By The Newsroom

Published 27th Jun 2023, 11:45 BST

Is she fearless? “I’ve a funny feeling that’s the only way we can be – if you are timid about things, you won’t get to know them,” she says with a smile when challenged on her often off-beat bold escapades.

Lumley certainly applies the same mindset to her latest trip, an epic voyage through the world’s greatest spice continents.

On a mission to discover the rich tapestry of flavours and cultures that have shaped our modern day, the Ab Fab star – steadfast in her quest to trace the centuries-old trade – will tour Indonesia, Zanzibar, India and Madagascar for a new four-part ITV series titled Joanna Lumley’s Spice Trail Adventure.

Dame Joanna Lumley poses for a photograph, during the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Picture: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/PA Images.

Her journey kicks off on the remote Indonesian Banda Islands, once the only place on Earth where nutmeg grows. It’s there she meets a family who make their living from harvesting the spice before uncovering the islands’ dark past – as well as the charm that led to its A-list appeal.

Lumley travels to her birthplace, India, in search of a kitchen cupboard staple once known as black gold. Starting in the majestic ancient city of Hampi, she is invited to a dazzling Hindu festival by a local rock climber before heading onwards to the lush backwaters of Kerala.

Her next stop is the African island of Madagascar, travelling over land on the country’s notorious potholed roads on the trail of the second most expensive spice in the world, vanilla.

It’s here she discovers the secrets of the spice, from the unique way it’s grown to how it’s dealt on the streets. She searches for gold with a poor gold-mining community and finds out how cacao is used to make some of the world’s best chocolate.

The last leg takes her to the vast plains of Wadi Rum in Jordan on the back of a camel before her journey ends at the one of the great wonders of the world, the ancient city of Petra, to discover how the movement of spices and people affects the world today.

“I’m very pro travel if you possibly can. But the things that we learn, it’s always from people. It’s people who are brilliant,” she adds.

“I’m always saying this but when we’ve got, as it were, hostile or enemy countries, it’s only the governments, the administrations, that are wrong. The people all want to look after their children and eat good food and dance and laugh and work hard and sulk sometimes and fall in love.

“They’re just the same as us but with different appearances, different religions, different cultures, different cuisines,” Lumley finishes.

"That love and trust in human nature is reinforced every time I go abroad.”

- Joanna Lumley’s Spice Trail Adventure starts on ITV1 and ITVX on Wednesday June 28.

Joanna Lumley’s Spice Trail Adventure on ITV sees her travel to Indonesia, Zanzibar, India and Madagascar