Jools and Jim's Joyride

Pulling into the bus garage and loading up on anti-freeze, Brian Clarke invites Jools and Jim to park up and stay put in the final Joyride of this series. The painter and stained-glass artist warns of the deadly nature of travel, before discussing architectural epiphanies, mid-flight mock mochas, and an unfaltering skill for identifying the cars of 1960s Oxford. Jim shares his father’s penchant fo...

Racing down the track and screeching to a halt outside the studio this week is writer, director and producer Manish Pandey: ready to take Jools and Jim from 0 to 160mph. From Lamborghini Countaches to Citroen 2CVs, trains in India to taxis in Greenwich – Manish takes Joyride’s transport motif very seriously. Plus, there’s a blast from the petrol crisis past, and Jim and Manish compare Airfix model...

Dialling in from the middle of nowhere, Jools and Jim are joined for a virtual Joyride this week by music executive and former Squeeze manager Miles Copeland.   From military rejection to musical domination, Miles recalls a life spent on the road (when he’d much rather not travel at all) — featuring horse-riding photo opportunities and finding a bodyguard for Sting thanks to Jools’ foolish ro...

With their arms out at the bus stop, this week Jools and Jim are joined by Ferne McCann in a double decker vehicle (without passengers). The model and presenter stuns Jools and Jim with a podcast first, meanwhile Jools praises the majesty of the Tower of London and talk turns to seafood – be it from Essex for Jools, Tokyo for Jim, or both for Ferne! There are tales of camper van chaos in Cornwall...

Jools and Jim take to the skies this week for a glimpse at the golden age of air travel with interior designer and socialite Nicky Haslam. Cowboys, Korean War dog tags and Marlene Dietrich feature as Nicky recounts a life lived lived on both sides of the pond. Meanwhile there’s an unlikely argument for smoking indoors, and Jools delights in AI mispronunciation of Old Kent Road. Nicky reveals his r...

Jools and Jim are joined on their Joyride this week by food writer and critic Tom Parker Bowles. Tom takes Jools and Jim on a journey by train, BMW, and motorised go-kart to supermarket nostalgia via evocative smells before spilling the beans on how to find the best eateries abroad. Jim proffers a culinary conspiracy theory, and Jools admits to a royally rail-based faux pas. Plus, the three discus...

Performance poet and punk scene stalwart John Cooper Clarke joins Jools and Jim for the second Joyride of this series. From the Liverpool’s brutalist cathedral to an imaginary double-doored noodle bar, John whisks Jools and Jim off on a whimsical journey featuring missiles of Motown gossip, Bernard Manning’s personal manner and a rather “boring technique”. John extolls the virtues of inventing you...

Mirror, signal, manoeuvre – and we’re off! Jools and Jim ride again with another series of Joyride. With three self-proclaimed backseat drivers, who will take the wheel for this week’s episode as Jools and Jim are joined by conceptual artist Jeremy Deller?! The three consider the true value of art, and why children might always be its best audience. Meanwhile Jools ponders whether electric bikes a...

With the car keys safely locked away, Jools and Jim raise a glass with wine afficionado Olly Smith for the last episode in this series of Joyride. Irish wine, Greek retsina and hobbyist fizz are all on the menu as the presenter, columnist and author delights in the potential for “liquid time travel”, and explains how Jools is responsible for his love of classic cars. Jools considers the lapel widt...

Donning her bicycle clips and red bandana for this week’s episode is fashion designer Pam Hogg, as she joins Jools and Jim on the cycle lanes on London. While Jools quizzes his companions over their breakfast choices, Jim shares his experience of the Latvian mafia and Pam thinks back to travelling ill-prepared through Iran and Iraq in the 1970s (and what was on the menu). The topic of mirror place...

This week Jools and Jim take a trip in a WWII jeep with composer, producer and Chas & Dave drummer Nik Hodges. Nik shares tales of touring with Chas & Dave, rose-tinted memories of roadside eateries and the world of collectible military vehicles. Meanwhile, there’s talk of drunk wasps, phallic spaceships and Jim explains Bob Mortimer’s passion for hard boiled eggs, The three consider the e...

Broadcaster Shaun Keavney makes a break for it after being “landlocked in his postcode” as he joins Jools and Jim for this week’s episode of Joyride. From Neasden to LA, Shaun ponders seeing (and not seeing) the sights, while Jools confesses to an unlikely annual pilgrimage. The three talk long-life lightbulbs, whether zeppelins deserve another chance, and the enchanting smell of steam. But after...

