Canary Islands with Jane McDonald Channel 5: Yorkshire singer and TV presenter travels across the Canaries to discover hidden gems of each destination

Singer and TV presenter, Jane McDonald, who grew up in Wakefield, will be starring in a new Channel 5 show airing this week called Canary Islands with Jane McDonald.

She spent most of her early career performing in local clubs and pubs before singing on cruise ships and rose to fame in 1998 following her appearance on the BBC show The Cruise.

The first episode of the new show, which will air on Friday, January 5, 2024 at 8pm, will be filmed in Tenerife.

Jane undertakes an island-hopping adventure across the Canaries to explore the hidden treasures of each destination.

Jane arrives in Tenerife and stays in Playa de las Americas. She drives to the north of the island where she takes the eight minute cable car with local Steve up Mount Teide. She breathes in the fresh air at the top, admires the beautiful views and then returns to a traditional Canarian restaurant with Steve and his friend Laura. They both eat the local potatoes, garlic dip and cheese.

Jane will also be joined by fellow hotel guests Angie and Alison to visit a local banana plantation where they go on a tour with guide Anna and learn all about how bananas are grown and how bunches such as banana wine and banana jam. Later in the day, Jane will meet up with Angie and Alison at the rooftop pool where they enjoy a drink together and Jane learns what Angie loves about Tenerife.

The next day Jane takes the ferry to La Gomera where she learns how to make baskets from the locally grown date palm plants and also tries her hand at Silbo, the local way of talking through whistling. This way of communicating was originally used by the shepherds to speak across mountain ranges.

Jane travels to Siam Water Park with fellow holiday makers Les and June, where she goes on the lazy river, one of the high slides and then jumps the waves made by the wave maker on the artificial beach.