Hasan Al-Habib nd Ashley Blaker on doing the BBC's Pilgrimage

Comedians Hasan Al-Habib, a Muslim, and Ashley Blaker, a not-practising Jew, are among the celebrities who took part in the BBC’s Pilgrimage, which airs on BBC Two at 9pm tomorrow, following in the footsteps of saints across North East England,  to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. Here they talk about their experiences…

Hasan Al-Habib

 What were you expecting to discover on the pilgrimage?

I wanted to get an understanding of what faith means to the other people, particularly people of different religious convictions, or of no religious conviction at all. 

I wanted to understand how people without a particular religion operate on a day-to-day basis with regards to ethics and morality. And I also wanted to learn more about the origins of Christianity in this country, because despite growing up here I can't really profess to have much knowledge of that, certainly the origins at least.

 Do you feel like you got that from the experience?

Yeah, definitely. The thing that always sticks in my head is that nearly every morning, Ashley Banjo would take time to read the Bible and engage with the origin text of his religion. And I remember thinking, God, that's something I don't ever do. I should do that with the Quran. I should engage with it daily. 

I could see the effect that routine had on him. He's a very calm guy, and I wonder if that daily practice of reminding yourself of who you are in this world, what your role is, and how you believe you should live contributed to that. 

I really felt like I'd learnt something from someone of a different religion to me. And it just so happens to be the lead of a dance group called Diversity.

I also remember Tasha [Ghouri] telling me about her experience growing up in a family where she was the only deaf person, and the idea of reconciling faith and God with the existence of suffering.  That was really illuminating to me.

Every day was a learning day. You were surrounded by people of different perspectives and backgrounds, and crucially, that was the entire purpose of the trip, to talk about this stuff that we often don't have time to discuss in our normal lives.

 Were there any conversations that really stood out?  

The conversation with Tasha is really fixed in my memory, I also remember conversations with Ashley Blaker about his dynamic relationship with faith and his views on the different sects within Judaism. [That] was fascinating. He's such an eloquent, considered person. It was really great to hear what he thought on all of these topics.

How was the experience of Tasha and Ashley Banjo going to the Islamic prayer room for you?

Really nice. What was especially lovely was the conversation the evening before, over dinner, about who was going to come with me… basically everyone wanted to come. 

As a Muslim growing up in this country, you develop this default assumption that people don't like your religion, or don't like you as a result of it. So when suddenly you're in a situation where everyone is saying, ‘I'd love to learn more about your religion’, that's such a wonderful feeling. 

How did you find going to the Reform synagogue? Had you ever been to a synagogue before?

I don't think I had, no. It was wonderful. The people there had amazing stories. One of them told us about how her parents had come to the UK fleeing religious persecution, which was really shocking to hear. And then hearing how, as a result, she felt a responsibility and duty to work with refugees in the present day, that was really moving. 

In Islam, we refer to Christians and Jews as Ahl al-Kitab, People of the Book, because the Bible and the Torah are considered revelations from God in Islam too. Seeing those similarities between the Abrahamic faiths was actually a theme that ran throughout the whole pilgrimage.

 How was it praying in the synagogue?

It was really nice that they let me do that. The crew had got quite used to me by then. I remember the first time I asked to pray on the show, they said, ‘Iif you can't ask to pray on this show, you can't ask to pray anywhere.’

So when the time came at the synagogue, I asked, and they said ‘yes of course’.

I've always had that kind of openness around me. At university, the chaplain of my college chapel was always happy to let me pray there when there wasn't a dedicated prayer room. Growing up, my dad had prayed in churches too. This is a building built for the worship of God. Why wouldn't you pray in there? It just made sense.

 How was did you find the walking?

The challenging part was the weather. The rain could be quite intense. But the walking itself was really enjoyable, especially when you're doing it with people whose company you genuinely enjoy. 