After briefly getting stuck in the Blackwell tunnel, Vick Hope takes Jools and Jim from Tanzania to Nicaragua via “real America” in this week’s Joyride. The broadcaster and journalist shares stories of electronic tango in Argentina, a glittering necropolis in Brazil and eating jollof rice from a camping stove in Scotland. Meanwhile Jim’s close encounter with a lion doesn’t quite match up to Vick’s...

Jim and Jools strap on their helmets and go for a sporty spin on their Choppers (or Tomahawks) with Mel C this week. The American Music, Brit and Ivor Novello award-winning singer talks to Jools and Jim about childhood fearlessness, holidays in the “Welsh Riviera” and the vital importance of mirror placement; and while Jim thinks back to disappointing a crowd of lorry drivers, Jools and Mel consid...

This week Jools and Jim switch off the engine and cast a line with Harry and Paul and The Fast Show star, Paul Whitehouse. The actor and comedian takes Jools and Jim on a trip through East Germany, despite sharing a less than encouraging motto for travel; and the three consider different approaches to fishing (and birdwatching). Paul recounts salmon fishing in Russia, the most delicious apple juic...

Join Jools and Jim once again as they take to the road (and sky, and sea) for another series of Joyride, this week alongside singer-songwriter Marc Almond. The Soft Cell vocalist shares tales of travelling through the USSR, where to find the best fish and chips, and owning cars he can’t drive; plus the three discuss eclectic shared houses, and Marc divulges the secrets of jackdaw ownership. There’...

“Well-travelled Victorians” Jools and Jim take to the skies this week with King of the Jungle, Joe Pasquale. The comedian and actor tells tales of sheltering in a wardrobe during a missile strike, and digital dexterity in a swimming pool; while Jim admits to giving a teacher an unusual haircut and Jools offers a theory regarding unicorns. Joe recounts the difficulties of flying in a Russian fighte...

Strapping on her helmet to join Jools and Jim this week is fashion designer Bella Freud. Bella takes the two chaps from Tunbridge Wells to Morocco, and there’s talk of stow-aways, sleeping in the luggage rack and her father’s infamous driving. Plus Jim confesses to not taking his boots off, and Bella shares a truly terrifying train-related nightmare. The three consider more theories for avoiding j...

This week absurdist artist Glen Baxter joins Jools and Jim for a surreal snowy cruise to Greece by way of Leeds, Liege and the Grand Canyon. Talk turns from Glen’s camping catastrophe to steel rivets, iron filings and finding the beauty in decaying industry, while Jim recalls an unexpected monument in the desert and Jools has a momentary lapse of memory. There’s more love for the Low Countrie...

Comedian and actress Lolly Adefope dons her driving gloves as she joins Jools and Jim for a jaunt on this week’s episode of Joyride.   The star of Ghosts and This Time With Alan Partridge talks childhood holidays in Paris, getting the bus and painting in lockdown, while Jools recalls a Maître d’ with cat-like reflexes and Jim reveals a chance encounter with the Spice Girls.   Lolly consi...

Jools and Jim take a virtual trip stateside this week as they’re joined on Zoom by country music superstar, Brad Paisley. The Grammy Award winning singer and songwriter talks to Jools and Jim about his venture to help end food poverty in Nashville; plus there are more tales of paranormal activity, and Jim tells a lie or two. Brad and Jools discuss the optimism of cars from the 1960s, and the three...

This week Jools and Jim are joined by Booker Prize winning novelist and poet Ben Okri for a magical metaphorical journey of the mind. Jools and Jim consider how to define an age, while Ben invites the pair to consider the transporting possibilities of music, literature, and even the smell of mince and onions. Ben recalls a vibrant childhood in Lagos, and the three discuss white cars in hot countri...

Grammy and Ivor Novello winning film composer David Arnold takes Jools and Jim for a spin with the top down in this week’s Joyride. The Stargate, Good Omens and Independence Day composer talks to Jools and Jim about his journey from Luton to Hollywood via the inside of a cornflakes oven and gives a natural history lesson on the journey of a chilli seed. The three consider whether there’s really an...

Jools and Jim are back on the open road, joined in this episode by veterans of comedy, acting, writing and producing — Meera Syal and Sanjeev Bhaskar. By police car, childhood bicycle and elephant, this week’s journey sees Jools and Jim consider the more impractically shaped car, while Sanjeev shares a unique method of questioning and Meera divulges a rather unusual phobia. There’s an aquatic tran...

Actor and presenter Mark Benton takes Jools and Jim for a spin in this week’s episode - the last in the series. From Austins to space hoppers, Jools makes a case for dressing the part, while Jim remembers causing a riot among Elvis fans in Stockton. Mark recounts a karmic run-in with the Brazilian police, and he and Jools compare their respective falls out of moving vehicles. Plus the three discus...