Martin & Roman’s Irish Road Trip (Monday, 8pm, Channel 4) pushes the celebrity travelogue genre to its limits, and then some. The series follows Spandau Ballet bassist Martin Kemp and his son Roman as they traverse the Emerald Isle, but the choice of presenters is utterly baffling. Why these two? The show itself addresses this in the first three minutes: Martin briefly lived in Ireland in the 80s, and his mum always claimed half-Irish heritage, though a DNA test revealed Germanic roots. Roman dryly notes, “For good reason,” when Martin excitedly says they’ve never had time alone together before.
An Odd Premise with a Heartfelt Core
The series feels like the TV equivalent of English people scrambling for Irish passports post-Brexit to skip airport queues. Accept that premise, and you’re in for a reasonably entertaining ride. It’s part father-son buddy movie, part exploration of Irish folklore and landscapes, a love letter to both people and place, though it struggles to find a consistent tone.
Humor shines when Roman, thoughtful and witty, teases his dad. When they explore keening—the traditional Irish lament for the dead—Martin does a double take on the word, and Roman quips he should know about “cleaners” since he has about 12 back home for his mansion. Jaunty Irish folk music punctuates every 10 minutes, reassuring viewers we’re all meant to have a lovely time.
Melancholy and Distress Beneath the Charm
Yet a significant portion is melancholic. Roman touchingly admits he’s increasingly thinking about his own mortality and his parents’ future deaths, sometimes keeping him awake at night. More distressing is the tour of Spike Island in Cork Harbour, known as “Ireland’s Alcatraz” for its 1,300-year history as a prison. A tour guide shows the Kemps a seventh-century isolation room where prisoners, including children, were chained by the neck for weeks. The guide’s casual mention of seeing a ghost doesn’t help. On the ferry back, Roman tells Martin it’s the first place he’s ever been without hope.
But the upbeat fiddle returns, and Roman delves into death again—asking if Martin believes you can see your family from above when you die. He hopes not, because he’d just see Roman taking the keys to his car.
Why Celebrity Travelogues Persist
On paper, I’m the target audience: English-Irish, with a grandfather who was a Grand National jockey and a Nan’s Waterford crystal whiskey glass. Yet two Englishmen learning about Irish folklore is a hard sell, even when they’re earnestly engaged with locals and experts. The best moments focus on their relationship. In the second episode, before entering an ancient tomb, Roman encourages Martin to ask a local for the key. “He doesn’t like meeting new people,” Roman tells the camera, proudly watching Martin knock on the door.
That’s why these travelogues keep getting commissioned: they offer viewers a glimpse into another country and another family’s dynamics. What’s next for the Kemps? A German road trip, perhaps—they’ve got the DNA for it.
