Excess Baggage
Travellers' Tales from home and around the world: their destinations, experiences and issues arising from their journeys are discussed with Sandi Toksvig or John McCarthy from 1000 to 1030 am on Saturdays.
- Updated:
Weekly -
Episodes available:
Indefinitely
All episodes (85)
ExcessBag 28 Apr 12: The point and the pleasure of travel
Sat, 28 Apr 12
Duration:
29 minsIn the last Excess Baggage, John McCarthy talks to three inveterate travellers. Author Sara Wheeler, explorer Benedict Allen, and documentary maker Simon Reeve discuss why they are driven to explore the world and what is the point of travel.
ExcessBag 21 Apr 12: Africa – Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan
Sat, 21 Apr 12
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy discusses travel to the African countries of Rwanda, Uganda and to the world's newest country, South Sudan with his guests, doctor Rob Summerhayes, paramedic Franz Opitz and forensic accountant Benedict Jenks.
ExcessBag 14 Apr 12: Lake Titicaca - Manchester, Bolivia - Malaysia
Sat, 14 Apr 12
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy talks to Meriel Larken who rescued and restored a Victorian steam ship on Lake Titicaca in Peru; Chris Smith and Liz Peel who went by canoe through the Bolivian jungle in search of the village of Manchester; and Kung Fu expert Nick Hurst who set off to Malaysia and China to spend time with his grandmaster Sugong.
ExcessBag 07 Apr 12: Wildlife travel
Sat, 7 Apr 12
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy explores wildlife travel with naturalist and tv presenter, Mark Carwardine who has spent thirty years travelling around the world to observe and aid conservation; wildlife travel writer, James Parry, who has made a unique tour of the world's top 20 deserts and award-winning wildlife photographer, Andy Rouse who discusses his recent trips to Rwanda in relation to mountain gorillas, and to India to study tigers.
ExcessBag 31 Mar 12: Iceland
Sat, 31 Mar 12
Duration:
29 minsSandi Toksvig goes to Reykjavik to look at aspects of tourism in Iceland and discovers that the volcanic eruptions and the financial crash there may not have been so bad for the country. As well as reminding the world of its geological attractions the crises have helped Iceland look at its cultural roots like the sagas and knitting.
ExcessBag 24 Mar 12: Family travel
Sat, 24 Mar 12
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy takes a look at family travel with novelist Gill Lewis who took her daughters spotting wildlife both abroad and in Scotland and Cornwall; writer Ben Hatch who toured Britain with his young childrenand holiday lettings agent Wendy Shand who explains how self-catering holidays can be more child friendly.
ExcessBag 17 Mar 12: Black Prince - Wine trade in Medieval Europe - Lourdes
Sat, 17 Mar 12
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy talks to writer Peter Hoskins who travelled in the footsteps of the Black Prince, historian Susan Rose about Gascony's medieval wine trail and novelist Michael Arditti about the lure of Lourdes and the Pyrenees.
ExcessBag 10 Mar 12: Russia - Crimea - Ukraine
Sat, 10 Mar 12
Duration:
28 minsSandi Toksvig discusses Russia with the BBC's former Moscow correspondent, Martin Sixsmith. Actor Michael Simkins talks about his rail journey from London to Kiev and on to Crimea and author and linguist Anna Shevchenko explains why Ukraine has much to offer the traveller.
ExcessBag 03 Mar 12: Medics abroad - Oscars
Sat, 3 Mar 12
Duration:
28 minsSandi Toksvig hears about medical work abroad from Dr Marie Charles and dentist Ian Wilson; she also talks to writer and comedian Liz Carr who explains how went to the Oscars.
ExcessBag 25 Feb 12: Ashoka's India - Undesirable Places
Sat, 25 Feb 12
Duration:
28 minsSandi Toksvig hears about a lost emperor of India from historian Charles Allen and Britain's undesirable destinations from writer Tim Moore and webmistress Cathy Shaw.
ExcessBag 18 Feb 12: Israel
Sat, 18 Feb 12
Duration:
29 minsJohn looks beyond the political debate to find what Israel has to offer the ordinary traveller; he is joined by travel writer Samantha Wilson, keen hiker Alma Smith and chef Adi Gilo.
ExcessBag 11 Feb 12: Stones - Sacred places - Crazy River
Sat, 11 Feb 12
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy talks to artist Emily Young about her travels to find stone for her sculpture, to travel writer Martin Symington about his venture in search of Britain's sacred places and to Richard Grant about his exploration of the Malagarasi River in East Africa.
ExcessBag 04 Feb 12 : Antarctica
Sat, 4 Feb 12
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy visits 'The Heart of the Great Alone' an exhibiton of polar photography at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace and, before an audience, introduces a discussion of Antarctica with the explorer David Hempleman-Adams and his daughter Amelia who have just returned from there,the author Meredith Hooper and Frozen Planet cameraman Doug Allan.
