Best of the World

A blandly meaningless title hides a surprisingly moving and interesting show, almost entirely thanks to the genuine likeability and open honesty of the presenter Antoni Porowski.

The Guardian was a bit sniffy about this, reckoning that it was little more than a random collection of city based experiences with no apparent purpose or reason other than many of them being food related. And superficially that is true, there is no real rationale either for the choice of cities or the selection of six or so attractions in each of them, and in less sincere hands this could well have been an exercise in pointlessness.

Antoni however raises this travel show above the ordinary with his infectious enthusiasm for people and places and stories, as well as being very easy on the eye.

He comes across as very real whether he is manfully trying to interview cold water swimmers whilst clearly shivering his ass off; expressing ironic delight at being splashed on the lips by the brown water of the Thames; or greeting his partner at the end of the New York marathon, an event he freely admits to paying no attention previously, despite being a New York resident.

A delightful show. Unfussed, random but with hidden gems – I would gladly watch a second (and third!) series.