Griff Across The Alps | Preview (Channel 4)

Griff Rhys Jones takes on one of the world’s most celebrated mountain ranges by train as he explores from Slovenia to France, uncovering how the Alps have shaped Europe’s history, wars, trade, and communities.

From Hannibal’s famous elephant crossing in 218 BC, to Napoleon’s Alpine campaigns, pilgrim trails, medieval traders, and WWII Escape Routes, The Alps have played a pivotal role in some of humanities greatest historical moments and influenced the spread and survival of culture for centuries.

Starting with the Alp’s eastern end at the stunning Lake Bled and ending on the Mediterranean beaches of Nice in France, Griff will burrow deep into hidden war tunnels, gorge at world-famous cheese caves, scale death-defying ferrata climbs, and mingle with the people and stories of forgotten villages tucked away off the beaten path.

EPISODE 1: Griff opens the series on the spectacular Lake Bled, surely the most picturesque lake in Europe, dons his hiking boots and staff, and sets off on a journey that is a modern day wonder . The European Alps stretch beyond him with all their promise of adventure, spectacular scenery, and spell binding stories. And the whole thing is accessible by train via some of the greatest engineering feats of Europe.

EPISODE 2: High in the Austrian alps, Griff is buried alive during avalanche escape training, Dog teams guide Griff through snow rescue patrols, alpine horses haul logs, and in a mountain tavern, he joins a group of young musicians incorporating the ancient zither into their blended new-age music. As he wraps his journey, he gets existential in Dachstein as he climbs the iconic stairway to nothingness.

EPISODE 3: In the “Dolomites of Danger”, Griff starts his journey with wobbly legs as he clips himself to the side of amountain via a via ferrata, the ancient mountain passes used by WWI troops. Language barriers make harvesting hay with traditional scythes on near-vertical slopes quite difficult, but when it comes to ancient woodcarving in a tiny homestead, the peace of the mountainside dulls any need for conversation.

A cheese and butter churning competition means a quick laundry change once it’s all done, but he should’ve waited until the end of the day, because barefoot grape-stomping isn’t a clean job. Nocturnal owl-counting surveys and moonlit mountain choir rehearsals wrap out his trip through the Italian alps.

EPISODE 4: Bon Switzerland, Griff starts to question his licensing to operate heavy machinery has he helps engineers maintain the iconic Gotthard Base Tunnel before joining scientists as they measure glacial retreat in snowcapped mountains. In the Gruyere caves, he helps rolls 80kg cheese wheels, and at a quaint cliffside hut, learns alphorn duets with a humble elderly Swiss couple.

Hoping to cross a gorge into the mountains, he clips on with bridge repair teams keeping the treks safe for tourists, and tries his hand at traditional Swiss watchmaking to earn himself a one-off keepsake for his journey home. Finally, he straps in for a hair-raising luge ride down an alpine track, and in Appenzell, tries to figure out what the hell “flag throwing” actually is.

EPISODE 5: All roads ... or in this case, railways, lead to Zermatt, where Griff’s train deposits him beneath the shadow of the Matterhorn. Here, he explores what happens when postcard perfection meets Swiss precision. Between feasts and Alpine huts that cling to cliffs, Griff learns the art of mountain survival ... and punctuality. He meets climbers who treat the Matterhorn like an old friend, and tests his lungs (and patience) at altitude, discovering that cowbells and cuckoo clocks are never far away.

EPISODE 6: Griff ends his alpine odyssey where the mountains meet the water ... in Annecy, the Venice of the Alps. Between lakefront promenades and medieval lanes, he discovers how locals have balanced beauty with practicality for centuries. From precision cheese-making to gravity-defying paragliding Griff will experience all of the hidden gems that Annecy has to offer.

Then, it’s up, up, and away to Chamonix, where Griff conquers dizzying cable cars and the snowy heights of Mont Blanc. Crossing the legendary tunnel into Courmayeur, he finds that Italian coffee is the perfect antidote to French altitude. Finally, he descends to sea level for a welcome dip in the mediterranean sea, his epic task complete.

Griff Across The Alps begins Saturday 31st October on Channel 4.