Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father

Last updated

Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father
Travels with My Father.jpg
A promotional poster for the first series, which released in 2017.
Genre Travel documentary
comedy
Created by Jack Whitehall
Presented by
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series5
No. of episodes18
Production
Running time29–61 min
Production companies Tiger Aspect Productions
Cave Bear Productions
Jackpot Productions
Original release
Network Netflix
ReleaseSeptember 22, 2017 (2017-09-22) 
September 14, 2021 (2021-09-14)

Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father is a travel documentary/road trip comedy television series that debuted on Netflix. The show is presented by comedian Jack Whitehall and his father, Michael Whitehall. [1] The show covers the pair's travels to various places around the world, encountering silly and awkward situations.

Contents

The first series consist of six episodes and was released on Netflix on 22 September 2017, and covers the pair's travel to South East Asia on a popular "gap year route", and involves them travelling through Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. [2] [3] The series was renewed for a second series which was filmed in Eastern Europe. [4] The second season premiered on 28 September 2018, and consisted of five episodes. [5] The third season was filmed in the American west and premiered on 6 September 2019, and only consisted of two episodes. The fourth season was filmed in Australia and premiered on 22 September 2020, and consisted of another two episodes. A fifth season, filmed in the U.K. and consisting of three episodes, was released on 14 September 2021. [6]

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
1 6September 22, 2017 (2017-09-22)
2 5September 28, 2018 (2018-09-28)
3 2September 6, 2019 (2019-09-06)
4 2September 22, 2020 (2020-09-22)
5 3September 14, 2021 (2021-09-14)

Episodes

Series 1 (2017)

Series 1 sees Jack and his father, Michael, embark on the trip of a lifetime across South East Asia. Along the way the pair visits Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleOriginal release date [7]
11"Episode 1"September 22, 2017 (2017-09-22)
Comedian Jack Whitehall brings his father Michael Whitehall to Southeast Asia as part of Jack's gap year. They start in Bangkok, Thailand at Khao San Road but while Jack has arranged to stay in a hostel, Michael insists on staying in a five-star hotel, and Jack obliges. They have dinner at the Sirocco. They meet Pru, their regional guide. They visit a shrine dedicated to Chuchok and have dinner at a street-side restaurant. The next day they attend a King's Cup Elephant Polo match, with Jack joining the team from New Zealand.
22"Episode 2"September 22, 2017 (2017-09-22)
Pru takes the Whitehalls to a temple garden where they meet a Buddhist monk who is originally from England. The temple grounds have some peculiar statues. While Michael stays at the hotel, Jack meets members of Team Farang, a group that specializes in parkour. He trains at a trampoline park, and then free-runs with them up a 42-story derelict building. Later, the Whitehalls then visit a shop where they sell Luk Thep dolls, ones that look very realistic, and acquire one which Michael names Winston. Later, Jack and Michael board the Orient Express to visit part of the Burma Railway that inspired the film The Bridge on the River Kwai .
33"Episode 3"September 22, 2017 (2017-09-22)
The pair travel to the holiday island of Phuket, where Jack has arranged to stay at a straw beach hut. Jack takes Michael on a sea kayak, but Michael throws his oar away so that Jack has to do all the paddling. While Jack gets a massage at the beach, Michael is dissatisfied with the restrooms by the beach, so he rents a room. Jack takes Michael to a Full Moon Party. The following day, they travel by boat to Ko Panyi, where a hungover Jack participates in a football match on a floating pitch with the Panyee FC youth team. Jack meets Steven Seagal at the hotel before they head to the Thailand-Cambodia border.
44"Episode 4"September 22, 2017 (2017-09-22)
The duo arrive in Poipet, Cambodia where they ride a norry to Battambang. There, Jack looks for a local restaurant and samples some delicacies including snake and rat, and later takes his father there. The pair then visit Angkor Wat where Jack tries his hand at teaching the Buddhist monks some English phrases. They learn about the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime, visiting a cave where ten thousand people were killed and their bodies dumped. At dusk, they watch another cave where a large number of bats pour out for their evening excursion.
55"Episode 5"September 22, 2017 (2017-09-22)
At Siem Reap, Jack and Michael visit a shadow puppet theater performance, and then participate in a story where Michael narrates The Dam Busters and Jack works the puppets. But when Jack tries to spice up the performance by splashing water on Michael and the kids, Michael does not want to participate in anything the next day. Jack joins APOPO for the day where they have trained rats to detect land mines. After checking with his wife, Michael agrees to support Jack, and they get matching tattoos and enjoy some night life afterwards. They then travel to Hoi An in Vietnam. They try to paddle a boat but get stuck on the water, and have to get a local to tow them. The local shows Jack how to row a bowl-shaped watercraft called a coracle. They then visit the Bà Nà Hills which has become a European-styled resort / theme park attraction with a Western-styled cathedral and even some Eastern Europeans who dress up as princesses and princes to entertain.
66"Episode 6"September 22, 2017 (2017-09-22)
The final leg of their journey sees the Whitehalls heading to Hanoi in Vietnam. Jack wants to drive for the first time ever, but soon gets their vehicle stuck. They visit a shop in Hàng Mã Street that sells paper objects that can be burned for their ancestors, buying a bunch of items for Michael's parents, and then visit a shrine where they put the items in an oven. They visit the studio of performance artist Mr. Khanh, and do drawings of Michael. At night, they visit a local park where they do stick jumping. riding a street trike, and ballroom dancing. They return to Bangkok and look back over their time together.

