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Sue Perkins, comedian extraordinaire and English national treasure, has been contributing to the genre since 2017.
Her latest journey, titledPerfectly Legal, began airing on Netflix on October 13.
Although it is technically a travel special, not every aspect of the series is easily classifiable.
(Dont worry, shes physically, at least fine.)
But what saves all of these interactions from being condescending and/or racist is Perkinss humility.
She mocks no one and insists on being the butt of any joke.
Her eagerness to learn is evident in every interaction.
She announces at the beginning of the series that shes afraid of being stuck, of becoming staid.
This is what setsPerfectly Legalapart from, say,Grand TourorDown to Earth.
I was brought up a Catholic.
Were supposed to just get on with our life.
She was set on fire.
Her central nervous system landed at my feet, whereupon some dogs got involved.
Her ash was blowing in my face and in my mouth.
For most people, thats hell.
For me, it was interesting, but I thought,People are so snotty.
This is really what happens.
The mourners have left, discharging at least the first stage of grief the shock and bewilderment.
Theyve viscerally been involved in a passing.
Whereas I just wasnt like that when my father died.
I was like,Hes here and then hes not here.
You either die onstage or you kill.Thats true!
But youre right about dying onstage.
Travel, for me, is exactly that: You have to read the room immediately.
Isnt there something inherently comedic about travel?
Both involve reality brushing up against your expectations, not knowing the language, trying to pantomime.I think so.
for convey the madness of what youre experiencing, you have to immediately provide a sketch of the situation.
So you have to sum up all the ingredients that are creating this madness around you.
I think part of being a comic is the same as being a tourist: Theyre outsider experiences.
Or rather, a xenophobe.
And then things tend to turn out okay.
But you also went to a favela in Rio de Janeiro, to rap explicit stream-of-consciousness songs about sex.
On the first meeting, shes in the studios, and shes saying, You have to be filthy.
You have to be really gross.
Im sensitive and I pride myself on being a good feminist always.
I think they just thought I wasnt well.
Thats how I see it.
I think they just thought,Is she on some kind of special holiday where shes lost her mind?
And her carers thought it might be a nice idea to show her having a nice time?
Shes dying of cancer, so lets just let her have a good time.Yeah, exactly.
Its like a special foundation and they take people who are nuts or whatever.
But they were just so lovely.
Because they know Ive not come to laugh, be culturally inappropriate, or culturally appropriate.
MC Carol said, Yep, she can be my special guest.
I turned up and it was awful.
Theres a reason why people like me dont naturally rap.
Ive watched every single clip I can find.
I watched thevideoof you conducting theSimpsonstheme over and over again.
It makes me so happy.I love the simplicity of it.
Thats just a master score.
And what Danny Elfman does with percussion is just unbelievable.
Conducting is the most overwhelming, extraordinary experience of my life.
Youre just aware of how sound can bend and move.
So the very least it’s possible for you to do is be calm and welcoming and decent.
There was no script it was just play.
These tiny little things would happen, and they would break me.
I remember there was one contestant I wont name.
She was sweet, but she was quite punchy up front.
She was like, Ive got the best chocolate!
My recipes are the best!
Im going to be great!
And she was making this chocolate cake with her special chocolate, and everyone elses chocolate was rubbish.
The camera went right in, and she just lifted the collar [of the springform pan].
This thing just leaked it collapsed.
And she just went Oh!
and there was a double-click catch in her throat.
I just felt so teary.
I just thought,I know, youre just one of them.
People forgetBake Offwas made by the BBC documentary department.
It essentially started life as a weird small show that we did for seven series.
Of four of those series, nobody watched it.
It just was really about people sitting by ovens and chatting.
it’s possible for you to just have a good time.
Occasionally one of the old birds presenting it might make you laugh.
It felt consistently organic.
It never felt like either you or Mel even knew there were cameras there.
You were just hanging out, and you provided psychological support.
Like, Its going to be okay.
Its going to be fine.
And everyone was just crying around.
It had that template of those reality shows which were very front-foot and very punchy.
And Mel and I were like, Oh, no, we cant do this.
They were like, What do you mean?
I said, No, were resigning now.
Technically its a cake, but also for them its about achieving, and its about pushing themselves.
Im a baker myself.
Its not just a cake.
Its a search for perfection.
It is possible to make a perfect cake.
I think its an internal search for as long as you live and you bake.
Youre seeking that security.Yeah.
And its the connection with family.
I remember my grandma making cakes.
I remember all the cakes my mum ever made for me.
Licking the bowl is the best.These are Proustian things, you know.
I wept a little, watching you during your trip on San Pedro, the psychedelic cactus.
So I just went into it.
I didnt read about it.
I just thought,Open yourself up to it.
Id mentally put some stuff away.
Thats my experience, and I dont advocate for it.
Im not saying to people, Rush out and do it.
Thats just my experience of it.
Will I do it again?
Every road that you take is congested.
The view is terrible.
Youre frightened to go anywhere.So San Pedro just drives a brand-new boulevard through your brain.
And the view is beautiful, and its untainted.
For me, the great thing is I now have a choice whether to make it polluted.
I have a choice whether to get into bad situations, into unpleasant environments.
So theres a wonderment to that.
I think thats really key.
It cures everything up to now, and from now on, thats on you.
I was covered in sick, by the way, at the end of that.
It was all in my hair.
Oh, that sounds absolutely delightful!That was the end of my trip.
What a way to end it.
A giant bowl of fun, no anxiety.Its like the edition ofBake Offthey could never show.
That was my showstopper.
Well, Paul, what Ive made is a massive psychedelic peak experience, followed by a creme caramel.