I never hike. I'm from Birmingham and live in London, so it's not something I'd done before, and honestly haven't done since. But you also get the benefit of connecting with nature, which I think is such an effective conduit for spirituality.

Did you do anything to prepare beforehand?

I bought the clothes, the hiking boots, the coat, the fleece, which was necessary. But beyond that, no real preparation. I'm relatively young and able-bodied, so the physical side of it was fine.

 What was your favourite landscape or landmark that you visited?

I'm tempted to say Holy Island, where we ended up, just because of the walk to get there. When the tide came out and we walked across that stretch of land that had just been covered with water, that felt really special. 

And then hearing about the significance of the island, the fact that it was the destination we'd been walking towards the entire time. Durham Cathedral was really beautiful too. We saw castle ruins, vast open green spaces, coastline that was absolutely stunning. 

I remember seeing dolphins a couple of times, which I had no idea were even in UK waters. Like I said, every day was a learning day.

Did you feel any spiritual connection to any of the landmarks?

Durham Cathedral, I think, just because of the history, how old it is and the people buried there. I remember Jayne [Middlemiss] being from that part of the country and having visited Durham Cathedral as a child, so seeing that personal connection she had to it made it stick in the memory even more.

Did taking part in the series make you feel more Comfortable speaking about your religion on a deeper level?

I think I'd always been Comfortable doing that, depending on who I’m speaking to. If someone comes with an open mind and genuinely wants to understand, then yes. 

I grew up in a very small village about half an hour outside of Birmingham. I was the only Muslim and the only Arab in my school. I was very used to constantly having to explain why I can't eat certain things, why I need to do certain things. So I'd grown up being able to have those conversations. 

What was different on this show was that I wasn't explaining things out of circumstance. I was explaining because people were genuinely interested. That's a much nicer feeling. 

It also works the other way: when people ask you questions, it interrogates your own knowledge and exposes the gaps. I tried to be careful on the show to say, just because I'm saying this doesn't mean it's 100 per cent accurate. I would never claim to be an expert on Islam. But when you realise there are things you don't know, it makes you want to find the answers.

What do you want viewers to take from watching the series, and from watching you in particular?

I think my desired outcome from any conversation with anyone is for people to think, you know what, these Muslims aren't so bad after all. If I've achieved that, I've done a great job. 

I do gigs all across the country where I'm definitely the only Muslim in the room, and I might well be the only Muslim those people have ever met. I remember someone from my madrasa – madrasa being the Arabic word for school – saying we have a responsibility to be street Muslims, or to be cool Muslims, because you want people to get a sense that Muslims are normal, nice people, given how much information there is in the media to the contrary. 

If people come away thinking, ‘oh, that's interesting, I didn't know that about Islam’, or even just start a conversation with their Muslim colleague and learn a bit more about them and their faith then that would be amazing.

What were your emotions when you reached Lindisfarne?

Partly a sense of sadness that the trip was coming to an end. But also, a real sense of accomplishment. Throughout the trip we'd been trying to mirror history, to mirror the pilgrimage that people had taken to this island. And in that final moment I felt the closest connection to what those actual pilgrims had done. We'd got there, to the end. 

It's such a beautiful place. I remember speaking to the person in charge of the chapel dedicated to St Cuthbert, and it just felt like a real sense of completion. 

There is something about this place that is just divine. The way the early morning light reflected off the sands as we walked across to the island is stunning. You just understood in that moment why people would travel so far to come here.

Would you do another pilgrimage? Have you done the pilgrimage to Mecca?

I've been to Mecca. When I was very young, I went with my parents when they did Umrah, which is a non-mandatory pilgrimage you can do outside of the Hajj season. So, I've been there and I've seen the Kaaba, but I haven't yet done Hajj itself. 

As a Muslim, you have to do Hajj if you're financially and physically able, at least once in your lifetime. It's in the plan, for sure. And following this pilgrimage, that desire has only grown stronger. I think Hajj is going to hit something different when I do it, insha'Allah.

