I don’t often watch ITV except for the occasional bond film or football match, but last night I tuned in to Trans-Siberian Railway with Joanna Lumley. Being a firm fan of Michael Palin Travelogues, I wanted to see how the two compared, and I must say I’m in two minds. The program itself was perfectly fine: Lumley makes an amicable travel presenter as you might expect, and some of the scenery she was passing through really was stunning. I find the idea of one railway track passing through the whole of Asia, from east to west, compelling. Yet I can’t help thinking this was just an ITV imitation of a BBC program, or Lumley trying to elbow herself in to Michael Palin’s territory. The shooting stye and shot selection were pretty much identical, for example. There’s room for both, of course, and I’ll watch virtually anything which shows you far flung places and beautiful scenery; but the concept of ‘well-loved comedian sent to exotic places to make travel show’ just reeks of ITV trying to nick a well-loved bbc idea for it’s sunday night schedule – it just seems crass and lazy. Nevertheless, I’ll continue to watch: imitation or not, the scenery is stunning and the subject fascinating,