Series 2 (2018)

In the second series, Jack and his father, Michael, embark on a road trip across Europe. It is to be a trip of high culture and timeless art, a true rite of passage in the vein of the 18th-century Grand Tours, however, Jack has other plans. Along their way they visit Germany, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine and Turkey.

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleOriginal release date [7]
71"Episode 1"September 28, 2018 (2018-09-28)
Michael wants to take Jack on a historical and cultural tour through Eastern Europe. They start in the Bavarian Alps. They visit the town of Berchtesgaden and then Obersalzberg, where they visit the ruins of Hitler's holiday home. Jack finds the tour to be dry so he arranges for a host named Happy Bavarian Joe. They visit Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain, but a blizzard blocks the view at the summit. They stay in some accommodations carved in the ice where there is access to hot tub and sauna. They visit a car park near Ramsau where they try skijoring (riding a snowmobile while towing a skier). They board a sleeping car train to Hungary, but find the compartment to be a couchette.
82"Episode 2"September 28, 2018 (2018-09-28)
In Hungary the pair visits Budapest. The first stop on Michael's mission to get Jack cultured is the Hungarian State Opera House, however, they find themselves lost. Jack gets them a ride on a city beer bike where they try some Unicum liqueur. They discover that the Opera House is closed for restoration, much to Michael's dismay. They visit The House of Houdini museum, where they are wowed by the local escapologist, the Great Merlini (David Merlini), who gets out of a straitjacket, after which Jack wants to try the trick, but cannot. The father-son duo take a boat ride along the river Danube, where Michael shares some words of wisdom with Jack. They rent a camper van to head into rural Romania, hoping to see Prince Charles's favorite holiday spot, but at the border to Transylvania, the guard thinks Michael's doll Winston might be smuggling drugs and has him stripped of his clothes. They participate in a traditional mask dance. They visit a wool maker where Michael thinks he can get a bargain on some coats, but gets the exchange rate wrong.
93"Episode 3"September 28, 2018 (2018-09-28)
In Transylvania, Romania, their guide Andra takes the two to visit a renowned white witch named Maria who reads their fortunes using tarot cards. They then visit the Merry Cemetery in Săpânța where Jack surprises Michael with his own customized headstone. They then go to Chișinău, Moldova where Jack will be meeting his favorite pop band from the Eurovision Song Contest, the SunStroke Project. They visit the Mileștii Mici, one of the largest underground wine cellars in the world. Michael takes a liking to the host. That night, Jack performs with SunStroke Project for a song at their local concert.
104"Episode 4"September 28, 2018 (2018-09-28)
In Kyiv, Ukraine, Michael wants Jack to toughen up, so he has his Cossack host Dimitri take Jack to Kachalka Gym, an outdoor fitness park with exercise machines fashioned out of old military parts. They then learn some military training tactics from a Special Forces agent. They visit the Chernobyl New Safe Confinement structure (site of the Chernobyl disaster) and the ruins of the abandoned town. They visit the city of Odessa in the Ukrainian Riviera and participate in Humorina, an arts festival where revelers in a parade dress up as clowns, one of the things that Jack thinks Michael has a fear of.
115"Episode 5"September 28, 2018 (2018-09-28)
Jack and Michael go to Istanbul, Turkey for their final part of their journey. To celebrate Michael's birthday, Jack sets Michael up in the Çırağan Palace, a five-star hotel that Jack discovers has a very expensive room rate, complete with butlers. Before taking them to see some of the city's sights, their guide notes that Jack is wearing shorts instead of pants so they visit the Grand Bazaar, one of the oldest "malls" in the world. They visit a hookah lounge, and in the evening, watch Turkish belly dancing performed by a guy. The next morning, Jack tries to bring Michael breakfast in bed, but Michael wants to sleep. He then surprises Michael when Jack's mother and Michael's wife Hilary arrives. They take a cruise on a private yacht Jack rented, along with the guy they met at the Moldovan winery serves them drinks.