Ashley Blaker

What were you expecting from your Pilgrimage experience?

I think a lot of walking and a lot of talking, and that was really it, because I didn't know who I'd be with. But I was excited to find out. And I guess a lot of interesting conversations with interesting people.

Did your experience meet your expectations?

We had some challenging moments, some moments that made me reflect on my own journey and probably some lasting friendships, hopefully.

Did you do anything to prepare yourself?

I did quite a bit of walking in readiness. Quite a few hikes in the Home Counties to try and get ready for those Cheviot Hills. Because that's the stuff that really gets you – the elevation, going up some quite steep inclines. Those are the really hard bits. Even Ashley Banjo, who's one of the fittest people I've ever met, struggled at times. So if even he was struggling, I didn't have to feel too bad.

How did you find the mix of celebrities on the group?

It was quite interesting.  Obviously we all got on very well, but in terms of the group, there were three younger ones and then four older ones. Three fitter, and then four of us relatively close in age in our 50s. I was Comfortable among them. No one was too dissimilar in age where it felt like anyone was falling behind.

Was there anyone that you got on well with? Any interesting stories from them?

We were together for quite a long time, so it was an opportunity to have conversations one-on-one with everyone and bond over different things. 

Obviously we talked about those big spiritual questions, but all kinds of things. Hasan and I, two comedians, we obviously had a lot in common. I chatted a lot about being a father, which I really enjoyed with Hermione about, but also, I had a lot of long conversations with Patsy [Kensit].

Was there any part of your experience that stood out? 

I think it was really interesting how different people reacted to different things. When we went to St. Cuthbert's tomb in Durham, Jayne took herself to the side and just contemplated.  She did that quite a few times on her own, to think about how it felt to her. Everyone reacted in different ways like that. Hasan is always ready with a joke wherever we are. 

We all had our moments. It's quite an arduous process, quite a long time and sometimes sharing accommodation together, three of us in a room can be interesting. Ashley Banjo is like 6ft 7in, so he takes up half the room himself! There were times when everyone needed a bit of quiet, or needed to just have a sit down and be apart a bit. I spoke a lot in the show about the challenges of being the only neurodivergent person in the group.

You visited a Reform synagogue, which is quite different to the Orthodox synagogue you were used to in your more observant days.  Did that spark  discussion about the different denominations of Judaism?

I think people who aren't Jewish do find it confusing, because it is confusing and it's something that people who are Jewish have lived with their whole life and understand.

When we went back to the house after visiting the Reform synagogue, the other pilgrims - Banjo and Jayne - who hadn’t joined us there wanted to hear about it. Even when I tried to explain it, I think they were still a little baffled, which makes sense. It's a baffling thing. 

But being Jewish is so much more than a religion. You wouldn't say ‘I'm Christian, but agnostic’ –  those two things are kind of mutually exclusive. You either believe in God and Christ as the son of God, etcetera, or you don't. But lots of Jews are irreligious – they come from Jewish heritage, but not observant. So yeah, it is quite different.

You were once an extremely observant, Orthodox Jew, but now you don’t practice anymore.  How would you describe this transition?

The way I describe it is quite similar to when I used to be a fanatical Liverpool supporter and used to go to every game home and away. I don't do that anymore. I don't feel the need to go to games, but I still follow it on TV. 

That's kind of how I feel about Judaism. I'm an armchair Jew. I'm happy for other people who can go to the synagogue for me. I don't need to go myself but I still have that connection, the same way I still follow the same football team.

It's something quite hard to understand. It's also such a massive part of my identity. It's all I've ever known. And it's not like I live in the heart of the shtetl [a small Jewish town or village].  My children go to Jewish schools and I'm very much part of the community. You don't just shake that off. Just because you don't want to keep kosher anymore, or keep the Sabbath anymore, it doesn't change who you are.

