Bradley Walsh & Son: Breaking Dad
Bradley Walsh & Son: Breaking Dad is a British television series in which the comedian and presenter Bradley Walsh is taken by his son Barney on a coming of age road trip across the United States.[1] Four episodes of the series aired in its original release, all of which were narrated by Alexander Armstrong. The title of the series is a play on the American crime drama Breaking Bad. It was announced eight months after the original series premiered that a second series would be aired in 2020. It is yet to be confirmed if the program will return in 2021.[2]
| Bradley Walsh & Son: Breaking Dad | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Phil Ashton |
| Starring | Bradley Walsh Barney Walsh |
| Narrated by | Alexander Armstrong |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Dan Baldwin |
| Producer(s) | Robert Fletcher Molly Sayers |
| Running time | 30 minutes (inc. adverts) |
| Production company(s) | Hungry Bear Media |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Original release | January 2, 2019 – present |
Overview
Bradley Walsh and his son Barney travel over 2,000 miles in an RV from Los Angeles to New Orleans whilst partaking in challenges along the way.[3][4] Bradley and Barney ended series one in the deep South. The second series fittingly starts at the southernmost point of the continental USA: the Florida Keys. A route that will take in Florida, Georgia and then head north through the East Coast states.
Episodes
Series 1 (2019)
| No. | Episode | First broadcast | UK viewers
(millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "LA" | 2 January 2019 | 6.34 | |
| The duo begin their trip by picking up their 36-foot, 7.5 tonne RV from their starting point in the city of Los Angeles. They travel straight to Venice Beach where they play volleyball, and then move on to a workout on Muscle Beach with two burly personal trainers. The day ends with the duo driving to Banning Airport in California. | ||||
| 2 | "Arizona" | 9 January 2019 | 6.67 | |
| Barney and Bradley leave LA behind them, and head into the Mojave Desert towards Arizona, arriving at the famous Route 66. On the way, they stop by at Roy’s Café to have their picture taken with the café’s sign. Their next stop is Lake Havasu City, followed by Arizona Cowboy College deep in the Sonoran Desert. As the ranch owners review their work as cowboys, Barney and Bradley round off their day with a singalong around the campfire. | ||||
| 3 | "Texas" | 16 January 2019 | 6.40 | |
| In Texas, Barney and Bradley visit a space centre, learn how to fire tanks and hear tales about UFOs. They follow in the footsteps of astronauts such as John Glenn as they undertake centrifuge training, letting them experience five times the gravitational force than that on earth. They then speak to some UFO enthusiasts on the outskirts of the city of Houston. | ||||
| 4 | "New Orleans" | 23 January 2019 | N/A (<6.64)[lower-alpha 1] | |
| Bradley meets the Captain of The Natchez boat in New Orleans and experiences the jazz on board. Soon after, Barney reveals he has arranged for them to meet a Voodoo High Priest for some energy cleansing. After the session ends, the duo head 75 miles out of the city to the small town of Gibson, where they find the home of many alligators. The final stop of the trip is New Orleans's famous French Quarter, the home of the Mardi Gras parade. | ||||
Series 2 (2020)
| No. | Episode | First broadcast | UK viewers
(millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Florida" | 8 January 2020 | 5.97 | |
| Bradley and Barney begin their second series in Florida, where they visit the Palm Beach International Raceway and the home of the author Key West, and get close up to sharks. | ||||
| 2 | "Smoky Mountains" | 15 January 2020 | N/A (<6.22)[lower-alpha 1] | |
| The duo head to the Great Smoky Mountains on the Tennessee-North Carolina border and go canoeing. After a swig of whiskey, they experience clog dancing and chopping wood with the aid of competitive lumberjacks. | ||||
| 3 | "Kentucky" | 22 January 2020 | N/A (<6.27)[lower-alpha 1] | |
| For the next leg of their journey, Bradley and Barney visit the Red River Gorge in Kentucky, before heading to the supposedly haunted Poasttown Elementary School in Middletown, Ohio. The next day, they travel to Louisville, birthplace of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, where they follow in his footsteps by sparring at the local boxing gym. At the end of a long day, Barney rewards his dad with a well-earned meal at a KFC restaurant in Kentucky - the home state of the chain's founder Colonel Harland Sanders. | ||||
| 4 | "Ohio" | 29 January 2020 | N/A (<5.83)[lower-alpha 1] | |
| This time, the actor and his son arrive in Ohio, where they head for Dayton - the birthplace of aviation - before the pair attend a local rodeo later that evening. Brad soon realises that they are not just there to spectate on the sport, they are also expected to take part. However, a nasty fall from an angry bull means Brad spends the rest of the night in hospital. | ||||
| 5 | "Vermont" | 5 February 2020 | 5.97 | |
| Bradley is on the mend following his rodeo injury and determined to get back behind the wheel of the RV. As the pair continue on their journey, Barney is thrilled to be celebrating his birthday with a trip to the iconic Niagara Falls. Later, Bradley and Barney take the RV on a small cargo ferry as they head to Vermont. Here, the pair have a go at ice climbing, which proves treacherous for them and the crew, before a spot of dog sledding through the frozen wilderness and an inevitable race through the forests. | ||||
| 6 | "Maine" | 12 February 2020 | N/A (<6.04)[lower-alpha 1] | |
| On the final leg of their journey, the pair continue through the snow to New Hampshire. Here, they meet rally-driving champion Tim O'Neil who gives them a crash course in driving in the ice and snow before they take on an intense time trial. The pair travel on to Maine, where they take part in some wilderness training, before bidding farewell to the RV and heading out into the extremely choppy seas for some lobster fishing. Before heading home, the pair look back on some of their favourite moments from the trip. | ||||
Reception
The Times stated "Bradley Walsh and his son took a good-natured road trip to the US, but it all seemed like an excuse to get Walsh Jr some TV exposure."[5]
The series achieved average viewing figures of 5 million an episode, making it Britain's highest rating celebrity travelogue in nearly 10 years.[6]
A critical Radio Times review said that the show had "a distinct feel of scripted banter" and that Bradley Walsh was in "his least-convincing role to date".[7]
Notes
- Not reported in the weekly top 15 programmes for four-screen viewer ratings.
References
- Doran, Sarah. "Bradley Walsh & Son: Breaking Dad - S1 - Episode 1: LA". Radio Times. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- "Bradley Walsh & Son: Breaking Dad returns to ITV for brand new series". ITV. 5 September 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- Rajani, Deepika (23 January 2019). "Bradley Walsh and Son: Breaking Dad – when it's on ITV tonight and everything else". inews. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
- Seale, Jack (9 January 2019). "Wednesday's best TV: Ballet and Bullets; Bradley Walsh & Son: Breaking Dad". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
- Midgley, Carol (3 January 2019). "TV review: Bradley Walsh & Son: Breaking Dad; The Twinstitute". The Times. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
- "Bradley Walsh & Son: Breaking Dad scores 5 million viewers". Hungry Bear Media. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
- Taylor, Frances (21 December 2018). "ITV's Bradley Walsh & Son: Breaking Dad is his least convincing role to date". Radio Times. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
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