Channel 4 presenter shelves his own hit show for heartbreaking reason
It has been on air for three years.
A popular Channel 4 show has been put on pause by its own presenter after it became ‘a little too much.’
Matt Baker, 47, has decided to shelve Travels with Mum and Dad after three years out of concern for her parents Janice and Mike.
In the show, the former Strictly star takes his parents on ‘memorable, easy-to-reach’ excursions around their beloved North East.
However, Matt has reportedly decided to take a breather from the show as the travel has become too ‘demanding’ for his Janice, 77, and Mike, 80.
A source told The Sun: ‘Matt, Janice and Mike loved filming the show together, but as time went on they needed to adapt the kind of activities they took on and how far they would travel.’
Matt – who previously co-hosted Blue Peter and The One Show – made the decision in consultation with his parents
He has paused the Channel 4 show out of concern for his parents (Picture: Channel 4)The insider continued: ‘After filming the most recent series they all felt the demands were becoming a little too much and Matt’s decided to shelve it.
‘The show could return but is likely to look different.’
Matt previously spoke to Metro about Travels with Mum and Dad which he described as a show about ‘togetherness.’
He said: ‘It’s celebrating where you live, why you live there, and people and community and just having a good time together,’ he said.
‘The key word is togetherness.’
He also expressed his joy over making the travel show with her parents, explaining: ‘Seeing how much fun my parents are having is a real gift for me and the fact that I can give them these new experiences.’
In the show, Matt, Janice and Mike travel around the North East (Picture: Mark Taylor / Channel 4)Travels with Mum and Dad saw Matt and his parents visit various landmarks – including castles, museums and cathedrals – while towing a caravan.
But the TV star previously admitted that they were having to scale back their ambitions because of his parents’ age.
The TV presenter told the Daily Express newspaper: ‘We used to do these little trips away, where we would go and see how our wool was being processed in the wool mills, and so we just basically supersized that concept of these rural days out.
‘And the key with it is they’re always close to home because obviously, having a farm you can’t go far. And plus, with the dad being like 80, the reality of them planning to go on some sort of adventure was never going to be the case.’
Travels with Mum and Dad has been on air since 2022(Picture: Big Circus Media)Travels with Mum and Dad is one of several travelogues in which celebrities travel with family members.
The boom was arguably started by Netflix show Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father and other stars to have jumped on the trend include Russell Howard and his mum with their show USA Roadtrip.
More recently, Alison Hammond and her son, Aidan, have been exploring Florida in BBC series Florida Unpacked.
Metro has contacted Matt’s rep and Channel 4 for comment.
Matt Baker: Travels with Mum and Dad is available to stream on Channel 4.
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