ExcessBag 28 Jan 12: Mongolia - Wild West - Calgary Stampede
Sat, 28 Jan 12
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy talks to Lord Sugar's right-hand man in The Apprentice Nick Hewer about his journey across Mongolia in an old Renault 4L; to documentary film-maker Tim Slessor about the American Wild West and to travel writer Kieran Meeke about the Calgary Stampede, in Alberta, Canada
ExcessBag 21 Jan 12: The West Bank
Sat, 21 Jan 12
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy looks at the delights and difficulties of visiting the occupied territories of East Jerusalem and the West Bank with writer Sarah Irving, circus performer China Fish and traveller Gail Simmons.
ExcessBag 14 Jan 12: Swimming - Land art - Sicily
Sat, 14 Jan 12
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy talks to writer Susie Parr about her quest to chart the history of outdoor bathing in the UK and how immersion in cold water inspired art and creativity; academic Amy Dempsey shares her love of large scale outdoor art and critic Andrew Graham-Dixon explains his abiding passion for the raw art of Sicily.
ExcessBag 07 Jan 11: Veteran hitchhiker; butterflies; Burma
Sat, 7 Jan 12
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy meets veteran hitchhiker Naomi Molten who recalls her 1950s travels; student Isobel Talks who tracked down the butterflies in Ecuador named after her and writer Felicity Goodall who travelled the 1942 Evacuation Route in Burma.
ExcessBag31 Dec11: England
Sat, 31 Dec 11
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy looks at the changing nature of the traditional attractions of England with historian John Julius Norwich, curator Lucy Worsley and journalist Martin Wainwright. Together they discuss the appeal of English places from Kensington Palace to Watford Gap and why we look for the past in palaces and cottages.
ExcessBag25Dec11: Christmas Travel Quiz
Sun, 25 Dec 11
Duration:
29 minsPeter Curran presents an Excess Baggage special quiz for Christmas from the Radio Theatre with John McCarthy and Sandi Toksvig and their special guests Caroline Quentin and Arthur Smith answering questions on the world of travel and travelling the world.
ExcessBag24Dec11:Repeat Cheltenham Literature Festival
Sat, 24 Dec 11
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy discusses travel biography at the Cheltenham Literature Festival with eminent writers in the field; Sir Christopher Ondaatje, Sara Wheeler and Alexander Maitland.
ExcessBag17Dec11: Animal welfare - Plant hunting
Sat, 17 Dec 11
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy discusses animal welfare abroad with Caroline Yates CEO of Mayhew International which supports projects in Moscow, Peru, India and Afghanistan and Barbara Webb co-founder of the Himalayan Animal Rescue Trust in Nepal. He also talks to Phillip Cribb, a botanist and orchid specialist at Kew Gardens who has spent thirty years plant hunting in Western China.
ExcessBag10Dec11: Historic walks - Fast and slow trains
Sat, 10 Dec 11
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy takes a look at historic walks with archaeologist Bill Bevan and walks webmaster David Stewart who tells how you can follow ancient pathways all over the country. John also compares fast and slow trains with travel journalists Tom Chesshyre and Michael Kerr.
ExcessBag03Dec11: Gambian elections - Nepal - Himalayan rafting
Sat, 3 Dec 11
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy meets scriptwriter Edward Canfor-Dumas who has just returned from Gambia where he was acting as a Commonwealth observer in the recent Presidential elections, journalist Julia Horton who went trekking in Nepal on the trail of the Maoist guerrillas and Leigh Banks for whom the Himalayas meant white water rafting.
ExcessBag26Nov11:Storytelling - Coastal stations
Sat, 26 Nov 11
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy discusses storytelling with charity founder Nicola Grove who visited Japan to learn about folk tales and in particular the depiction and involvement of those with learning difficulties. Journalist Richard Hamilton shares his own experience of the tellers of tales in the market place of Marrakesh. Geoff Saunders talks about his journeys all round the British Isles to coastal weather stations.
ExcessBag19Nov11:A272, Mitteleuropa, Escape from Hong Kong
Sat, 19 Nov 11
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy talks to Rita Boogaart, one half of a Dutch couple whose obsession with the A272 has led them to publish a guide to its delights. John also looks at Eastern Europe with broadcaster Dennis Marks who visited places described by the author Joseph Roth who wrote about the declining years of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. And journalist Tim Luard traces the escape of military personnel from Hong Kong in 1941 through what was once bandit country but is now part of bustling modern China.
ExcessBag05Nov11:North Korea and Panama
Sat, 5 Nov 11
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy meets foreign correspondent Nicholas Wood who has turned his hand to running tours of some of the world's politically sensitive spots. They are joined by playwright Sam Holcroft and economist and playwright Alastair Muriel who recently accompanied Nicholas on a trip to North Korea to find out if they could get any closer to this controversial country. John also looks at Panama with Verol Gordon who has moved there with his family and explains the attractions of a new life in a fast developing land.
