Excess Baggage – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Technical and general information from the podcast's RSS feed.

Excess Baggage

BBC Radio 4

Society & Culture

Frequency: 1 episode/7d. Total Eps: 85

Travel magazine, featuring travellers' tales, experiences and anecdotes

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RSS

Apple

Data updated on 04/07/2026

Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Apple Podcasts

🇬🇧 Great Britain - Places & Travel
02/09/2025
#58
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Places & Travel
25/08/2025
#43
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Places & Travel
20/08/2025
#66
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Places & Travel
15/08/2025
#58
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Places & Travel
07/08/2025
#56
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Places & Travel
06/08/2025
#30
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Places & Travel
05/08/2025
#41
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Places & Travel
03/08/2025
#62
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Places & Travel
02/08/2025
#35
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Places & Travel
01/08/2025
#95

Spotify

No recent rankings available

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RSS feed quality and score

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RSS feed quality

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Score global : 33%

Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

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Latest published episodes

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The point and the pleasure of travel

Saturday, April 28, 2012 • Duration 28:02

In the last Excess Baggage, John McCarthy talks to three inveterate travellers: Sara Wheeler, who has written on Africa and the Antarctic, explorer Benedict Allen who has travelled in Siberia and New Guinea and documentary maker Simon Reeve who has just returned from the Indian Ocean. He asks them why they are driven to explore the world and what is the point of travel.

Producer: Harry Parker.

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Africa - Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan

Saturday, April 21, 2012 • Duration 28:06

John McCarthy discusses travel to the African countries of Rwanda, Uganda and to the world's newest country, South Sudan. With his guests, doctor Rob Summerhayes, paramedic Franz Opitz and forensic accountant Benedict Jenks - John finds out what attracts people to visiting a country with troubles past or present. All the guests are sensitive to the highly political issues that are involved in visiting such countries and have wide experience of travel to some of the world's hotspots. All have also spent considerable time in Central Africa developing considerable insight into those countries. Producer: Harry Parker.

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Lake Titicaca - Manchester, Bolivia - Malaysia

Saturday, April 14, 2012 • Duration 27:52

John McCarthy meets the former debutante Meriel Larken who fell in love with Peru and rescued and restored a Victorian steam ship on Lake Titicaca. He is also joined by Chris Smith and Liz Peel who went by canoe through the Bolivian jungle in search of the village of Manchester; and Kung Fu expert Nick Hurst explains why he set off to Malaysia and China to spend time with his grandmaster Sugong.

Producer: Margaret Collins.

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Wildlife travel

Saturday, April 7, 2012 • Duration 27:58

John McCarthy explores wildlife travel with naturalist and tv presenter, Mark Carwardine, who has spent thirty years travelling around the world to observe and aid conservation of a huge range of species including whales, tigers, gorillas and sea birds. He is also joined by wildlife travel writer, James Parry, who has made a unique tour of the world's top twenty deserts chosen for their outstanding wildlife and landscape interest - and award-winning wildlife photographer, Andy Rouse, discusses his recent trips to Rwanda in relation to mountain gorillas, and to India to study tigers. Producer: Margaret Collins.

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Iceland

Saturday, March 31, 2012 • Duration 28:05

Sandi Toksvig goes to Reykjavik to look at aspects of tourism in Iceland and discovers that the volcanic eruptions and the financial crash there may not have been so bad for the country. As well as reminding the world of its geological attractions the crises have helped Iceland look at its cultural roots like the sagas and....knitting.

Producer: Harry Parker.

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Family Travel

Saturday, March 24, 2012 • Duration 28:02

John McCarthy takes a look at family travel with novelist Gill Lewis, who has taken her daughters spotting wildlife both abroad and in Scotland and Cornwall and Ben Hatch who toured Britain with his young children. And holiday lettings agent Wendy Shand explains how self-catering holidays can be more child friendly.

Producer: Harry Parker.

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Black Prince - Wine trade in Medieval Europe - Lourdes

Saturday, March 17, 2012 • Duration 27:59

John McCarthy meets a writer who followed in the 14th century footsteps of the Black Prince through SW France; an historian who has followed a medieval wine trail through Gascony and a novelist who was seduced by the lure of Lourdes and the Pyrenees.

Producer: Harry Parker.

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Russia - Crimea - Ukraine

Saturday, March 10, 2012 • Duration 27:55

Sandi Toksvig discusses the 'Wild East' - Russia - with the BBC's former Moscow correspondent, Martin Sixsmith. Actor Michael Simkins relates his adventures on a rail journey from London to Kiev and on to Crimea to visit the former site of the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaklava in 1854 - and author and linguist Anna Shevchenko explains why she believes Ukraine, where she was born, is a 'hidden' country with much to offer the traveller.

Producer: Harry Parker.

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Medics abroad; The Oscars

Saturday, March 3, 2012 • Duration 27:59

Sandi Toksvig hears about medical work abroad from Dr Marie Charles who runs an organisation which places volunteer doctors and nurses in developing countries to impart their skills to local medical workers. She tells of her experiences travelling the world in the course of her work. And dentist Ian Wilson relates how he used his skills to start an oral health programme in Tanzania. Sandi also meets writer and comedian Liz Carr who explains how she went to join the red carpet crowds in Hollywood for the Oscars.

Producer: Harry Parker.

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Ashoka's India; Undesirable Places

Saturday, February 25, 2012 • Duration 27:54

Sandi Toksvig hears about a lost Emperor of India: Ashoka ruled the subcontinent about 2,200 years ago and left many pillars and rocks carved with his edicts. Historian Charles Allen went in search of the legacy of this once great Emperor a journey which took him to some of the remoter parts of the country. Writer Tim Moore and webmistress Cathy Shaw both have an interest in visiting some of the least attractive sounding places in Britain and have made many trips to find out if the reputations of towns like Middlesbrough and Scunthorpe for being undesirable destinations are justified.

Producer: Harry Parker.

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Excess Baggage – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Excess Baggage – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities