大象传媒

Comedy icon Alexei Sayle continues his rail journeys across the country with a trip from Scotland鈥檚 capital, Edinburgh, northwards on the coastal route to Aberdeen.

Alexei鈥檚 mission is to break the golden rule of travelling by train and actually talk to his fellow passengers, in a quest for conversations with strangers that will reveal their lives, thoughts, dreams and destinations.

Along the way, Alexei holds a finger into the wind of the interests of the great British travelling public. There鈥檚 hilarity, humour, sadness and surprise as people reveal what is going on in their lives and, as Alexei passes through familiar towns and cities, he also delves into his own personal stories of a childhood in Liverpool and a long career as a comedian, actor and author.

Alexei has a life-long ticket to ride in his DNA, as his father was a railway guard. As a child, Alexei travelled on trains with his mum and dad, not only in the UK but also abroad. While other children in Liverpool at the time thought a trip to Blackpool was a big adventure, Alexei travelled to Paris, experienced the Orient Express, had summer holidays in Czechoslovakia and visited mysterious cities with unpronounceable names in the farthest corners of Europe.

In this programme, Alexei meets Irene and Marie, two old friends who share a love of owning horses. Irene has severe eyesight problems and they are on their way for her treatment appointment. Despite this, Irene still rides as she says her horse always knows the way. Marie tells Alexei of the unexpected pregnancy of the horse she recently bought and how all her colleagues at the hospital where she works were avidly following the new foal鈥檚 birth.

Alexei also meets: David, who is on his way to chair an adoption panel and, remarkably, remembers dancing with Alexei at a party in the 1980s; Lottie and Miriren, two girls on a shopping trip to Aberdeen with their parents, who surprise Alexei by telling him they never watch television; Fathia, who is originally from Tunisia and loves Scotland but still has problems with the weather and is scared of snow; David, an academic, who has just written a book interpreting religious art; Will and Rob, who moved away from Aberdeen to a quiet village nearby because their dog didn鈥檛 like the busy city; and Sheila, who introduces Alexei to Doric, the local dialect of north-east Scotland.

And, on his coastal journey by train, Alexei also passes through the town which lays claim to being the birthplace of the deep fried Mars bar.

A Ride production for 大象传媒 Radio 4