ExcessBag29Nov11:Transoceanic rowing and Tango in Buenos Aires
Sat, 29 Oct 11
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy talks to Roz Savage who has just rowed from Australia to Mauritius making her the first woman to row solo across the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. John also finds out why the tango draws people to its roots in Argentina. He talks to travel writer Kapka Kassabova about its history and hold over her, Sarah Kennedy who went on a tango holiday and Sally Blake who has written a tango guide to Buenos Aires.
Congo and Rodrigues
Sat, 22 Oct 11
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy hears about Congo in the early days of independence in the 1960s from Veronica Cecil, who had to flee from the civil war with her young family, and about the country after it had become Zaire a decade later from Ian Mathie who lived amongst the forest dwelling people. John also meets Kathy O'Keefe who visits the remote Indian Ocean island of Rodrigues to help with their teacher training.
ExcessBag15Oct11:Navigation,Guiding and Bulgaria
Sat, 15 Oct 11
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy looks at natural navigation with Alison Steadman who has been learning from the adventurer Tristan Gooley how to find and follow directions using only the signs provided by nature. Leading guide Kevin Albin talks about snow shoeing in the Pyrenees and sun bears in Borneo and British Indian novelist Rana Dasgupta explains why he is fascinated by Bulgaria and post-colonial India.
ExcessBag08Oct11:Travel Biography
Sat, 8 Oct 11
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy discusses travel biography at the Cheltenham Literature Festival with three eminent writers in the field; Sir Christopher Ondaatje, Sara Wheeler and Alexander Maitland.
ExcessBag01Oct11:Italy
Sat, 1 Oct 11
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy in conversation with journalist Tracey Lawson who investigated the longevity of an Italian village's residents, author Julia Blackburn who collected the memories and stories of the older inhabitants of her own mountain village and the writer Vitali Vitaliev who is in search of a bad Italian meal.
ExcessBag24Sep11:Burma, Egypt, World's Longest Climb
Sat, 24 Sep 11
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy asks the historian Thant Myint-U about the recent political developments in Burma, its role in south east Asia and how the country's relationship with tourism might change. The author Anthony Sattin tells John how the history of Egypt has attracted travellers and how the change of government there too has affected tourism. John also finds out from Pauline Sanderson about the world's longest climb which involved an eight thousand kilometre cycle ride from the Dead Sea topped of with an ascent of Everest.
ExcessBag17Sep11:Rowing to Pole, Malta, Tidal Islands
Sat, 17 Sep 11
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy talks to adventurer Jock Wishart about his recent expedition rowing to the North Pole, made possible this year by the melting ice-cap. John also meets novelist Jo Baker whose stay in Malta led to the discovery of her family's connection with the island. And Peter Caton who has visited all of Britain's tidal islands.
ExcessBag10Sep11:Maine, Fallowell's Travels, Tour d'Afrique
Sat, 10 Sep 11
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy introduces best selling crime novelist John Connolly who talks about his love of the US state of Maine. He also meets writer Duncan Fallowell who reflects on his travels to Gozo and Ootacamund. And John talks to businesswoman Alice Morrison who rode from Cairo to Cape Town on the Tour d'Afrique cycle race and had a life changing experience.
ExcessBag03Sep11:Bus from Brighton to Eastbourne
Sat, 3 Sep 11
Duration:
28 minsSandi Toksvig takes a bus trip along the south coast of England from Brighton to Eastbourne in the company of the listener who suggested it, Veronica Groocock. Together they discover the delights to be had on an ordinary scheduled bus route. These include Kipling's garden, a 1930s lido, the Greenwich meridian, a lamb called Hardy and the lighthouse at Beachy Head.
ExcessBag27Aug11:Istanbul Part 2
Sat, 27 Aug 11
Duration:
28 minsSandi Toksvig in the second of two programmes continues her exploration the ancient and modern city of Istanbul which straddles the border between Europe and Asia. She looks at the its richness both in history and the fusion of eastern and western cultures in the arts and cuisine.
ExcessBag20Aug11:Istanbul part1
Sat, 20 Aug 11
Duration:
29 minsSandi Toksvig in the first of two programmes begins to explore the ancient and modern city of Istanbul which straddles the border between Europe and Asia. She gets an overview of the city from the tops of two very different towers, hears about the impact of tourism and economic growth on the city and rediscovers a forgotten opera singer.
ExcessBag13Aug11:Phoenician Boat and British Seaside
Sat, 13 Aug 11
Duration:
29 minsSonia Deol hears how Philip Beale built a replica of an ancient sailing boat to recreate the Phoenician circumnavigation of Africa.Philip then recently had to rescue the boat from the troubles in Syria. Sonia also looks at the British seaside with journalist Brian Viner and author Jane Struthers. They discuss the history of the British beach holiday and the continuing appeal of summer by the sea.
