Big names announced for BBC’s next Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage Series 8 is coming.

With Easter approaching, Pilgrimage returns to BBC Two and iPlayer with a brand-new series that sees seven well-known personalities of different faiths and beliefs set out on a spectacular journey across the wild landscapes of North East England, exploring the lives and legacy of early Celtic Christian saints.

Across three 60-minute episodes, the eighth series, Pilgrimage: The Road to Holy Island (working title), follows the group as they travel a unique 390km network of ancient trails through Northumberland. Along the way, they visit some of the region’s most iconic and sacred sites, including Whitby’s dramatic cliff-top Abbey, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Durham Cathedral, and their final destination, the Holy Island of Lindisfarne.

Travelling on foot and by bus, the pilgrims are immersed in the landscapes that helped shape early Celtic Christianity. From rugged coastlines and remote moorlands to the rolling hills of the Cheviots and their sweeping views, the journey becomes one of both physical endurance and deep personal reflection.

This year’s pilgrims include practising Christian and Diversity leader Ashley Banjo; actor Hermione Norris, who believes the divine can be found in all living things; atheist TV personality Tasha Ghouri; stand-up comedian and observant Muslim Hasan Al-Habib; radio presenter Jayne Middlemiss, who describes herself as spiritual; comedian Ashley Blaker, now agnostic after once practising Orthodox Judaism; and actor Patsy Kensit, a self-described “à la carte” Catholic.

The journey begins on the Yorkshire coast just south of the haunting ruins of Whitby Abbey, as the pilgrims follow trails celebrating three of England’s most revered seventh-century northern saints: Hild, Oswald and Cuthbert. True to Pilgrimage tradition, they carry their own backpacks and stay overnight in a range of simple accommodation, from wooden pods and off-grid hostels to basic bunkrooms.

Travelling north along St Hild’s Way, the group follows the dramatic coastal path to the ammonite-strewn beaches of Runswick Bay before turning inland towards Durham. There, they tackle the 224 steep and uneven ‘Steps of Doom’ for their first breathtaking view of Durham Cathedral. At the world-famous site, they take part in the medieval pilgrim tradition of foot washing and visit the shrine of St Cuthbert.

Leaving Durham, the pilgrims head towards Heavenfield, where St Oswald claimed the Kingdom of Northumbria in the seventh century, facing an amber weather warning as they explore Housesteads Roman Fort on Hadrian’s Wall. Along the route, they also visit Newcastle’s Reform Synagogue, founded in the early 1960s by members of the local Jewish community including Holocaust refugees, and the Nether Springs retreat centre, where daily life is inspired by the teachings of the northern saints.

Joining St Oswald’s Way, the pilgrims continue towards the North East coast, visiting a medieval hermitage carved into a rocky outcrop in the grounds of Warkworth Castle, accessible only by boat. Their final trail, St Cuthbert’s Way in the Scottish Borders, honours the revered monk, bishop and hermit. A demanding walk in the Cheviots takes them to the highest point of the route on Wide-Open Hill, offering extraordinary 360-degree views, before leading them to Cuthbert’s Cave, where monks are said to have sheltered with his coffin during Viking raids.

Ashley Banjo says: “As a Christian I wanted to do this pilgrimage, to continue my journey of discovery through discussion, by asking questions, and to be asked questions in the context of faith. But I'm also taking part to have a really good hike! So the pilgrimage to me not only represents the chance to explore my faith and meet some new people in the context of it, but to unplug and go on the walk of a lifetime.”

After twelve challenging days, the pilgrims reach Pilgrims’ Way, where for over a thousand years travellers have crossed the dramatic and dangerous tidal sands to reach Lindisfarne — the spiritual climax of their journey and the heart of Holy Island.