22 August 2023 , 19:00
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TV presenters Dan Walker and Helen Skelton were close friends for well over a decade before they were given the opportunity to travel the Pennines and film a Channel 5 show together.
Airing tonight at 9pm, Dan & Helen's Pennine Adventure captures the very best bits of their friendship, from collapsing into fits of laughter to ticking activities off their bucket lists.
The pair, who both competed on Strictly Come Dancing, have 'always had the same mischievous sense of humour' and said it was a 'no-brainer' when they got asked to do the job.
Here we take a look at their friendship and how they've bonded over their recent travel experiences - including the fear Dan conquered and the emotional tears that were shed.
Their new C5 show Dan & Helen's Pennine Adventures airs tonight at 9pm (@helenskelton/Instagram)
The presenters have been 'good friends' away from TV for over 10 years now (John Peters)Speaking ahead of the show, presenter Helen said: "Dan and I always have a laugh. We find the same situations funny. We both love the Pennines and we both like walking, so it was 'Shall we just go and do a bit of that for telly?' It was just a really nice opportunity to work with a friend and to celebrate a nice part of the world."
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News broadcaster Dan said he 'loved the idea of working with Helen' and they can 'chat forever' with each other. "We've known each other for over a decade, so when the opportunity came up and they said 'We'd like to make a travelogue' I loved the idea of working with Helen," he explained. "We'd never done it before but we're really good friends. Then I rang Helen about it. I know she gets loads of offers to do things all the time but for me it was the opportunity to work with her and to make a programme about a place that we're both really passionate about.
"As Helen says, we've always had the same sense of humour but we also really like talking to people, understanding what makes them tick and why they do what they do. When you get the two of us together we can chat forever with each other but also with anybody that we meet along the way. Hopefully that's what comes across in the programme." Dan also said: "There were a few tears along the way, but mostly you have a nice hug, then you crack on."
When they were filming the programme, they made sure to spend time with both of their families (Instagram)Helen explained that there were moments where she forgot they were filming. "There were a lot of times where we would forget we were on TV, where he'd be like 'You just said that on TV?' and I'd be like 'Oh gosh, I did totally forget'. Most of all it was just nice to do something that was relaxed and with a friend," she said.
Dan had 'avoided heights for life' before he faced his fears on the show. "Helen also encouraged me to embrace the height," he said on ITV's Lorraine. Ranvir pointed out, "And it's only your friendship that could encourage you to do it, isn't it?" - to which Dan replied: "Exactly, well you know what she's [Helen] like, she's cruised the Amazon and does everything, so she's a good encourager."
Earlier this month, Dan shared his support for Helen and praised her 'brilliant' parenting, after she came under fire over some product plugging. On The Jeremy Vine Show, he said: "She is a great Mum. She is an incredibly dedicated mum to her three children and she would say if she were here this morning - she's not, she is with her kids this morning - she would say that parents are making compromises all the time.
"Of her three children, two of them play football on a Sunday morning and she's made the decision practically she would much rather watch them play football and encourage them to do that than be on the radio at that time. And I think that is a decision that parents are making all the time. And anyone who ever spends any time with Helen or watches her on her programmes, all she does is speak about her kids. She's a brilliant Mum and when we were filming the show, we made sure that we did it around both of our families as well - as parents have to do all the time. I hope she is not getting any flak for it 'coz she is lovely to spend time with, lovely to work with."
Dan & Helen's Pennine Adventure Episode 2 airs tonight on Channel 5 at 9pm.