What was the change for you from being Ultra-Orthodox to non-practising?

Just changing, not practising as much. I think that's a really hard one to boil down to a sentence, it's a whole book. But I've described it as the end of a hyperfixation.

During the series, I joked to Banjo that I completed it. And it does sometimes feel like that. I finished it. That's a little bit flippant, and there's obviously a bit more to it than that. But it is like that. It's something I did, and that hyperfixation probably went on a little bit too long. 

But ultimately, whatever way I describe it, the fact is that for some reason, for a long time, I needed to do that stuff - to go to synagogue three times a day, to keep all the rules and so on. And then I stopped feeling the need to do it. You know I used to go to the gym five times a week, or I used to go to every football match, and then I stopped. I just kind of didn't feel the need to do that anymore.

I'm always amazed at the people I know who go to the same synagogue day in, day out, week in, week out, year in, year out. I'm kind of amazed they don't get bored. But I suppose they've just got something that maybe I never quite had. I just got to a point where I felt I'd done it.

Did the experience make you feel more connected to your Judaism?

No. You won't be seeing me back in synagogue anytime soon. But I think if you watch back the three episodes, some of the experiences I had affirmed my standing as a Jewish person. I'm certainly not going to be converted any time soon. I didn't feel anything going to places like Durham Cathedral, not that I expected to. 

The quite visceral reaction I had to the Reform synagogue, affirmed it. If I had any doubt, that settled it. I'm always going to be supporting the same team. Maybe not with the same passion I used to have, but Reform Judaism feels to me like supporting Everton or Man United.

How did you find the cultural landmarks you visited?  Did you feel any connection to them?

They're very beautiful. Amazing scenery, very privileged. Some breathtaking places. Durham Cathedral, for example I didn't feel any connection to it in a spiritual way, obviously, and felt quite alien to it. It doesn't feel like mine. 

Going into a church, there's just this feeling of deep down, something within you almost fighting it, like you're not quite meant to be there. But that said, it was amazing to walk through Durham Cathedral and see St. Cuthbert's tomb Some of the scenery on the big walks up the Cheviot Hills were incredible and obviously then the walk to Lindisfarne, across Pilgrims’ Way, is pretty amazing, and the island itself is quite a spectacular place. I was privileged to have the chance to do that. It wasn't at the top of my list, but it was great that I had the chance.

What do you hope that viewers will take away from watching you in the series?

I think there will be viewers who relate to my experience particularly, as I talked about a lot in episode three, about the feeling of being a bit of an outsider in the group. I think other neurodivergent people might connect with the experience of struggling within a group and feeling like you don't quite fit. I think that's probably the biggest takeaway.

 How was it finally getting to the end at Lindisfarne?

I was very proud. I think I pushed myself outside my comfort zone a bit. I mean, I was the only one who did it properly, everyone else kept their boots on. I rolled up my trouser legs and walked barefoot for two hours across Pilgrim’s Way, which I was proud of. As a true pilgrim, if you're going to do it, do it properly. 

That's the story of my life. No one else would do it. No one else would go barefoot. It was very slippery, very muddy underfoot. I needed people to help me a bit. Jayne was holding my hand at one point because of how slippery it was. But we got there.

When I got to Lindisfarne. everyone else had wet feet having walked through the water - their boots were completely sodden. They were trying to dry their stuff out, walking in wet fields. And I just dried my feet and put my dry socks and boots back on. So that was great.

It was a sense of achievement. It's not like winning I'm A Celebrity or being the winner of some competition but I felt, secretly, like I'd won. I'm quite competitive, so that helped.

 Would you do it again?

Oh,. I'd definitely do it again. I think it's an opportunity to push myself a bit. And if I did it again with different people, all those variables will change the experience.

• Pilgrimage: The Road To Holy Island airs on BBC Two at 9pm tomorrow  and is also available on iPlayer.

Published: 4 Apr 2026