ExcessBag6Aug11:Independent Countries and Kashmir
Sat, 6 Aug 11
Duration:
29 minsSonia Deol meets Adam Strudwick and Rekha Sharma who are travelling to all the world's countries in the order they became independent. Sonia also looks at Kashmir with the author Rosie Thomas, who went there to learn about the production of cashmere shawls, and journalist Tim Hannigan who toured the region investigating the murder of the Victorian explorer George Hayward.
ExcessBag30Jul11: Pilgrimages and Arctic Explorers
Sat, 30 Jul 11
Duration:
29 minsSandi is joined by Nick Mayhew Smith who has undertaken a pilgrimage to every "holy place" in England, Scotland and Wales. Nick has compiled a travel guide which not only details where sacred treasures can be found, but also tells you what to expect and ranks them in terms of holiness. Sandi also talks to two Antarctic explorers: Angie Butler loves Antarctica so much she set about recovering the ashes of a forgotten Edwardian Polar explorer and Katie Walter was only seventeen when she made it to base camp at the South Pole, the youngest person ever to walk there.
ExcessBag23Jul11: Hawaiian Cowboys and Busking Abroad
Sat, 23 Jul 11
Duration:
29 minsSandi Toksvig is joined by country singer Hank Wangford to hear about life on the ranch with paniolo cowboys in Hawaii. There is music from cellist Li Lu who is accompanied by artist Johan Andersson, her rival in a televised international busking competition. And Sandi talks to seasoned busker Kevin Barry White about life on road with just an accordion for company.
ExcessBag16Jul11:South Africa and InterRail
Sat, 16 Jul 11
Duration:
29 minsSandi Toksvig explores Cape Town in the company of two very different experts. Lindsay Johns has family connections to the city and visits regularly. Bryan Tully is a forensic psychologist and has recently led a 'forensic tour' to South Africa. While mortuaries, hospitals and prisons feature on the tour, Bryan talks especially about his impressions of Cape Town. Sandi also talks to journalist Miranda Sawyer who has retraced both her footsteps and the train tracks of her youthful InterRailing adventures around Europe.
ExcessBag9Jul11:Somali Pirates,Montserrat,Languages
Sat, 9 Jul 11
Duration:
29 minsSandi Toksvig meets journalist Colin Freeman who was kidnapped by pirates in Somalia. David Edwards went back to Montserrat 16 years after witnessing the volcanic eruptions there to see how life has changed. Language teacher Elisabeth Smith tells Sandi why the British are so bad at speaking foreign languages - and what they can do about it.
ExcessBag2Jul11:Rites of Passage and Mexico
Sat, 2 Jul 11
Duration:
29 minsSandi Toksvig looks at rites of passage with author Sarah Murray who has travelled the world looking at rituals associated with death, Anders Ryman who spent seven years photographing the ceremonies associated with the key events in human life around the world and Lucy Neville whose memoir of her time in Mexico includes her experiences of the Day of the Dead festival and the Saint of Death religious cult.
ExcessBag25Jun11:Cycles
Sat, 25 Jun 11
Duration:
29 minsSandi Toksvig looks at the advantages of the bicycle as a travel machine with three very different cyclists. Robert Penn leads cycling weekends in the Brecon Beacons where the ups are as satisfying as the downs. Susie Wheeldon rode 22,000 kilometres around the world, crossing deserts, as she and her companions were researching solar energy. Matt Carroll recommends day trips in some of England's most beautiful countryside. Together they discuss the feeling of freedom the bicycle gives.
ExcessBag18Jun11: Catalonia and Cornwall
Sat, 18 Jun 11
Duration:
28 minsSandi Toksvig meets novelist Richard Gwyn and translator Peter Bush to discuss Catalonia and its relationship with Spain. She hears how life is changing there, not just in the big city of Barcelona but in the more rural areas near the Pyrenees. Sandi also talks about the Cornish coast with the historian and author Philip Marsden who reflects on the role of the sea in the area from the days of sail to the present.
ExcessBag4Jun11:Greek Islands, Ireland by Kayak
Sat, 4 Jun 11
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy talks to travel journalist Harry Bucknall and novelist Meaghan Delahunt about the appeal of the Greek islands to the history lover and the holidaymaker.Writer Jasper Winn who paddled his way around Ireland in a kayak tells John how the journey led him to see his home island from a new perspective.
ExcessBag28May11:Afghanistan,Libya, Chechnya
Sat, 28 May 11
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy talks to three writers who have reported as freelancers from conflict zones. Lucy Morgan Edwards worked in Afghanistan both during and after the Taliban regime as an aid worker, journalist and election observer. Benjamin Hall's went to Misrata in Libya at the height of Gadaffi's attacks on the rebel city and Oliver Bullough wrote from Chechnya as it struggled against Russian domination. They tell John about the practical difficulties and risks of travelling in dangerous places without backup.
