Travels in Euroland with Ed Balls - Everything you need to know about
The former shadow chancellor looks at the rise of populism in Europe in this new three-part documentary series
Ed Balls has become a popular media figure since he lost his seat in parliament at the 2015 General Election, and now the former shadow chancellor has been handed a new BBC Two show.
In this three-part documentary series, Balls heads to Europe to explore the rise of populism.
Here’s everything you need to know about Travels in Euroland with Ed Balls…
What is Travels in Euroland with Ed Balls about?
The former MP heads to Europe to discover how the divisions exposed by Brexit are reflected across the EU, exploring the role that national identity and pride have had to play in fuelling the rise of right-wing populism across the continent. In the next episode, he continues his journey across Europe in Italy and France.
Is there a Radio Times review for Travels in Euroland with Ed Balls?
There is – here is Radio Times critic David Butcher’s take on the second episode:
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When this series stops trying to find wacky things for Ed Balls to do – milk a cow! play boules in comical fashion! – it does a fine job charting the winds of change blowing through Euro-politics. It’s one thing to read about how electorates in France and Italy are turning to extremist parties, but it’s another to meet people at the sharp end.
After a bizarre encounter with a social media star in Milan, Ed visits a farmer in Calabria who can’t make his farm pay, a lace-maker near Calais whose son and daughter-in-law have lost their jobs, and an activist for Marine Le Pen in Marseille, whose rhetoric about being “swamped” by immigration leaves Ed with a heavy heart
When is Travels in Euroland with Ed Balls on BBC Two?
Travels in Euroland with Ed Balls airs on BBC Two at 9pm on Thursday 2nd February 2020.
