| Three Men in a Boat or Three Men go to... (PLACE) | |
|---|---|
| Format | Comedy Documentary |
| Starring | Dara Ó Briain, Rory McGrath and Griff Rhys Jones |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Liberty Bell Productions |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC Two |
| Original run | 3 January 2006 – 28 June 2011 |
Three Men in a Boat is a television comedy/documentary series produced by Liberty Bell Productions for BBC Two starring Dara Ó Briain, Rory McGrath and Griff Rhys Jones, first shown in January 2006. In this first rendition, the three participants rowed in a replica wooden skiff from Kingston upon Thames to Oxford.[1]
The BBC have since gone on to commission and air Three Men in Another Boat,[2] Three Men in More Than One Boat,[3] Three Men go to Ireland,[4] Three Men go to Scotland;[5] Three Men go to Venice, and Three Men go to New England, broadcast in January 2008, 2009, 2009/2010, 2010 and 2011 respectively. Every series, bar the first has featured the music from the Pirates of the Caribbean. In late October, 2011, a production team was shooting in Provincetown, Massachusetts, America's oldest art colony, at the tip of Cape Cod.
Contents |
Dara Ó Briain, Rory McGrath and Griff Rhys Jones take to the river Thames in their original recreation of the novel.
Embarking their wooden skiff, a replica of that described in the original novel, the trio take it in turns to row and to steer the skiff along the Thames, from Kingston upon Thames to Oxford making numerous halts along the way.[1] This series heavily utilised the soundtrack from the film Amélie.
First broadcast on Tuesday 3 January 2006 at 21:00 - 3.83 million viewers[6]
First broadcast on Thursday 5 January 2006 at 21:00 - 2.60 million viewers[6]
In their second adventure Griff Rhys Jones, Dara O'Briain and Rory McGrath are sailing from Tower Bridge to the Isle of Wight in Undina,[7] the classic yacht owned by Jones. Dara and Rory never having never sailed before, it is down to Griff to teach them how to sail in preparation for a race against Undina's sister yacht.[2] This series heavily utilised the soundtrack from the film Apollo 13 and the film Chocolat.
First broadcast on Tuesday 1 January 2008 at 20:00 - 3.80 million viewers[6]
First broadcast on Wednesday 2 January 2008 at 21:00 - 3.96 million viewers[6]
In their third trip, the trio attempt to get from Plymouth to the Isles of Scilly using several boats.[3] The soundtrack from the Harry Potter films was used in these episodes.
First broadcast on Thursday 1 January 2009 at 20:00 - 3.70 million viewers[6]
Dara, Rory and Griff get their hands on a variety of vessels in the county of Cornwall. Starting in Plymouth they are making their way to the Isles of Scilly. They are hampered however by Rory's lack of knowledge with regards to boats leading to begging, borrowing, stealing and hitchhiking on numerous vessels along the south coast. Along the way they crash into a harbour, find themselves aboard a round the world racing yacht, play their part in the Lobster repopulation and take part in an amateur production of the Pirates of Penzance.
First broadcast on Monday 5 January 2009 at 21:00 - 3.22 million viewers[6]
Dara manages to hitch a lift with a tug and learns to respect the power of the sea. Back on land Griff explores the tin mine in Redruth, Rory's home town where he pays a visit to his place of birth. As the winds pick up the trio struggle to find a ship capable of carrying them through the force eight gale lying between them, the Scilly Isles and their final destination - the Bishop Rock Lighthouse.
The fourth outing sees Dara, Griff and Rory take to the rivers and canals of Ireland, starting in Dublin and making their way to Limerick.[4] The soundtrack from the Harry Potter films was used again in these episodes.
First broadcast on Wednesday 30 December 2009 at 21:00 - 3.69 million viewers[6]
Starting in Dublin the three make their way along the Grand Canal on board the last original Irish Guinness barge, hampered by the 80 year old boats lack of speed, difficult engine and the canal locks that the trio have to endure. The Royal Canal is therefore tackled using a car with a difference, namely that it can float. Dara, Rory and Griff are met in Mullingar by a street parade before making their way to see the greyhound Snip Nua race.
First broadcast on Friday 1 January 2010 at 20:00 - 3.32 million viewers[6]
Griff, Rory and Dara begin sailing down the Shannon, stopping along the way at Ireland's most haunted castle. From here they make their way through Ardnacrusha, the largest lock in Europe. In Limerick, Griff and Dara sample power boat racing, Rory hosts a poetry festival for nothing but Limerick (the first Limerick Limerick Competition). The journey ends on the Aran Islands where the trio take a Galway hooker to the fort of Dun Aengus.
Filming took place and was completed in late 2010 for a fifth series, which sees the trio make their way to Scotland.[5] In episode 2, Irish comedian Ed Byrne makes a short appearance being given a lift by the boys as he continues to climb the Munros.[8] This was broadcast in the post-Christmas period, 2010.
Broadcast on Monday 27 December 2010 at 20:00[9] - 3.46 million viewers[6]
Broadcast on Thursday 30 December 2010 at 20:00[10] - 2.98 million viewers[6]
First broadcast on BBC Two at 9pm on Tuesday 21 June 2011, the series consisted of two episodes in which the 'Three Men' go to Venice.[11]
Broadcast 21 June 2011 - 2.95 million viewers.[6]
Broadcast 28 June 2011 The trip ends in a race down the Grand Canal - 3.04 million viewers.[6]
In late December 2011 the BBC Two aired a seventh chapter of the Three men which was in New England, with the first episode airing at 9pm on 27 December and the second airing the proceeding day. The series followed the three men as they journey along the New England coast to join the birthday party flotilla celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty.[12]