Joey Essex leaves the Essex tanning salons for the Serengeti in March 2014, launching ITV2’s surprise hit that swaps reality-show cocktails for remedial field trips. Phillip Schofield’s voice-over keeps a straight face while the former The Only Way Is Essex star asks Kenyan tribesmen if lions are “sort of like big cats”, and later tries to grasp the offside rule with Pelé in Rio. Seven one-hour episodes make up the first run, covering Africa, Halloween, and the 2015 general election, each treated with the same guileless bafflement.
Commissioners expected a single novelty special; instead the debut drew two million viewers and a green-lit series. Lime Pictures sent Essex back out in 2016 for another seven episodes, this time tackling the EU referendum, GCSE results day and a three-part American road trip culminating in a face-off with Trump supporters. Ratings held, critics groaned, yet the format stayed intact: drop a 25-year-old who thought “Europe” was a country into unfamiliar territory and let the questions wander.
Essex announced on This Morning in 2017 he’d “love to do more if there’s a reason”, but ITV2 has kept the property on ice. All fourteen episodes remain on the ITV Hub, where his wide-eyed question “So who’s in charge of the moon?” still plays to late-night binge watchers.
Production Details
ITV2 / 2 Seasons / 14 Episodes / 2014 - Present
Main Cast