Series 3 (2019)

In the third series, Jack shows his father around the American west in the hope that he will move there with him. However, in usual fashion, Michael tries to take the whole trip over.

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleOriginal release date [7]
121"Episode 1"September 6, 2019 (2019-09-06)
Jack brings his father to California for a tour of Los Angeles and Compton where Jack has been wanting to develop his acting career. They visit a yoga studio but Michael refuses to disrobe to do naked yoga. The next day they visit a positive-theme restaurant called Cafe Gratitude, and then board a vintage Greyhound bus to Phoenix, Arizona. Jack participates in an independent pro wrestling promotion.
132"Episode 2"September 6, 2019 (2019-09-06)
Jack and Michael visit the senior living community of Sun City West, Arizona where they participate in tap dancing lessons and a game of Bingo. After stops in Tombstone, Arizona (where they dress up in Western clothes and then go out to a shooting range), Jack and Michael go to Las Vegas, where a surprise guest could ruin Jack's "lads and dads" itinerary. They see the Bellagio Fountains, do a car chase experience, and have a themed meal that has cannabis infusions. Jack takes them to a Magic Mike show.

Series 4 (2020)

In the fourth series, Jack shows his father around Australia.

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleOriginal release date [7]
141"Episode 1"September 22, 2020 (2020-09-22)
152"Episode 2"September 22, 2020 (2020-09-22)

Series 5: The Final Journey (2021)

In the fifth and final series, Jack shows his father around the United Kingdom; later, they reminisce about their favorite moments on the series.

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleOriginal release date [7]
161"Episode 1"September 14, 2021 (2021-09-14)
Hilary sends Jack and Michael to various places in the UK. The three have a meal at Gordon Ramsay's Lucky Cat restaurant where Ramsay is actually in the kitchen. Michael drives Jack around London in a Mini Cooper. Then, the two travel to Cerne Abbas to try Morris dancing by the Cerne Abbas Giant. They tour Chartwell, which was Winston Churchill's home, and then visit the Burgh Island Hotel where they attend a mystery dinner. They meet up with Hilary at the Palé Hall Hotel near Mount Snowdon to celebrate the parents' 35th wedding anniversary. Hilary and Jack camp on the side of a cliff at Angelsey.
172"Episode 2"September 14, 2021 (2021-09-14)
183"The Best of Travels with My Father"September 14, 2021 (2021-09-14)

Related Research Articles

<i>The Wonder Years</i> 1980s American comedy-drama television series (1988–1993)

The Wonder Years is an American coming-of-age comedy television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from January 31, 1988, until May 12, 1993. The series premiered immediately after ABC's coverage of Super Bowl XXII. The series stars Fred Savage as Kevin Arnold, a teenager growing up in a suburban middle class family in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It co-stars Dan Lauria as his father Jack, Alley Mills as his mother Norma, Jason Hervey as his brother Wayne, Olivia d'Abo as his sister Karen, Josh Saviano as his best friend Paul Pfeiffer, and Danica McKellar as his girlfriend Winnie Cooper, with narration by Daniel Stern as an adult version of Kevin.

