Great Canal Journeys: Rio Douro, Portugal


7:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Thursday, February 5 on U&Yesterday (27)

Average User Rating: 8.00 (1 votes)
My Rating: Sign in or Register to view last vote

Add to Favourites

About this Broadcast

-
Rio Douro, Portugal
Season 8, Episode 3

Timothy West and Prunella Scales explore the landscape of north-west Portugal as they embark on a voyage down the Rio Douro. It's a journey that combines two of their favourite things - water and wine - as they follow the route taken by Yorkshire-born port entrepreneur Baron Forrester, and visit some stunning wine estates. The couple also stop off at the Factory House, a traditional English gentlemen's club that lies in the heart of the city of Porto


HD subtitles 16x9
Leisure Hobbies Tourism/Travel

Cast & Crew

-

Timothy West (Presenter)
Prunella Scales (Presenter)
Daniela Neumann (Executive producer)
Mike Taylor (Series producer)

More Information

-

No Logo

Did You Know..

-

Timothy West (Presenter)
Born: October 20, 1934 in Bradford
Best Known For: Being a star of stage, TV and film.
Early-life: Timothy Lancaster West was born in Bradford on October 20, 1934, to actors Olive and Harry (better known as Lockwood West). He worked as a furniture salesman and recording engineer before landing a job as an assistant stage manager at the Wimbledon Theatre. On his first day there, he also made his acting debut as a farmer in a scene with a couple of lines. He then spent several seasons in repertory performing at a number of theatres around the country.
Career: West's big break on the small screen came in 1975 when he played the title role in Edward the Seventh. Since then he has demonstrated his versatility with roles in a BBC production of King Lear, ITV comedy Brass and the soaps Coronation Street and EastEnders. He has also made memorable guest appearances in the likes of A Very Peculiar Practice, Goodnight Sweetheart, Midsomer Murders, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Waking the Dead, Not Going Out and Last Tango in Halifax. Although known primarily for his stage and small-screen performances, West has starred in a number of films, including The Day of the Jackal, Cry Freedom and Iris. A fan of boating, he has presented series about canals and narrowboating called Water World and Great Canal Journeys. The latter featured his second wife, Prunella Scales; their eldest son, Samuel, is also an actor.
Quote: "If you work in the theatre a lot, as I do, then the television people have lost you. They never go to the theatre, so many think you're dead or retired."
Trivia: West was awarded a CBE in 1984. He supports a number of charities, including The National Piers Society and Cancer Research UK.
Prunella Scales (Presenter)
Born: June 22, 1932 in Sutton Abinger, Surrey
Quote: "I remember an American producer coming up to me and saying: 'You're a wonderful actress. Now what are we going to do about your face?'"
Best Known For: Playing Sybil in Fawlty Towers.
Early-life: Born Prunella Margaret Rumney Illingworth on June 22, 1932, in Sutton Arbinger, Surrey. Her mother, Catherine Scales, was an actress, and her father John was a cotton salesman. When the Second World War broke out, her parents rented a farmhouse with no gas or electricity in Suffolk to escape the bombing. As a child, Prunella was shy, but discovered her passion for acting in her teens. She began training at the Old Vic Theatre School at 17, before going on to study at the Herbert Berghof Studio in New York.
Career: Following stints in repertory theatre, Scales joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and also appeared in the films Laxdale Hall and Hobson's Choice. In 1963, she starred with Richard Briers in the sitcom Marriage Lines, but didn't become a household name until 1975, when she was cast as the fearsome Sybil in Fawlty Towers. Since then, she has worked regularly in theatre, film and TV. In 1992, she was nominated for a Bafta for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in the Alan Bennett drama A Question of Attribution, and was awarded the OBE in the same year. Other projects include Howards End (alongside son Samuel), The Shell Seekers, An Ideal Husband and Horrid Henry: The Movie.
Trivia: Scales married actor Timothy West in 1963. They have two sons - Samuel and Joseph. She and West embarked on a narrowboating holiday to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary - their jaunt was filmed and turned into a documentary series for More4. During the making of the programme, it was revealed she has a mild form of Alzheimer's.
Daniela Neumann (Executive producer)
Mike Taylor (Series producer)

Before / After

-