Canal Boat Diaries
| Canal Boat Diaries | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Documentary |
| Presented by | Robbie Cumming |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 47 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Stuart Woodman |
| Running time | 30 minutes (Series 1–4) 60 minutes (with commercials) (Series 5–present) |
| Production company | Middlechild |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Four |
| Release | 19 November 2019 – 4 May 2023 |
| Network | U&Yesterday |
| Release | 3 June 2024 – present |
Canal Boat Diaries is a travel documentary series presented by Robbie Cumming, the first four series were originally broadcast on BBC Four between 19 November 2019 to 4 May 2023. After the BBC axed the series in 2023, it was picked up by UKTV and transmitted on U&Yesterday from series 5 onwards in 2024.[1] The premise of the series consists of a continous video diary that charts narrowboater and videographer Robbie Cumming as he travels around the inland waterways of England and Wales along its canal network on his narrowboat The Naughty Lass, whilst giving an honest look into the highs and lows of everyday life on the canals.[2]
The series featured Cumming exploring Britain's lesser-known waterways, whilst along the way visiting towns and villages, pubs, landmarks, picturesque landscapes and taking a look at local history.[3]
Cumming primarily films the episodes himself, primarily on an IPhone and a series of Go-Pro cameras, largely maintaining the style and natural immediacy of his earlier YouTube videos. Each episode takes between 5-10 days to film using a small crew with drone filming of towpaths and waterways undertaken by Halo-Vue with permission from the Canal & River Trust.[2]
Background
In the winter of 2012/13, Cumming was approached by his school friend Sam Martin to house-sit and look after her narrowboat, which she was trying to sell at the time, he was allowed to live there rent-free as long as he kept it well-maintained and on the move.[4] Cumming fell in love with life on the canals and two years later he purchased a narrowboat which he called The Naughty Lass after a pun on The Nautilus from the novel Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne.[5][6] Whilst trying to hold down a job working from home, in his spare time he set up a YouTube channel Robbie Cumming' Voyage Logs[7] and filmed his travels which became popular and amassed a substantial following.[8] Cumming was subsequently approached by television producer Stuart Woodman who admired the strength and authenticity of his storytelling, he proposed to adapt the concept into a television series which was commisioned as a five part travel documentary series by the BBC in 2019.[9]
The first four series, with 30 minute episodes, were produced by the BBC, following the transmission of Series 4 the broadcaster decided to drop the series. In October 2023 it was announced that UKTV had purchased the rights to the series, the episodes were expanded to fit a longer 60 minute slot over a 10 episode series developed by production company Middlechild.[10] The fifth series saw Cumming explore Birmingham's extensive Canal Navigations, visiting the village of Braunston, widely considered the spiritual home for narrowboaters due to the location of All Saints Church otherwise known as 'the cathedral of the canals',[11] before proceeding to travel south down the Grand Union Canal.[12] In 2024, a sixth series was commisioned, which followed Cumming as he explored the waterways of southern England, the series concluded with a visit to the Regent's Canal where his passion for canals began.[4][13] In the seventh and latest series Cumming travelled from west to east, visiting Wales for the first time while journeying along the Llangollen Canal, crossing the border he tackled his way through the Shropshire Union,[14] before weaving through the waterways of Lancashire along the Peak District, ultimately facing the Rochdale Canal, otherwise known as the 'everest of the canals' where he proceeded to climb through all 92 locks before ending his journey in West Yorkshire.[15][16]
Episodes
Series overview
Series 1 (2019)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Shardlow to Stoke-on-Trent" | 19 November 2019 |
| 2 | 2 | "Froghall to Bugsworth Basin" | 20 November 2019 |
| 3 | 3 | "Marple to Huddersfield" | 21 November 2019 |
| 4 | 4 | "Sowerby Bridge to Manchester" | 25 November 2019 |
| 5 | 5 | "Manchester to Liverpool" | 26 November 2019 |
Series 2 (2021)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 | "Ellesmere Port to Audlem" | 5 April 2021 |
| 7 | 2 | "Market Drayton to Stourport-on-Severn" | 6 April 2021 |
| 8 | 3 | "Stourport Basins to Kingswood Junction" | 7 April 2021 |
| 9 | 4 | "Stratford upon Avon to Birmingham" | 8 April 2021 |
Series 3 (2022)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 | "Wigan to Burnley" | 14 March 2022 |
| 11 | 2 | "Barrowford to Bingley" | 15 March 2022 |
| 12 | 3 | "Dowley Gap to Ferrybridge" | 16 March 2022 |
| 13 | 4 | "Knottingley to Ripon" | 17 March 2022 |
Series 4 (2023)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "Sheffield to Keadby" | 1 May 2023 |
| 15 | 2 | "Keadby to Kiveton Park" | 2 May 2023 |
| 16 | 3 | "Lincoln to Nottingham" | 3 May 2023 |
| 17 | 4 | "Loughborough to Braunston" | 4 May 2023 |
Series 5 (2024)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | 1 | "Braunston to Lapworth" | 3 June 2024 |
| 19 | 2 | "Yardley Wood to Netherton Tunnel" | 4 June 2024 |
| 20 | 3 | "Hawne Basin to Stourbridge" | 5 June 2024 |
| 21 | 4 | "Stourton to Wolverhampton" | 6 June 2024 |
| 22 | 5 | "Wolverhampton to Anglesey Basin" | 7 June 2024 |
| 23 | 6 | "Great Barr to Atherstone" | 10 June 2024 |
| 24 | 7 | "Atherstone to Moira" | 11 June 2024 |
| 25 | 8 | "Coventry to Weedon Bec" | 12 June 2024 |
| 26 | 9 | "Bugbrooke to Milton Keynes" | 13 June 2024 |
| 27 | 10 | "Simpson to Little Tring" | 14 June 2024 |
Series 6 (2025)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | 1 | "Napton Junction to Aynho Wharf" | 19 May 2025 |