<i>Pokémon</i> (TV series) Japanese anime television series

Pokémon, abbreviated from the Japanese title of Pocket Monsters, and currently branded in English as Pokémon the Series, is a Japanese anime television series, part of The Pokémon Company's Pokémon media franchise, which premiered on TV Tokyo in April 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Howard</span> British comedian and presenter

Russell Joseph Howard is an English comedian, television presenter, radio presenter, and actor. He has hosted his own television shows, Russell Howard's Good News and The Russell Howard Hour, and appeared on the topical panel TV show Mock the Week. He won "Best Compère" at the 2006 Chortle Awards and was nominated for an Edinburgh Comedy Award for his 2006 Aberdeen Festival Fringe show. Howard has cited comedians Lee Evans, Richard Pryor, and Frank Skinner as influences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Jefferies</span> Australian stand-up comedian, actor and writer

Geoff James Nugent, known professionally as Jim Jefferies, is an Australian comedian, actor, and writer who holds dual Australian and American citizenship. He created and starred in the American FX sitcom Legit (2013–2014) and the Comedy Central late-night show The Jim Jefferies Show (2017–2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Whitehall</span> English comedian, actor, presenter and writer

Jack Peter Benedict Whitehall is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is known for his roles as JP in the comedy-drama series Fresh Meat (2011–2016) and as Alfie Wickers in the sitcom Bad Education also co-writing the latter and its film adaptation, The Bad Education Movie (2015).

<i>Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee</i> American Netflix series starring Jerry Seinfeld

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is an American talk-show directed and hosted by comedian Jerry Seinfeld. The series premiered on digital network Crackle on July 19, 2012, and has since run on Netflix. As of May 2015, it had been streamed nearly 100 million times. The series moved to Netflix in 2018 for the debut of its tenth season. Its eleventh season premiered on July 19, 2019. Seinfeld has since indicated that he may be done working on the series.

<i>Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown</i> American television series

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown is an American travel and food show on CNN which premiered on April 14, 2013. In the show, Anthony Bourdain travels the world uncovering lesser-known places and exploring their cultures and cuisine. The show won twelve Primetime Emmy Awards out of 31 nominations, as well as a 2013 Peabody Award. The digital series Explore Parts Unknown, an editorial partnership with Roads & Kingdoms, won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series. Parts Unknown aired the last collection of episodes on CNN in the autumn of 2018. The series finale, titled "Lower East Side"—bringing Bourdain's culinary travelogue full circle back to Bourdain's hometown of New York—aired November 11, 2018.

<i>Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia</i> 2016 animated television series created by Guillermo del Toro

Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia is an American animated fantasy streaming television series created by Guillermo del Toro and produced by DreamWorks Animation Television and Double Dare You Productions for Netflix, based on the 2015 novel Trollhunters by del Toro and Daniel Kraus. It follows the story of James "Jim" Lake Jr., a teenage boy who finds a mysterious amulet and stumbles across a secret realm inhabited by trolls and other magical creatures. Soon afterward, he and his friends are charged with protecting the world from the dangerous monsters that lurk in the shadows of their small suburban town.

Michael John Whitehall is an English author, producer, talent agent and television personality. He is a former theatrical agent who went on to form two production companies, Havahall Pictures in 1988, and Whitehall Films in 1998. He has represented Colin Firth, Julian Kirton, and Dame Judi Dench. He is the father of comedian and actor Jack Whitehall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Robins (comedian)</span> English stand-up comedian and presenter

John Michael David Robins is an English stand-up comedian and radio presenter.

<i>BoJack Horseman</i> American adult animated sitcom

BoJack Horseman is an American adult animated psychological comedy drama television series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. It stars the voices of Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins, and Aaron Paul. Set primarily in Hollywood, the series revolves around the anthropomorphic horse BoJack Horseman (Arnett), a washed-up star of a 1990s sitcom who plans a return to relevance with an autobiography to be written by ghostwriter Diane Nguyen (Brie). It also chronicles his contentions with his agent, Princess Carolyn (Sedaris), former rival Mr. Peanutbutter (Tompkins), roommate Todd Chavez (Paul), and his declining mental health. The series is designed by cartoonist Lisa Hanawalt, a longtime friend to Bob-Waksberg who previously collaborated on the webcomic Tip Me Over, Pour Me Out.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Wang</span> British Chinese-Malaysian comedian

Philip Nathaniel Wang Sin Goi is a British-Malaysian stand-up comedian and comedy writer who is a member of the sketch comedy group Daphne, and co-creator of their BBC Radio 4 series, Daphne Sounds Expensive. He currently hosts the comedy podcast ‘BudPod’ with fellow comedian and Footlights alumnus Pierre Novellie.

