Susan Calman's Grand Day Out in her campervan named Helen Mirren
Travels around the UK
Claire webb - 1 January 1970
For your current series you’ve swapped your Mini for a classic campervan. Which model are you driving?
A 1999 Romahome Daihatsu Hijet. They delivered four campervans, but I couldn’t drive any of them because I’m so short. My little van is one of the smallest ever made and she’s adorable – I called her Helen Mirren.
Why Helen Mirren?
If I were to go on a road trip with anyone, I would want it to be Helen Mirren. I thought if I named the van after her, she would be with me in spirit. I also bought a small nodding sheep and called it Jason Statham because he’s my second-favourite actor.
How was the driving?
There was no power-steering, there were no gadgets, and my core got an incredible workout whenever I had to turn a corner. Trying to get a 20-year-old campervan up a hill in the Lake District is a challenge, but that was part of the fun – it was a proper driving experience.
Was this your first road trip in a camper?
My parents had a converted Ford transit – they called it “the caravanette” – and we had really lovely family holidays where we used to drive from Glasgow to campsites in northern France. I haven’t been camping since I was a kid and I liked the van because you could sit in it and do puzzle magazines if it rained.
This week, you’re off to Yorkshire. What did you get up to there?
I love Yorkshire. When I did stand-up, I always used to preview my shows there because the people are gorgeous. The highlight was probably the re-creation of Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights video from 1978– I climb out of the back of the campervan in a red dress, but you can see my thermal vest underneath because it was so cold, so it’s not as glamorous.
Later in the series you’re also exploring the Pembrokeshire coast…
I was blown away by the beauty of south-west Wales – I’d never been there before and the beaches were extraordinary. I was filming there in late September and the weather was amazing. I’d like to head back as soon as I possibly can and take my wife [lawyer Lee Cormack] swimming in the Blue Lagoon, a former slate quarry at Abereiddi.
You confess that’s the first time you’ve swum in the sea since you were eight – why so long?
I was shown the film Jaws far too young and developed an unhealthy fear of the sea. But when you look at the beautiful Blue Lagoon, you’ve got to have a go. I’m not sure I’d jump in the water again, though…
So you didn’t enjoy leaping off the rocks quite so much?
I was terrified, but I was very proud of myself for doing it because it was a big deal for me. Because of Covid, I had to film myself at the same time with a GoPro camera, and was aware of the fact that if I accidentally switched it off we’d lose the footage – and I wasn’t doing that again!
Would you say you’re an adrenaline-seeker?
No, I would never go on I’m a Celebrity… because they’d throw me out of a plane. I’m a very nervous lady, but there’s something really nice about challenging yourself, and the crew make me feel very safe.
What were the series’s less high-octane highlights?
I adore model villages and we went to an utterly charming one in Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds. I have just demolished my back garden and covered it in concrete, and the dream is to have a model train I can sit on chugging through my garden. I also went on a lovely miniature steam train in the Lake District, the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway.
Does your wife share your dream of having a model railway?
She’s just leaving me to it. There’s a point in a marriage where you just have to.
Have you always been a fan of staycations?
Absolutely. I have a fear of flying and there are so many beautiful places to explore at home. While I was filming this series, I went home every single week and said, “We need to go back there.” I go to the Lake District and Yorkshire quite a lot, but I’d never been to Devon and Cornwall or that area of Wales, or explored the Cotswolds’ stunning little towns and villages.
Where are you planning to go when the pandemic is over?
I’m taking over Jane McDonald’s Cruising with... show on Channel 5, so I can’t wait to get out on the ocean waves as soon as I possibly can. I did a Strictly cruise a couple of years ago [she was a contestant in 2017] and it was honestly one of the best experiences of my entire life.
Susan Calman’s Grand Day Out Friday 8.00pm Channel 5 - January 2021
A 1999 Romahome Daihatsu Hijet. They delivered four campervans, but I couldn’t drive any of them because I’m so short. My little van is one of the smallest ever made and she’s adorable – I called her Helen Mirren.
Why Helen Mirren?
If I were to go on a road trip with anyone, I would want it to be Helen Mirren. I thought if I named the van after her, she would be with me in spirit. I also bought a small nodding sheep and called it Jason Statham because he’s my second-favourite actor.
How was the driving?
There was no power-steering, there were no gadgets, and my core got an incredible workout whenever I had to turn a corner. Trying to get a 20-year-old campervan up a hill in the Lake District is a challenge, but that was part of the fun – it was a proper driving experience.
Was this your first road trip in a camper?
My parents had a converted Ford transit – they called it “the caravanette” – and we had really lovely family holidays where we used to drive from Glasgow to campsites in northern France. I haven’t been camping since I was a kid and I liked the van because you could sit in it and do puzzle magazines if it rained.
This week, you’re off to Yorkshire. What did you get up to there?
I love Yorkshire. When I did stand-up, I always used to preview my shows there because the people are gorgeous. The highlight was probably the re-creation of Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights video from 1978– I climb out of the back of the campervan in a red dress, but you can see my thermal vest underneath because it was so cold, so it’s not as glamorous.
Later in the series you’re also exploring the Pembrokeshire coast…
I was blown away by the beauty of south-west Wales – I’d never been there before and the beaches were extraordinary. I was filming there in late September and the weather was amazing. I’d like to head back as soon as I possibly can and take my wife [lawyer Lee Cormack] swimming in the Blue Lagoon, a former slate quarry at Abereiddi.
You confess that’s the first time you’ve swum in the sea since you were eight – why so long?
I was shown the film Jaws far too young and developed an unhealthy fear of the sea. But when you look at the beautiful Blue Lagoon, you’ve got to have a go. I’m not sure I’d jump in the water again, though…
So you didn’t enjoy leaping off the rocks quite so much?
I was terrified, but I was very proud of myself for doing it because it was a big deal for me. Because of Covid, I had to film myself at the same time with a GoPro camera, and was aware of the fact that if I accidentally switched it off we’d lose the footage – and I wasn’t doing that again!
Would you say you’re an adrenaline-seeker?
No, I would never go on I’m a Celebrity… because they’d throw me out of a plane. I’m a very nervous lady, but there’s something really nice about challenging yourself, and the crew make me feel very safe.
What were the series’s less high-octane highlights?
I adore model villages and we went to an utterly charming one in Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds. I have just demolished my back garden and covered it in concrete, and the dream is to have a model train I can sit on chugging through my garden. I also went on a lovely miniature steam train in the Lake District, the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway.
Does your wife share your dream of having a model railway?
She’s just leaving me to it. There’s a point in a marriage where you just have to.
Have you always been a fan of staycations?
Absolutely. I have a fear of flying and there are so many beautiful places to explore at home. While I was filming this series, I went home every single week and said, “We need to go back there.” I go to the Lake District and Yorkshire quite a lot, but I’d never been to Devon and Cornwall or that area of Wales, or explored the Cotswolds’ stunning little towns and villages.
Where are you planning to go when the pandemic is over?
I’m taking over Jane McDonald’s Cruising with... show on Channel 5, so I can’t wait to get out on the ocean waves as soon as I possibly can. I did a Strictly cruise a couple of years ago [she was a contestant in 2017] and it was honestly one of the best experiences of my entire life.
Susan Calman’s Grand Day Out Friday 8.00pm Channel 5 - January 2021