| 29 | 2 | "Aynho Wharf to Bablock Hythe" | 19 May 2025 |
| 30 | 3 | "Oxford to Reading" | 19 May 2025 |
| 31 | 4 | "Reading to Windsor" | 19 May 2025 |
| 32 | 5 | "Windsor to Godalming" | 19 May 2025 |
| 33 | 6 | "Byfleet to Odiham Castle" | 19 May 2025 |
| 34 | 7 | "Weybridge to Stonebridge Park" | 19 May 2025 |
| 35 | 8 | "Harlesden to Stratford" | 19 May 2025 |
| 36 | 9 | "Cowley to Hunton Bridge" | 19 May 2025 |
| 37 | 10 | "Hunton Bridge to Aylesbury" | 19 May 2025 |
Series 7 (2026)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 1 | "Llangollen to Crickheath" | 18 May 2026 |
| 39 | 2 | "Frankton Junction to Grindley Brook" | 18 May 2026 |
| 40 | 3 | "Grindley Brook to Middlewich" | 18 May 2026 |
| 41 | 4 | "Winsford to Weston Point" | 18 May 2026 |
| 42 | 5 | "Runcorn to Middlewich" | 18 May 2026 |
| 43 | 6 | "Middlewich to Hall Green" | 18 May 2026 |
| 44 | 7 | "Scholar Green to High Lane" | 18 May 2026 |
| 45 | 8 | "High Lane to Manchester" | 18 May 2026 |
| 46 | 9 | "Manchester to Summit" | 18 May 2026 |
| 47 | 10 | "Summit to Sowerby Bridge" | 18 May 2026 |
Reception
The series has generally received critical praise, Cumming has been affectionately described as the 'Canal Man', building a loyal following through his television series, vlogs and livestreams that chart his adventures on Britain's waterways.[17] Christina Collins extolled Cumming for showing viewers the stark realities of everyday life on a narrowboat, she described him as not a product, but a sign of our times during the cost of living crisis, noting "while Prunella Scales and Timothy West (in Great Canal Journeys) popularised the canals' green corridors and dreamy paces, Robbie is grassroots – and young. And this is striking in austerity Britain, where owning your own home has taken on the glamour of the landed gentry to the younger generation."[8] The series was also credited for encouraging more people to spend time on the Britain's canals.[18] Markedly, the first episode of series 6 was the highest rated unscripted program that was streamed within a month of its launch on UKTV's streaming service.[19]
Theatre
In 2024, Cumming toured the UK in a one-man stage show titled Canal Boat Stories Live!, featuring behind the scenes photos, unseen footage, music, stories from his time on the Naughty Lass and a live audience Q&A session.[20][21] Following a successful inaugural run, further tours have been arranged.[22]
Home media
All DVD releases have been produced by Dazzler; a boxset comprising Series 1-4 was released on Region 2 on 5 February 2024.[23] The fifth series was released on 28 April 2025, whilst the sixth series was released later that year on 22 September 2025.[24][25]
References
- ↑ Rom, Joshua (August 29, 2024). "Fate of rebooted reality show revealed after being axed by the BBC". The Sun.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - 1 2 "Robbie Cumming and His Canal Boat Diaries — Aerial Storytelling by Halo Vue". Halo-Vue.
- ↑ O'Brien, Joshua; Saah Ossei, Nana (March 17, 2022). "Bon Voyage! Who is Robbie Cumming?". The Sun.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - 1 2 "Robbie Cumming Canal Diaries". Waterways World.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Robbie Cumming answers the Random 19 questions". Dorset Life. October 5, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "ROBBIE CUMMING – Choons Vol 1 & 2 (KWSBCM19CD)". Folking.com.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Armstrong, Kathryn (March 5, 2020). "Life on the Yorkshire waterways - the tranquility of a slow-paced existence". Great British Life.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - 1 2 Collins, Christina (April 30, 2023). "Canal Boat Diaries: have a plan, even if it doesn't work out". Central Bylines.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Streeteer, Michael (November 17, 2019). "Former Gillingham man is star of BBC series about life on a canal boat". Gillingham News.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Daniels, Nia (October 3, 2023). "UKTV takes Canal Boat Diaries from BBC Four and films in the West Midlands". The Knowledge.
- ↑ "Cathedral of the Canals". Braunston Village.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Attwood, Helen (June 2, 2024). "Canal Boat Diaries: New series stops off in Halesowen". Haloswen News.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "New series of Canal Boat Diaries sees Robbie return to where it all began". UKTV. August 28, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Goulding, Rob (May 23, 2026). "Canal Boat Diaries season 7 features Winsford and Middlewich". Northwich Guardian.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Canal Boat Diaries Series 7". DCD.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "CANAL BOAT DIARIES Series 7 now filming". Towpath Talk. November 28, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Don't Miss the Boat". Mansfield Palace Theatre.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Brown, Mark (March 10, 2022). "Thrills and spills at 4mph: the return of Canal Boat Diaries". The Guardian.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "UKTV orders more Canal Boat Diaries from Middlechild". Televisual. August 4, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Narrowboat star steps ashore with his new stage show". All Electric Productions. December 18, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Harding, Sara (June 2, 2025). "Robbie Cumming / Metal On Water In The Canal Boat Diaries". Metal Talk.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Canal Boat Stories – Live!". All Electric Productions.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Canal Boat Diaries: Series 1-4 DVD". Limelight. February 4, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Canal Boat Diaries: Series 5 DVD". Limelight. April 28, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Canal Boat Diaries: Series 6 DVD". Limelight. September 22, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)