ExcessBag21May11:Australia, Art Galleries, Iceland
Sat, 21 May 11
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy meets novelist Niall Griffiths who emigrated to Australia as a child with his family. He talks to John about rediscovering his Australian childhood haunts thirty years later. John also talks to art historian Christopher Lloyd who reveals that Britain's art galleries are full of overlooked masterpieces and the poet and author Lavinia Greenlaw tells John about the designer William Morris's journeys to Iceland in the 1870s and how what he saw informed his radical socialism. She also compares his experiences with her own trip there.
ExcessBag14May11:Nagaland, Kosovo and skiing in Iran
Sat, 14 May 11
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy hears from architectural journalist Jonathan Glancey about Nagaland in north east India a wild frontier region with the air of a lost kingdom. John also talks to Elizabeth Gowing who went to Kosovo to live and found a way of getting know this country through beekeeping and Henry Iddon who recently went skiing in Iran where his experiences included the descent of a volcano.
ExcessBag7May11:Liberia, Evacuation, Algeria
Sat, 7 May 11
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy looks at Liberia and Sierra Leone with author Tim Butcher who retraced Grahame Greene's 1935 Journey Without Maps in the region. John also meets insurance specialist Ted Jones who organises the evacuation of clients from political, medical or natural crises such as recent events in Libya, Egypt. Photographer Marion Bull tells John about her travels in particular among the Tuareg people in the deserts of Algeria.
ExcessBag30Apr11:AAGill, Wilbur Smith, Isabel Losada
Sat, 30 Apr 11
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy talks to journalist AA Gill about his travel columns which have taken him from Haiti to Albania. He also meets novelist Wilbur Smith who has tales of piracy off the east coast of Africa and hears from author Isabel Losada how her quest for self knowledge induced her to take hallucinogenic drugs in the Peruvian Amazon.
ExcessBag23Apr11:Northern Ireland
Sat, 23 Apr 11
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy visits Northern Ireland where he stays in two contrasting hotels and hears about different approaches to tourism after the troubles. In Belfast he talks to the owner, the concierge and a famous guest of the much bombed Europa Hotel, takes a taxi tour of the opposing sections of the city and looks forward to developments in the arts attracting visitors. In South Armagh, John visits the first new hotel for 100 years in Crossmaglen, a notorious village during the conflict, hears a traditional music session or ceoltas and gets a panoramic view from a local beauty spot.
16 Apr Moonlight, cruising with a harp.
Sat, 16 Apr 11
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy explores the lure of moonlight, meets someone who spent 5 years living alone in a remote Welsh cottage with no running water or electricity and talks to a musician who travelled the world with her harp.
09 April 11 Philippines, Ireland and Spain
Sat, 9 Apr 11
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy talks to a thriller writer about his love of the Philippines, finds out about some new walks in Ireland and explores the power of the pilgrimage.
02 Apr 11: Nigeria and Canada
Sat, 2 Apr 11
Duration:
28 minsSandi Toksvig talks to two travellers with different perspectives on Nigeria and to a novelist about her love of Montreal and Newfoundland in Canada.
26 March 11 Morecambe and India
Sat, 26 Mar 11
Duration:
28 minsSandi Toksvig meets the Queen's Guide to the Sands across Morecambe Bay, the editor of Morecambe's oldest newspaper and a Sheffield based journalist with a love of India.
19 March 11 Georgia, Australia, St Pancras
Sat, 19 Mar 11
Duration:
29 minsSandi Toksvig meets Geoff Hill who motorbiked thousands of miles around Australia's Highway 1, Simon Bradley who talks about St Pancras Station in London and Meg Clothier who's in love with Georgia on the Black Sea.
12 March 11 Harlem and Turkey
Sat, 12 Mar 11
Duration:
28 minsSandi Toksvig talks to New Yorker Reggie Nadelson about one of the cities most exciting neighbourhoods, Harlem. She also finds out about travelling in Turkey with historian Norman Stone and independent traveller Sally Mustoe.
05 March 11 Antarctic and Rift Valley
Sat, 5 Mar 11
Duration:
29 minsSandi Toksvig looks at two very different approaches to visiting the Antarctic. One by expedition cruise ship and one in the footsteps of Sir Ernest Shackleton. Sandi also explores areas of the Rift Valley with Palestinian writer Raja Shehadeh.
26 Feb 11 Syria and The Pennines
Sat, 26 Feb 11
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy explores ancient monuments and places of interest in Syria and follows the 'backbone of England' where he finds out about the landscape of the Pennines.
19 Feb 11 UK Woods and Iceland
Sat, 19 Feb 11
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy talks to landscape photographer Archie Miles and to Anglo-Saxon tree expert Della Hooke about British woodland, its history and the best places to visit. John also talks to novelist Sarah Moss about her love of travelling in cold landscapes and how this inspires her work.
12 Feb 11 Colin Thubron Tibet
Sat, 12 Feb 11
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy talks to Colin Thubron about his hike up a sacred mountain in Tibet and to two of a team of three who explored the communities who live along some of the Atlantic ocean coastline from Monrovia to the Everglades.
