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Episode 3

Celebrities test whether retirement in India is better than in the UK. The group attend a wedding and are blown away by the importance of family in an Indian marriage.

Amanda and Rustie visit a local hair salon and meet a bride-to-be getting styled for her big day. The bride invites them to her wedding, so the whole group go to buy traditional clothes, with hilarious consequences.

The group attend the Hindu ceremony in their Indian finery despite some wardrobe malfunctions on the way. They are blown away by the spectacle and the importance of family in an Indian marriage union and are touched by how welcome they are made to feel.

After the emotion of the wedding, Sheila reflects on her own love life, revealing that since the sudden death of her partner she has been single for eight years. She announces that she is ready to start dating again and realises the only thing that would definitely convince her to make a big move to living in India would be a man.

Miriam and Lionel, who are both Jewish, discover Old Kochi has a surprising connection to their heritage in an area called Jew Town. A visit to the synagogue makes Miriam reflect on the huge impact her own marriage had on her family when she chose to marry outside of the Jewish faith. As a result, her father declared she was dead to him and refused to speak to her for many years. Their tour guide invites them to his home, where Miriam discovers his own painful story of love has striking similarities to hers.

Bill takes half the group along to one of the biggest festivals in Kerala, Puli Kali, which celebrates the tiger. He ends up volunteering to take part, which means stripping off and having his belly shaved and painted as a tiger, before dancing down the streets amongst a throng of thousands. It is an experience that cements his love for India.

An invitation to one of the premier members-only clubs in Kerala, the Yacht Club, gives the group a chance to meet up with successful locals and ends in the offer of a dinner date for Sheila.

57 minutes

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Music Played

  • Shankar Mahadevan & Surjo Bhattacharya

    Thom Karuvil

  • Niraj Chag

    Intermission - Part 2

  • Asha Bhosle

    Aaj Koi Pyar Se

  • Alka Yagnik & Hema Sardesai

    San Sanana (From "Asoka")

  • Kalyani Menon

    Alaipayuthey

  • Rakesh Chaurasia

    Soaring Heights

  • Panjabi MC

    Yaaran Kollon Sikh Kuriye

  • John Mayer

    Acka Raga

  • The Karminsky Experience Inc.

    Exploration

  • Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle & Chorus

    Main Chali Main Chali

  • Najma Akhtar

    Zikar Hai Apna

  • Nitin Sawhney

    91热爆lands

  • AR Rahman

    Masoom

  • Ali Akbar Khan

    Fantasy

  • Asha Bhosle

    Jab Chaye

  • Abhijit Pohankar

    Sweet Romance

  • Niraj Chag

    Bangles (feat. Melissa Baten)

  • Panjabi MC

    Beware Of The Boys (feat. JAY-Z)

Credits

Role Contributor
Participant Bill Oddie
Participant Paul Nicholas
Participant Rustie Lee
Participant Sheila Ferguson
Participant Amanda Barrie
Participant Lionel Blair
Participant Dennis Taylor
Participant Miriam Stoppard
Director Warren Smith
Executive Producer David Clews
Executive Producer David Vallance
Executive Producer Andrew Mackenzie-Betty
Production Company Twofour Broadcast

Broadcasts

  • Wed 8 Mar 2017 21:00
  • Sat 11 Mar 2017 00:55
  • Sat 11 Mar 2017 01:25
  • Fri 17 Mar 2017 00:40
  • Sat 20 Feb 2021 15:00
  • Thu 9 Dec 2021 16:15

Meet the residents

Get to know the Series 2 celebs who went on an Indian adventure.

Meet the new celebrity residents

Meet the new celebrity residents

Find out who's heading to India to see if they could retire there.