Pilgrimage to Portugal: Release date, route, trailer and latest news
Seven celebrities will be trekking across northern Portugal, heading to the city of Fatima.
Pilgrimage is back for a brand new season and this time, seven celebrities will be travelling along the northern route of Portugal’s Fatima Way.
Each edition of the thought-provoking BBC show sees a group of famous faces, who all have different religious faiths and beliefs, embark on a spiritual journey, following in the footsteps of historical pilgrims.
Previous seasons have seen stars tackle routes like the Camino de Santiago and the Via Francigena, but this time, they will be heading to the sanctuary in the Portuguese city of Fatima.
In 1917, three local children reported seeing apparitions of the Virgin Mary on this site and now, more than 100 years on, it is now one of the world’s biggest Catholic pilgrimage destinations.
Here’s everything you need to know about Pilgrimage: The Road Through Portugal.
Pilgrimage to Portugal release date
The fifth season of Pilgrimage is set to begin on Friday 7th April at 9pm on BBC Two, when the first of three episodes will air as part of the broadcaster’s Easter line-up.
Pilgrimage to Portugal line-up
As always, the show’s producers have assembled an array of celebrities from different religious backgrounds and with different spiritual beliefs.
Actor Su Pollard, who was raised in the Church of England, will be joined by Boyzone star Shane Lynch, who is a born-again Pentecostal Christian, along with agnostic reality TV star Vicky Pattison and Jewish EastEnders actress Rita Simons.
Rounding out the group will be broadcaster and mathematician Bobby Seagull, a practising Catholic, comedian Nabil Abdulrashid, a practising Muslim, and Paralympic skier Millie Knight, who is non-practising Church of England.
According to the show’s executive producer Caroline Matthews, the new cast will "physically dig deep, talk faith and ponder life’s big questions", with "strong camaraderie, tears and a healthy dollop of humour to see them through their epic journey".
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Pilgrimage to Portugal route
The celebrities’ 364km (226 miles) pilgrimage will begin in Valença, a town on Portugal’s border with Spain, and will take them through some of the most stunning landscapes in northern Portugal.
They will have the chance to drop in on various landmarks, including Bom Jesus do Monte, a Christian sanctuary, and a nunnery in Coimbra, the capital of Portugal back in the Middle Ages.
This time, the stars will be travelling on a deadline as they need to arrive in Fatima in time for a special candlelit vigil, which will be attended by almost 70,000 pilgrims from across the world in celebration of the apparition of the Virgin Mary.
The group won’t be journeying in luxury: they’ll be carrying their luggage on their backs and sleeping in hostels, campsites and even a working fire station.
Pilgrimage to Portugal trailer
The BBC is yet to unveil a trailer for the latest season of Pilgrimage, but we’ll be sure to update you as soon as it drops.
In the meantime, you can catch up on the previous season which saw the likes of Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen, Nick Hewer and Monty Panesar embarking on the historic Hiberno-Scottish mission. It's available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Pilgrimage: The Road Through Portugal starts on Friday 7th April on BBC Two at 9pm. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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