Review: Stephen Tompkinson’s Australian Balloon Adventure, ITV1

4:46pm Thursday 2nd September 2010

By Andrew Mosley

WHO he? An actor who was in Ballykissangel, apparently, which is obviously enough to earn him the right to base a series on journeying across Australia in a balloon.

Steve had always harboured an ambition to walk out at the MCG while an Aussie Rules games was on and as TV these days seems to be like Jim’ll Fix It for the rich and famous, off he goes.

To my mind, though, he’s missing the point. Why would you want to fly over this fabulous country?

Australia is a fantastic place and has the benefit of being staffed by Australians rather than Americans, so for those who like places which offer excitement, diversity and road trips without over-excited people, it’s the place to be.

Stevie boy is travelling in a hot-air balloon designed by his nine-year-old daughter Daisy — which seems a bit risky to me as children aren’t really known for their skills in putting together vehicles that will fly you thousands of miles across the skies.

He’s not the most natural presenter and comes across as a bit of an open-mouthed tourist, gasping at the sites.

So, to inject a bit of drama the crew film the balloon crash-landing in the outback — hopefully nothing to do with his daughter’s design.

It’s quite dramatic and involves the balloon being dragged over some particularly bumpy terrain, but surviving intact.

Remarkably, Steve’s all right, but misses the opportunity to take the programme off in a different direction by crash-landing in a variety of locations every week — Uluru, the Opera House, etc. A bit Alan Partridge, but it could work.

Steve and his ballooning mate Robin Bachelor then drop anchor (or whatever the balloon term for it is) and have a look around the Barossa Valley and Melbourne.

He correctly notes that the city is extremely difficult to drive around due to a complicated rule that means you have to get in a left-hand lane to turn right and spots that it has a terrific tram system.

It does, but I’ve been there and none of them are decorated with illuminations, which puts Blackpool ahead as a better and cheaper (just) place to visit.

The producers, who may be looking to replace Tompkinson for similar programmes in the future, might do well to jot down the fact that I spotted this and he didn’t. I’m cheaper, too.

Anyway, he gets to watch Geelong batter Essendon at Aussie Rules, which, incidentally, is a great game, before moving on to look at a bit of street art, something we’ve never really embraced into the mainstream here, and generally forced its purveyors to operate close to busy railway tracks or in subways.

After a stop-off for some Greek dancing, this particular episode finished in the comparatively dull Canberra, with Tompkinson bragging that Part Two will see him visit Sydney, where they will judge a drag contest.