Susan Calman's Summer By the Sea will get us all grabbing for our buckets and spades as the Scottish comedian is gallivanting off on her travels again for Channel 5, this time to some of Britain’s glorious seaside destinations with a few famous friends, including Les Dennis and Sally Lindsay.
Airing across five episodes, Susan Calman’s Summer By the Sea sees her take in the delights of Bournemouth, Margate, Southwold and Cleethorpes, starting off with a bucket-and-spade adventure to sunny Clacton with her comedian pal and former EastEnders actress Nina Wadia. And of course, as well as holiday delights like horse riding, paddleboarding and bird watching, there are plenty of comedy bloopers along the way!
"Whenever I have a mishap, spill something or fall over, they leave it in the show!’" laughs Susan, who's previously hosted travel series such as Big Antique Adventure, Susan Calman’s Grand Week by the Sea series 2 and Cruising with Susan Calman. "Luckily the seagulls never go for me, though — I must have something about me that says, don’t try it!"
Here's everything you need to know about the new Channel 5 series Susan Calman's Summer By the Sea...
Susan Calman’s Summer By the Sea release date
Susan Calman’s Summer By the Sea is a five-part series that starts in the UK on Channel 5 on Friday, July 28 at 9 pm.
Episodes run weekly at the same time and will also become available on streaming service My5.
Susan Calman’s Summer By the Sea — locations, celebrities and episode guide
Here where each episode of Susan Calman’s Summer By the Sea takes us...
Episode 1: Clacton
The comedian visits the theatre where she gets called up on stage as part of a magician’s act and tries out a game of classic lawn bowls, before Susan and Nina Wadia battle it out on the pier’s water dodgems... it’s a bump or spray situation! Susan has a go at making candy floss while Nina reminisces about her first trip to Clacton in her teens. Later, further along the coast Nina takes the ultimate pony hack... on the beach!
Episode 2: Bournemouth
Susan’s joined by TV choirmaster Gareth Malone for a sing-along with Britain’s only beach choir. She also tries out the land train, boards a ferry to Mudeford and takes a fish and chip cruise along nearby Poole Harbour.
Episode 3: Margate
There are kiss-me-quick hats and a paddle in the sea at Broadstairs, Kent, for Susan Calman in this week’s episode of her Summer By Sea series. She’s also in nearby Margate where Susan gets her skates on for the local roller disco and goes in search of one of the town’s mysteries, the Shell Grotto, which has over 4.6 million shells adorning its walls Then it’s off for some fairground fun at the legendary Dreamland theme park.
Episode 4: Southwold
On the charming Suffolk coast, Susan takes a choppy sailing trip before joining Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen for a trip to nearby RSPB Minsmere, home to avocets and hobbies.
Episode 5: Cleethorpes
The comedian gets lost in a maze, tries stunt kite flying and takes a ride on the Cleethorpes Coastal Light Railway to visit one of the smallest pubs in the world. She also meets up with her comedy hero Les Dennis.
Susan Calman on what to expect in Summer By the Sea
Are you excited to be hitting the road again for another summer series?
Susan Calman says: "I’m hugely excited! It’s the highlight of my year because I get to go to the seaside and have an absolute blast. What I love about resort towns is that you think they’re all the same but they’re not. They’ve all got their only little vibe about them!"
Tell us about the gorgeous places you visit…
"I start in Clacton, which has the largest pleasure pier in Europe, and it was absolutely smashing. Cleethorpes is relaxed, yet still busy and vibrant, and Bournemouth is extraordinary because it has something like seven miles of beach. As for Southwold, it’s like a page from a catalogue advertising beautiful seaside towns! But I was particularly looking forward to Margate because I’d been there once before and it’s really cool, unlike me! I tried cockles for the first time there, too. They weren’t as bad as I thought but I won’t be rushing back for more. It’s made me realise why I could never do I’m A Celebrity – if I can’t cope with cockles, I couldn’t cope with anything on that show!"
You have some great star guests – what are some of the things you get up to?
"Sally Lindsay and I went to Dreamland in Margate and I booked us on the Ghost Train. It was funny because when she turned up she said, ‘there’s nothing I hate more than a ghost train.’ So there’s about a minute of Sally screaming, but we did it! Then I had a remote-controlled boat race with Les Dennis in Cleethorpes. My boat was a replica of a ferry and he had a speedboat, so it was a case of the tortoise and the hare. I just slowly drove my ferry around the boating lake knowing he’d get carried away at some point!"
There seems to be some healthy competition with all the famous faces who join you…
"Yeah, it’s odd! It seems like every celebrity on the show is deeply competitive when they meet me. I must bring it out in them! Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen turned up on the beach in Southwold wearing a full three-piece suit, and I made him play quoits – he wasn’t at all happy when he lost. Gareth Malone and I first met on Richard Osman’s House of Games when I won, and he’s never forgiven me! So I challenged him to a game of Jenga in Bournemouth, and it turned into quite the grudge match. He was out for revenge, which made for an interesting game!"
We see you challenge your fear of heights in the very first episode. What was that like?
"Yeah, I went on a giant Ferris Wheel in Clacton! Like always with these shows, I throw myself into absolutely everything I’m asked to do and push myself out of my comfort zone. There was mild panic at first, but it gave me a big rush when I finally did it. Clacton was lovely though because Nina Wadia joined me and she has some lovely memories of holidays there when she was a teenager. It’s a cracking start to the series!"
You say nothing gets edited out, but were there any funny moments that didn’t make the cut?
"I can tell you know they’ve all made it! In Clacton I had a go at making candy floss and I stuck myself to the machine via my apron. Someone just had to peel me off like Velcro! Then I went stunt kite flying in Cleethorpes and unfortunately the kites, much like the film Up, attempted to take me away and I fell gracefully on my behind. The only thing that probably won’t make the show is when I went out on a yacht in Southwold. The sea was choppier than I thought so I suspect they’ll cut out some of my language!"
Where you going next? And do you have any top travel tips?
"Well, I’m definitely doing another series of Cruising. I can’t reveal where I’m going yet, but there are some pretty amazing destinations. And I always take nice shampoo and shower gel with me because – and this sounds awful – but it makes me smell of home!"
* Big Antique Adventure with Susan Calman
* Cruising with Susan Calman
* Christmas Cruising with Susan Calman
* Susan Calman's Grand Week By The Sea
* Susan Calman’s Grand Week by the Sea series 2
* Best Channel 5 documentaries on My 5