05 Feb 11: Romania and Indian Ocean
Sat, 5 Feb 11
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy talks to writer William Blacker and travel writer and photographer Lucy Mallows about Romania and to Sarah Outen about her 4,000 mile solo rowing trip across the Indian Ocean.
Vladimirka Road Sat 29 Jan 2011
Sat, 29 Jan 11
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy explores the Vladimirka Road in Russia- along which many passed on their way to the Siberian Gulags. He also looks at travel to places associated with War- in particular World War 2 in Germany.
Wild coast South America Sat 22 Jan 2011
Sat, 22 Jan 11
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy talks to travel writer and historian John Gimlette about his trip along the coasts of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana and finds out how their colonial past is still woven into the fabric of contemporary life.
Great Northern Coalfield Sat 15 Jan 2011
Sat, 15 Jan 11
Duration:
27 minsJohn McCarthy talks to journalist and writer Peter Crookston about the area that used to be known as the Great Northern Coalfield in the North East of England. John also meets Chris Wrede and his partner Jackie Woon who travelled 4,000 miles overland across Africa with their two young sons.
Beirut/Paris Sat 8 Jan 2011
Sat, 8 Jan 11
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy explores Paris and Normandy with journalist John Lichfield and looks at Beirut and Lebanon with photographer Max Milligan and historian Philip Mansel.
ExcessBag01Jan11: Walking in Europe, Madeira and Gambia
Sat, 1 Jan 11
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy talks to the human rights campaigner Peter Tatchel about his enthusiasm for hiking in Tasmania and Madeira, glaciologist Richard Sale about long distance walking routes in Europe and to photographer Jason Florio and his wife Helen Jones about travelling all around Gambia on foot.
ExcessBag25Dec10:Christmas Travel Quiz
Sat, 25 Dec 10
Duration:
29 minsPeter Curran presents an Excess Baggage special quiz for Christmas from the Radio Theatre with John McCarthy and Sandi Toksvig and their special guests, explorer Benedict Allen and comedian Lucy Porter, answering questions on the world of travel and travelling the world.
Foreign Office Sat 18 Dec
Sat, 18 Dec 10
Duration:
28 minsAnita Anand talks to Professor Jim Al-Khalili about his travels around the Middle East particularly to Iran and Syria. And Anita meets Julian Braithwaite, the Director of the Foreign and Commonwealth Consular Service, about the FCO's work on behalf of British nationals around the World.
Pilgrimages 11 Dec 2010
Sat, 11 Dec 10
Duration:
28 minsAnita Anand explores pilgrimages around the world from Canterbury to Kerala with 3 people who've had very different experiences. She also meets Tony Giles who's done two solo backpacking trips around the world. Which isn't that interesting. Except Tony is blind, severely deaf and keen on bungee jumping.
ExcessBag04Dec10:Tribes, Hebrides, Visitor to Britain
Sat, 4 Dec 10
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy looks at endangered peoples of the world with broadcaster and traveller Piers Gibbon who has stayed with South American tribes and studied their use of plants. Closer to home,Professor Steven Mithen tells John how going to the Hebrides to excavate the remains of pre-historic hunter-gatherers has brought him an appreciation of the islands and the present day inhabitants. John also talks to Immaculate Mwaungulu from Tanzania about her impressions on her first visit to the UK.
ExcessBag27Nov10:Human Rights and Patagonia
Sat, 27 Nov 10
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy meets the human rights advocate Bianca Jagger and asks her about a lifetime of travel - from her home country of Nicaragua and student protests in sixties Paris to her recent work in the state of Orissa in India. John also talks to the Welsh actor Matthew Rhys about his trek on horseback across Patagonia recreating a nineteenth century journey of Welsh settlers from the Atlantic to the Andes.
ExcessBag20Nov10:Yemen and the Sun
Fri, 19 Nov 10
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy looks at travelling to Yemen. Ginny Hill of the Royal Institute of International Affairs and travel writer Tim Mackintosh-Smith debate the delights and dangers of this ancient land; these days seen in the west as a source of terrorist activity but rich in Muslim and pre-Islamic culture. John also meets Richard Cohen who has travelled the world researching cults of the sun - from primeval solstice rituals to modern solar farms.
ExcessBag13Nov10:Doctors Abroad and Bridges
Sat, 13 Nov 10
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy meets ophthalmologist Lucy Mathen who runs an organisation performing cataract operations in north east India and surgeon Andrew Ready whose team transplants kidneys in Trinidad and Ghana. John also talks to architectural historian Dan Cruickshank about his fascination with bridges he has visited on his travels round the world.
ExcessBag30Oct10:Syria and Sark
Sat, 30 Oct 10
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy talks to Dr Lavinia Byrne who leads tours to the ancient sites of Syria and tour operator Amelia Stewart about why its history is attracting more western tourists who now see Syria as a much less dangerous destination. And broadcaster Steve Blacknell tell John about his fondness for the smallest Channel Island of Sark.
