Fifteen celebrities explore the beautiful Causeway Coast, which rounds the north of Northern Ireland in spectacular style
B&B by the Sea Monday—Friday 6.30pm BBC2
Ed Grenby - 9 April 2023
Gloria Hunniford tries her hand at farming, Shirley Ballas gives beach yoga a go, Deborah Meaden cooks a meal for the first time in her life, Linford Christie takes a dip in the North Atlantic — and it’s some of the most relaxing TV you can imagine. B&B by the Sea is described by BBC2 as a “comfort watch”, in which 15 famous faces take turns staying on Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast — acquiring a new skill, but mostly pottering around the area’s gorgeous countryside and dramatic shore. Two of the star guests — Gavin and Stacey’s Larry Lamb and Goodness Gracious Me’s Nina Wadia — explain the appeal…
B&B by the Sea must have been a nostalgic reunion for you two…
NINA It’s true we haven’t worked together since we were both in EastEnders [they overlapped around 2008–9] and we used to just stare aggressively at each other on set. How are you, Larry?
LARRY Older but no wiser! We have seen each other at industry events and things since then, me drifting around as a has-been, lost in a sea of tired old celebrity nonsense. But actually one of the reasons I said yes to this programme was that we were all on separately, it’s not one of those stupid competitive shows.
NINA Yes, we were each there on our own, without the other celebs; it was really gentle and relaxed.
That’s a shame. It could have been interesting watching you guys go head-to-head with your beefier fellow guests Ugo Monye and Neil Ruddock!
LARRY Nah, that kind of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! routine doesn’t appeal. I just wanted to experience Northern Ireland. Ireland’s deep in my genes, you see: I think it was my grandmother’s great-grandma who came over to London during the Famine. Whenever I get the chance to go, I jump at it.
NINA I’d always wanted to go to the Causeway Coast. It’s stunningly beautiful, but there’s also just something so calm and healing about being by the sea.
LARRY You’ve got massive beaches that run all the way along the coast up there, and so much space. I’ve subsequently got into cold-water swimming, and I wish I’d been doing it back then when I was filming, because it looks so tempting now. Turns out all you need is this little insulated swimming hat I’ve got, and a pair of swimming gloves and boots for when the temperature’s down to 1 or 2˚.
NINA You’re a brave man, Larry. They are beautiful beaches, but I sent a picture to my friends in Hong Kong, where I grew up, saying “Look, I’m on an Irish beach!” – and I had three layers, another big overcoat… I’m wearing wellies, three pairs of socks and a massive blanket.
Tell us what you got up to for the programme?
LARRY A highlight for me was going to Riversdale Farm (riversdale-wagyu.com), where these wonderful people have a herd of Wagyu cattle: very beautiful, gentle, inquisitive cows. For the farmers who look after them, they’re like friends and family. I have real issues eating anything from an animal that’s been mistreated or mishandled, so I’m very choosy about what I eat – but these animals get looked after better than I do, and you can taste it.
NINA I got to make chocolates at a place called the Chocolate Manor (thechocolatemanor.com), and went on a lobster-catching trip. I was terrified because I get seasick really quickly, and it was this tiny little trawler that stank of fish – but then once the action started, with all the creels, it was just so fascinating seeing an actual lobster right there in front of you that you’d just caught. I didn’t quite dare pull them out of the creels myself – the lobsters just have too many moving parts, and sharp ones as well – but the whole experience was incredible. Lobsters are worth a lot of money, so maybe I should have smuggled some home in my hand-luggage.
Hate to break it to you, but while you two were wrestling cows and crustaceans, Debbie McGee got away with glass-blowing and Cerys Matthews was simply walking round the Giant’s Causeway…
NINA I got to explore the Causeway in my time off. And my goodness, it’s so stunning. It honestly took my breath away. How does nature even create something like that?
Fair enough. But Linford Christie was trying your new hobby, Larry — sea-swimming at beauty spot Downhill Beach. Couldn’t you have arm-wrestled him for it?
