| Holiday | |
|---|---|
| Format | Travel |
| Starring | Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
| Production | |
| Running time | 29 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC One |
| Original run | 1969 – 2007 |
Holiday was a long-running UK television programme on BBC One, and was the oldest travel review show on UK television. The programme began in 1969 as Holiday 69, and for the first several years the year was incorporated in the programme's title, but this was discontinued in the 1990s. The first presenter was Cliff Michelmore who remained with the series until 1986. In 1974 its popularity led to ITV launching a rival show, Wish You Were Here...?. Many presenters came and went over the history of the programme, the most notable being Joan Bakewell, Anne Gregg, Frank Bough, John Carter, Desmond Lynam, Eamonn Holmes, Anneka Rice, Jill Dando, and Craig Doyle. In addition, the teams of "reporters" who provided regular reviews from holiday destinations have included Sarah Kennedy, Bill Buckley, Kieran Prendiville, Fyfe Robertson, Kathy Tayler, Monty Don and Carol Smillie. The final presenter was Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. Each week, the programme consisted of several reports in which one of the presenters visited a holiday resort and reviewed the attractions of the region. Despite the programme's obvious attraction as escapism, over the years it was criticised for featuring destinations that the majority of viewers would be unable to afford. The programme spawned several short-lived offshoot programmes, including Summer Holiday; Holiday: Fasten Your Seatbelt (1996-8, in which presenters tried out holiday-related jobs); and Holiday on a Shoestring (1999). It was announced by the BBC in November 2006, that after a record 37 years on air, Holiday would end at the end the season that was running at the time of the announcement in March 2007. The programme's time slot is now filled by The One Show.
Trivia
Gordon Giltrap's "Heartsong" was used as a theme tune until the end of the 1985 series, when it was replaced by specially composed music by Simon May. This proved unpopular, and was replaced the following year by a further Giltrap composition. In 1988, Giltrap again composed new music for the series and this theme, together with incidental tracks, was used until the mid 90s. One of the destinations visited on the very first show in 1969 was Torremolinos.
