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| On their way down the quay. |
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| Serious looks from Shane Lynch, Anthony Worrall Thompson and Ben Cohen |
The latest 'real life' series, "Trawlermen: Celebs at Sea", the chef and the boyband singer, along with Rugby World Cup winner Ben Cohen, joined the crew of a commercial fishing boat in the North Sea in the middle of winter, and were put to work.
As Kasia Delgado from the Inews wrote in her review of the first episode shown last night on Channel 5, "The celebrity aspect added some light relief from the grim reality of the job, but in the end I wanted more from skipper Alan and his real crew, because their daily lives are compelling enough on their own, as shown in previous celeb-free documentary series about the lives of deep sea fisherman: Channel 4’s The Catch, and BBC1’s Trawlermen. Then again, if it took the involvement of a guy from Boyzone for Channel 5 to make this series, then it was worth it!"
Given the industry's current dilemma with regard to traditional recruitment from the local area, many in the industry would probably rather this, and programmes in the future, made rather less of the dangers of the job (surely a given) and focussed on more positive aspects of fishing as a way of life like the camaraderie, team work, the multitude of skills required, the sense of job satisfaction in ethically providing a sustainable food supply and the sheer enjoyment of being at sea witnessing not just the hardship but the sheer wonder of nature for the length of a trip!
The boat in the series is the Genesis seen here in her home port, though eagle eyed Cornish fishing boat aficionados will no doubt have spotted...
very own Crystal Sea SS118 appear in the background of the opening sequence!
Let's hope Katia gets her wish and we hear more from skipper Alan Watt and his crew on what they love about the way of life and why they go to sea to catch fish - despite the conditions!