ExcessBag23Oct10:British Villages, Ordnance Survey and Finland
Sat, 23 Oct 10
Duration:
29 minsJohn MCarthy talks to journalist Clive Aslet about the nature of British villages and whether they have become places to visit rather than to live and work in. The academic Rachel Hewitt looks at the history of Ordnance Survey maps and their role our appetite for rambling and hiking. Regular visitor to Finland, businessman John Murolo, tells John why it is one of the last unspoiled places within easy reach of the UK and how he became such a fan of the country.
ExcessBag16Oct10:Kim's India, Apps and Tweets
Sat, 16 Oct 10
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy talks to Doreen Tayler who explored northwest India visiting places featuring in Rudyard Kipling's novel Kim. John also meets Rough Guides founder Mark Ellingham who is now producing guide 'apps' for mobile phones and Paul Smith a writer and blogger who journeyed to New Zealand relying entirely on offers made on the phone message service, Twitter.
ExcessBag09Oct10: British countryside and Tasmania
Sat, 9 Oct 10
Duration:
29 minsJohn McCarthy talks to the chair of The Royal Society for Wildlife Trusts, Michael Allen, about great writing on the British countryside and how the Trusts are encouraging people to get involved with conservation pursuits. Journalist Patrick Barkham tells how his love of butterflies leads him to wild spots in Britain. Women's historian Susanna Hoe explores Tasmania especially from the point of view of some of the significant women in its past.
ExcessBag02Oct10: Alaska, Zambia,London to Paris by Bike
Sat, 2 Oct 10
Duration:
28 minsActress Imogen Stubbs talks to John McCarthy about why she is drawn to the Alaskan wilderness and her adventures there. John also meets Abraham Banda, who leads walking safaris in Zambia and reporter and keen cyclist Stephen Mulvey talks about a new bike trail, mostly off-road, from London to Paris.
ExcessBag25Sep10:Ballooning and wildlife
Sat, 25 Sep 10
Duration:
28 minsJohn McCarthy meets Dani Maimone who was Africa's only female hot-air balloon pilot flying over the Masai Mara. She tells John of the pleasures and perils of balloon safaris. Kathy Wilden who places holiday volunteers with animal conservation projects and entomologist and explorer Dr George McGavin who featured in TV's Lost Land of the Tiger discuss wildlife travel and tourism.
ExcessBag18Sep10:Family History and Paraguay
Sat, 18 Sep 10
Duration:
28 minsSandi Toksvig meets two people who travelled to research their family histories. Martin Davidson was shocked to discover his German grandfather had been a member of the SS in WW2. He went to Berlin, Prague and Prussia to find out more. Rob Curling's father was a soldier with the Ghurkhas during the Malayan 'emergency' in the 50s. Rob went to modern day Malaysia to discover more about that period of his family's life. Sandi also talks to theologian Margaret Hebblethwaite about why she started a hotel in southern Paraguay and about tourism in this little known country.
Churchill 11 Sept 2010
Sat, 11 Sep 10
Duration:
29 minsSandi Toksvig looks at the pleasures of going on a retreat and wanders around some of Englands fascinating places of worship. And she examines some of the locations painted by Sir Winston Churchill.
04 Sept 2010
Sat, 4 Sep 10
Duration:
28 minsSandi Toksvig talks to comedian and writer Dom Joly about his travels to a series of unusual travel destinations including Iran, North Korea and Cambodia. She also meets the former British Vice-Consul based in Orlando and learns about a Florida we rarely hear about. And the BBC's Matt Frei sends a postcard from Florida.
Terms of Use
The BBC Podcasts are for your personal non-commercial use only.
All title, ownership rights and intellectual property rights in and to the BBC Podcasts shall remain the property of the BBC or third parties. You may not edit, alter, adapt or add to the BBC Podcast in any way. The BBC Podcasts are made available by the BBC on an "as is" and "as available" basis and the BBC gives no warranty of any kind in relation to the BBC Podcast. To the maximum extent permitted by law the BBC will not be liable for any loss or damage which you may suffer as a result of, or connected to, the download or use of the BBC Podcasts.