LARRY I would rather have my teeth extracted than take on Linford Christie at anything, thank you!
ED GRENBY
For more information on the area, see discovernorthernireland.com
Gloria Hunniford tries her hand at farming, Shirley Ballas gives beach yoga a go, Deborah Meaden cooks a meal for the first time in her life, Linford Christie takes a dip in the North Atlantic — and it’s some of the most relaxing TV you can imagine. B&B by the Sea is described by BBC2 as a “comfort watch”, in which 15 famous faces take turns staying on Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast — acquiring a new skill, but mostly pottering around the area’s gorgeous countryside and dramatic shore. Two of the star guests — Gavin and Stacey’s Larry Lamb and Goodness Gracious Me’s Nina Wadia — explain the appeal…
B&B by the Sea must have been a nostalgic reunion for you two…
NINA It’s true we haven’t worked together since we were both in EastEnders [they overlapped around 2008–9] and we used to just stare aggressively at each other on set. How are you, Larry?
LARRY Older but no wiser! We have seen each other at industry events and things since then, me drifting around as a has-been, lost in a sea of tired old celebrity nonsense. But actually one of the reasons I said yes to this programme was that we were all on separately, it’s not one of those stupid competitive shows.
NINA Yes, we were each there on our own, without the other celebs; it was really gentle and relaxed.
That’s a shame. It could have been interesting watching you guys go head-to-head with your beefier fellow guests Ugo Monye and Neil Ruddock!
LARRY Nah, that kind of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! routine doesn’t appeal. I just wanted to experience Northern Ireland. Ireland’s deep in my genes, you see: I think it was my grandmother’s great-grandma who came over to London during the Famine. Whenever I get the chance to go, I jump at it.
NINA I’d always wanted to go to the Causeway Coast. It’s stunningly beautiful, but there’s also just something so calm and healing about being by the sea.
LARRY You’ve got massive beaches that run all the way along the coast up there, and so much space. I’ve subsequently got into cold-water swimming, and I wish I’d been doing it back then when I was filming, because it looks so tempting now. Turns out all you need is this little insulated swimming hat I’ve got, and a pair of swimming gloves and boots for when the temperature’s down to 1 or 2˚.
NINA You’re a brave man, Larry. They are beautiful beaches, but I sent a picture to my friends in Hong Kong, where I grew up, saying “Look, I’m on an Irish beach!” – and I had three layers, another big overcoat… I’m wearing wellies, three pairs of socks and a massive blanket.
Tell us what you got up to for the programme?
LARRY A highlight for me was going to Riversdale Farm (riversdale-wagyu.com), where these wonderful people have a herd of Wagyu cattle: very beautiful, gentle, inquisitive cows. For the farmers who look after them, they’re like friends and family. I have real issues eating anything from an animal that’s been mistreated or mishandled, so I’m very choosy about what I eat – but these animals get looked after better than I do, and you can taste it.
NINA I got to make chocolates at a place called the Chocolate Manor (thechocolatemanor.com), and went on a lobster-catching trip. I was terrified because I get seasick really quickly, and it was this tiny little trawler that stank of fish – but then once the action started, with all the creels, it was just so fascinating seeing an actual lobster right there in front of you that you’d just caught. I didn’t quite dare pull them out of the creels myself – the lobsters just have too many moving parts, and sharp ones as well – but the whole experience was incredible. Lobsters are worth a lot of money, so maybe I should have smuggled some home in my hand-luggage.
Hate to break it to you, but while you two were wrestling cows and crustaceans, Debbie McGee got away with glass-blowing and Cerys Matthews was simply walking round the Giant’s Causeway…
NINA I got to explore the Causeway in my time off. And my goodness, it’s so stunning. It honestly took my breath away. How does nature even create something like that?
Fair enough. But Linford Christie was trying your new hobby, Larry — sea-swimming at beauty spot Downhill Beach. Couldn’t you have arm-wrestled him for it?
LARRY I would rather have my teeth extracted than take on Linford Christie at anything, thank you!
ED GRENBY
For more information on the area, see discovernorthernireland.com