<i>Dark</i> (TV series) 2017 German science fiction TV series

Dark is a German science fiction thriller television series co-created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese. It ran for three seasons from 2017 to 2020. The story follows characters from the fictional town of Winden, Germany, as they pursue the truth in the aftermath of a child's disappearance. They follow connections between four estranged families to unravel a sinister time travel conspiracy that spans several generations. The series explores the existential implications of time and its effect on human nature and life. It features an ensemble cast.

<i>The End of the F***ing World</i> 2017 British comedy-drama television series

The End of the F***ing World is a British black comedy-drama television programme. The eight-part first series premiered its first episode on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 24 October 2017, after which the following episodes were released on All 4. Netflix handled international distribution and released it internationally on 5 January 2018. The programme follows James, a 17-year-old who believes himself to be a psychopath, and Alyssa Foley, an angry classmate who sees in James a chance to escape from her tumultuous home life. Gemma Whelan, Wunmi Mosaku, Steve Oram, Christine Bottomley, Navin Chowdhry, Barry Ward and Naomi Ackie appear in supporting roles.

<i>Kingdom</i> (South Korean TV series) 2019 South Korean television series

Kingdom (Korean: 킹덤) is a 2019 South Korean period horror streaming television series, created and written by Kim Eun-hee and based on the webtoon series The Kingdom of the Gods (신의나라:버닝헬) by writer Kim Eun-hee and artist Yang Kyung-il. As Netflix's first original Korean series, it premiered on January 25, 2019. It stars Ju Ji-hoon, Ryu Seung-ryong, Bae Doona, Kim Sang-ho, Kim Sung-kyu, and Kim Hye-jun. The entire first season, and the first episode of the second were directed by Kim Seong-hun, with Park In-je directing the remainder of that season.

<i>Raising Dion</i> American superhero science fiction television series

Raising Dion is an American superhero drama television series that premiered on October 4, 2019 on Netflix. It is based on the 2015 comic book and short film of the same name by Dennis Liu. In January 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a second and final season which premiered on February 1, 2022.

<i>Trolls: The Beat Goes On!</i> 2018 Netflix original TV series

Trolls: The Beat Goes On! is an American animated streaming television series produced by DreamWorks Animation. Based on the 3D computer-animated comedy musical film of the same name, the show premiered on Netflix on January 19, 2018, in the United States and takes place between the events of the first film and the sequel, Trolls World Tour. Amanda Leighton, Skylar Astin, Kari Wahlgren, Sam Lerner, David Kaye, David Fynn, Sean T. Krishnan, Kevin Michael Richardson, and Fryda Wolff provide the new voices for Princess Poppy, Branch, Bridget, King Gristle, King Peppy, Biggie and Mr. Dinkles, Guy Diamond, Smidge, DJ Suki and Satin & Chenille for this series respectively; only Ron Funches and Walt Dohrn reprise their roles as Cooper and Cloud Guy, also respectively. Matt Lowe also voices Creek in the series, who returns in "Creek Week".

Asim Chaudhry is a British comedian, writer, director and actor best known for playing Chabuddy G in the BBC mockumentary series People Just Do Nothing, which he co-created. For this role, he won a Royal Television Society Award and was nominated for two British Academy Television Awards.

<i>Down to Earth with Zac Efron</i> American web documentary series

Down to Earth with Zac Efron is an American web documentary series that premiered on Netflix on July 10, 2020. It stars Zac Efron and Darin Olien, who also act as executive producers of the series. The documentary revolves around Efron and his travels around the world to France, Puerto Rico, London, Iceland, Costa Rica, Peru, and Sardinia, and focuses on themes of travel, life experience, nature, green energy and sustainable living practices. Critics describe it as light in tone, but heavy in questionable health advice and pseudoscience.

References

  1. Richardson, Jay (28 February 2017). "Jack Whitehall travels with his dad". Chortle . Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  2. "Michael & Jack Whitehall to tour south east Asia for Netflix series". British Comedy Guide. 28 February 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  3. "First trailer for Jack Whitehall: Travels With My Father". Chortle. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  4. "Jack Whitehall to star in Disney movie with The Rock". Chortle. 27 March 2018.
  5. "Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father". Netflix. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  6. "'Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father' Renewed for Season 5 at Netflix". What's on Netflix. 11 March 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father – Listings". The Futon Critic . Retrieved 19 September 2020.