Channel 4 · Running

Richard E. Grant's Very Modern Odyssey

Travel, History · 2026

Last aired: S1 E4, Corfu · 2026-08-30

In celebration of the biggest movie release of this summer – Christopher Nolans' The Odyssey, Richard E. Grant recreates the route of Odysseus' 20-year voyage, travelling to Malta, Sicily, Italy, Tunisia, Turkey, Corfu and Ithaca, exploring the ancient worlds and modern places which formed the inspiration for Homer's masterpiece. In The Odyssey, the great warrior Odysseus, faces deathly perils as he battles to return home after ten years of war. On his modern Odyssey, Richard encounters a terrifying volcano, performs in an ancient amphitheatre, tries his hand at archery, marvels at a baroque masterpiece, eats intoxicating lotus fruit and discovers a sorceress' cave, as he tries to separate myth from reality and receives a much warmer welcome on his travels than Odysseus! Featuring breath-taking photography and fascinating encounters with the people who call these ancient places home today, Richard discovers that the temptations that lured Odysseus are still present in the Mediterranean but the dream of home always wins in the end.