Play episodes
- ExcessBag 28 Apr 12: The point and the pleasure of travel
- ExcessBag 21 Apr 12: Africa – Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan
- ExcessBag 14 Apr 12: Lake Titicaca - Manchester, Bolivia - Malaysia
- ExcessBag 07 Apr 12: Wildlife travel
- ExcessBag 31 Mar 12: Iceland
- ExcessBag 24 Mar 12: Family travel
- ExcessBag 17 Mar 12: Black Prince - Wine trade in Medieval Europe - Lourdes
- ExcessBag 10 Mar 12: Russia - Crimea - Ukraine
- ExcessBag 03 Mar 12: Medics abroad - Oscars
- ExcessBag 25 Feb 12: Ashoka's India - Undesirable Places
- ExcessBag 18 Feb 12: Israel
- ExcessBag 11 Feb 12: Stones - Sacred places - Crazy River
- ExcessBag 04 Feb 12 : Antarctica
- ExcessBag 28 Jan 12: Mongolia - Wild West - Calgary Stampede
- ExcessBag 21 Jan 12: The West Bank
- ExcessBag 14 Jan 12: Swimming - Land art - Sicily
- ExcessBag 07 Jan 11: Veteran hitchhiker; butterflies; Burma
- ExcessBag31 Dec11: England
- ExcessBag25Dec11: Christmas Travel Quiz
- ExcessBag24Dec11:Repeat Cheltenham Literature Festival
- ExcessBag17Dec11: Animal welfare - Plant hunting
- ExcessBag10Dec11: Historic walks - Fast and slow trains
- ExcessBag03Dec11: Gambian elections - Nepal - Himalayan rafting
- ExcessBag26Nov11:Storytelling - Coastal stations
- ExcessBag19Nov11:A272, Mitteleuropa, Escape from Hong Kong
- ExcessBag05Nov11:North Korea and Panama
- ExcessBag29Nov11:Transoceanic rowing and Tango in Buenos Aires
- Congo and Rodrigues
- ExcessBag15Oct11:Navigation,Guiding and Bulgaria
- ExcessBag08Oct11:Travel Biography
- ExcessBag01Oct11:Italy
- ExcessBag24Sep11:Burma, Egypt, World's Longest Climb
- ExcessBag17Sep11:Rowing to Pole, Malta, Tidal Islands
- ExcessBag10Sep11:Maine, Fallowell's Travels, Tour d'Afrique
- ExcessBag03Sep11:Bus from Brighton to Eastbourne
- ExcessBag27Aug11:Istanbul Part 2
- ExcessBag20Aug11:Istanbul part1
- ExcessBag13Aug11:Phoenician Boat and British Seaside
- ExcessBag6Aug11:Independent Countries and Kashmir
- ExcessBag30Jul11: Pilgrimages and Arctic Explorers
- ExcessBag23Jul11: Hawaiian Cowboys and Busking Abroad
- ExcessBag16Jul11:South Africa and InterRail
- ExcessBag9Jul11:Somali Pirates,Montserrat,Languages
- ExcessBag2Jul11:Rites of Passage and Mexico
- ExcessBag25Jun11:Cycles
- ExcessBag18Jun11: Catalonia and Cornwall
- ExcessBag4Jun11:Greek Islands, Ireland by Kayak
- ExcessBag28May11:Afghanistan,Libya, Chechnya
- ExcessBag21May11:Australia, Art Galleries, Iceland
- ExcessBag14May11:Nagaland, Kosovo and skiing in Iran
- ExcessBag7May11:Liberia, Evacuation, Algeria
- ExcessBag30Apr11:AAGill, Wilbur Smith, Isabel Losada
- ExcessBag23Apr11:Northern Ireland
- 16 Apr Moonlight, cruising with a harp.
- 09 April 11 Philippines, Ireland and Spain
- 02 Apr 11: Nigeria and Canada
- 26 March 11 Morecambe and India
- 19 March 11 Georgia, Australia, St Pancras
- 12 March 11 Harlem and Turkey
- 05 March 11 Antarctic and Rift Valley
- 26 Feb 11 Syria and The Pennines
- 19 Feb 11 UK Woods and Iceland
- 12 Feb 11 Colin Thubron Tibet
- 05 Feb 11: Romania and Indian Ocean
- Vladimirka Road Sat 29 Jan 2011
- Wild coast South America Sat 22 Jan 2011
- Great Northern Coalfield Sat 15 Jan 2011
- Beirut/Paris Sat 8 Jan 2011
- ExcessBag01Jan11: Walking in Europe, Madeira and Gambia
- ExcessBag25Dec10:Christmas Travel Quiz
- Foreign Office Sat 18 Dec
- Pilgrimages 11 Dec 2010
- ExcessBag04Dec10:Tribes, Hebrides, Visitor to Britain
- ExcessBag27Nov10:Human Rights and Patagonia
- ExcessBag20Nov10:Yemen and the Sun
- ExcessBag13Nov10:Doctors Abroad and Bridges
- ExcessBag30Oct10:Syria and Sark
- ExcessBag23Oct10:British Villages, Ordnance Survey and Finland
- ExcessBag16Oct10:Kim's India, Apps and Tweets
- ExcessBag09Oct10: British countryside and Tasmania
- ExcessBag02Oct10: Alaska, Zambia,London to Paris by Bike
- ExcessBag25Sep10:Ballooning and wildlife
- ExcessBag18Sep10:Family History and Paraguay
- Churchill 11 Sept 2010
- 04 Sept 2010
Bookmark this page:
BBC iD
Sign inbbc.co.uk navigation
BBC links
BBC © 2012 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.