside the Tyrolean capital. Over twelve days, they will face strenuous climbs, high into the Alps, even reaching the snow line. They will follow the ancient path west across the Arlberg pass, the highest point on the Camino, and continue to their final destination in the foothills of the Swiss Alps, Einsiedeln Abbey. Originally inspired over a thousand years ago by followers of the famous hermit St Meinrad, the abbey attracts almost a million pilgrims and visitors every year. They are drawn by its venerated Black Madonna, its unique history and the Benedictine monks who live and worship there.
Armed with a backpack each, the pilgrims will stay in local guest houses, as well as sharing rooms in a convent and pilgrim hostels.
Revealing their thoughts on their faith and why they wanted to take part in this Pilgrimage, the celebrity pilgrims commented:
Harry Clark
24, Slough
'I've always had faith. I was baptized and all my family are Catholic. I was an altar server in church and played the violin in church with my sister, so I was always around faith.
I'm so excited to go on this Pilgrimage, to meet the other pilgrims and find out about their religions, what they believe in and why, and if they don't believe, why? Because I've questioned who God is my whole life, not in a bad way, but as in no one knows who God is.'
Helen Lederer
70, London
'The concept of a Pilgrimage is probably one of endurance, challenge, pain, anxiety, difficulties. So obviously I was drawn to it! I think it's an opportunity that probably won't present itself to me again.
My faith is that I believe in God but I'm not sure what the God is. My father was born into a Jewish family. Although my Czechoslovakian grandparents were cultural Jews, they never talked about faith. My mother came from the Isle of Wight, and I'm told I was christened.
Being a mix means that you have respect for both things and there is a particular quality I'm learning and feeling more as I get even older, that you can't shed your background. So, with my mixed background, with all the pain of my family that isn't mine, but theirs, I want to be able to turn it into something that will give me a bit of peace.'
Jay McGuiness
34, Los Angeles, California (originally London, via Nottinghamshire)
'I agreed to go on this Pilgrimage because it just sounded the perfect thing to do. I was born and raised in Nottinghamshire to an Irish Catholic family and we'd go to our Catholic school and sing church songs and on Sunday, we'd all go and sit next to each other on the pew. But as time's gone on, I think that the rule book that comes with being a Catholic, is too judgmental for where I am.
I think the closest I can get to what I am, would be considered agnostic. I don't believe there is a God, and I don't believe there isn't. I think it's impossible for us to know, and maybe that's what being a human is; we are stuck here in this mortal realm, and you only find out once you go beyond the curtain. But I would love to know a little bit more about what I am. So, I'm looking forward to that. Who knows what I'll find on this Pilgrimage.'
Jeff Brazier
45, London
'The best way to describe my faith is spiritual. I would say the universe is what guides me, the universe just chucks whatever I need at me, whenever I need it. To answer the question – what is God - is a really tough one, but for me right now, I would say God is love; so God can be within all of us.
I also love learning from people and on our Pilgrimage, there is every chance that there might be some sort of transformation in terms of my beliefs, my views. So, I see it as a wonderful opportunity to just explore some themes and some conversations that I probably don't have very often.'
Daliso Chaponda
45, London
'I think I will struggle a lot with the physical part of the Pilgrimage. I mostly live a very sedentary life. Typing is the most physical I get. I am expecting to be in a lot of pain, very tired, and possibly the slowest person in the group.
I believe in God, and I believe there are many paths to worship God, so I am hoping this Pilgrimage will help me find some definition. I grew up in 14 different countries, and my family was religious, but I don't know yet which is the perfect path for me. I feel weird labeling myself with a particular faith because I feel like I'm no faith and all faiths. I know that I'm close to Baha'i, I know I'm close to Quaker, I know I'm close to Unitarian, but I'm not anything yet. Maybe by the end of the Pilgrimage I'll be able to say, 'this is what I am'.'
Stef Reid
40, Loughborough
'I would describe myself as a Christian and for me, the fundamental thing is to ask if we believe that Jesus was the son of God, and are we trying to live like him and make the world a better place? And if so, awesome.
I have a strong faith, but it doesn't mean that life doesn't get really hard, and I've had a lot of questions to answer recently. I need time to think but I've just not given myself the time, even though I know it's so important. I have never done a Pilgrimage and it's scary because thoughts are going to come up, but they have to come up, otherwise we're never going to move on and think about newer or better things.'
Nelufar Hedayat
37, London (originally Kabul, Afghanistan)
'I was born in Kabul, in Afghanistan. When I was a young refugee in Britain, my faith took a firm back seat as that was part of my past and why I was here, so I didn't want anything to do with it. Those feelings lasted for quite a while, until I was at secondary school when I was with other young Muslims, and I realised I could be both British and Muslim.
As a modern Muslim, I'm trying to find a way through the faith that I was born into, and even now, it's strained at the very best. I get really annoyed when people think that faith is a box ticking exercise. Faith is an experience and it's one you can be drawn to and drawn away from. So, I want to bring a sense of openness to this Pilgrimage. I want to bring myself, but I'm angry with God and I want to find a connection to God that isn't me feeling anger or disillusionment and that's what I'm most looking forward to.
Daisy Scalchi, BBC's Head of Commissioning, Religion and Ethics, says: 'The cast of this year's Pilgrimage embraced the challenge of the journey - and then some. They each laid their souls bare as they got to know one another, trekking together through stunning, and often challenging, landscapes. I hope viewers will connect with their honesty and genuine curiosity about what guides us all through life.'
Caroline Matthews, Executive Producer and CEO, CTVC says: 'Pilgrimage always delivers something new and unexpected! Against the epic backdrop of the Alps, our incredible celebrity pilgrims take a deep dive into faith, whilst pondering life's big questions. Cue tears, laughter, struggles and an outdoor bathtub with an Austrian hostel owner…'
Pilgrimage: The Road Through the Alps (3 x 60 minutes) is a CTVC production and has been commissioned by Jack Bootle, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual. The series is Executive Produced by CTVC's Caroline Matthews and Michele Kurland and Series Produced by Toni Williamson. The Commissioning Editor is Daisy Scalchi, Head of Commissioning, Religion and Ethics.
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