Radio Times: Review by:; Jane Rackham

Paul Merton’s in Florida, where everything is in the 80s — temperatures, ages and IQs. After a bit of nonsense about being stalked by a rollercoaster-mad family, he sets off to find the real Florida, which means joining enthusiastic spectators at a pig race and a demolition derby, attending a spiritualist meeting and a dog fair (Woofstock!) and visiting the Conch Republic, which seceded from the States in 1982.

You can see how the nickname of Florida Crackers came about but Merton seems at ease with (almost) all Floridians and has a special bond with the micro-nation’s joke-cracking secretary general.

About this programme

3/6. The comedian visits Florida, where a family of rollercoaster fanatics guides him through the Sunshine State's theme parks, beginning at Busch Gardens. He then bets on pig racing at Okeechobee County Fair, explores the spiritualist community of Cassadaga, home to many psychics and mediums, and becomes an ambassador for the Conch Republic in Key West.