Adventurer and author Simon Reeve will be casting his travellers’ gaze - more used to providing us with the high points as well as the social and economic flaws of further-flung destinations - on our own county of Cornwall in a new BBC2 series this weekend.

In a year when travelling abroad proved so difficult due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Simon and BBC Current Affairs came up with two new series to satisfy the appetites of viewers craving escapism, as well as those living upcountry looking for adventure a little closer to home.

The first series, Cornwall With Simon Reeve – produced by Cornwall-based independent production company Beagle Media and due to air on BBC2 Sunday at 8.10pm – is a two-part exploration of our Duchy as it was emerging from the first spring COVID lockdown, and sees him investigating what the future holds for this, one of Britain’s favourite tourist destinations.

It is his first UK-based travel adventure programme for the BBC, and Simon, who lives in Devon in a converted Victorian barn on Dartmoor, did not have far to travel to explore aspects of Cornwall’s natural beauty, with the beautiful coastal locations and stunning moorland familiar to us all.

However, he characteristically tries to get under the skin of life here and highlights how hugely reliant our economy is on tourism and how the pandemic has shown up how precarious some people’s livelihoods are. In the first programme these include the Taco Boys, a group of young entrepreneurs selling their homemade food on the beach and for whom the COVID lockdown was a disaster needing to be made up for in the summer, and he also meets a young woman who lives in a shed and blames second-home owners for pushing up local property prices.

He also explored the legacy of the once thriving tin and china clay industries, and how their decline has left some communities still struggling, including residents of one of the poorest housing estates in Britain.

The second series, Incredible Journeys With Simon Reeve, will air in the winter and takes a look back at some of the most remarkable and remote destinations. .

Simon says of these new series: “Events this year have knocked us all for six, and travelling the planet has become a bit tricky. So in these two series we thought it was a good time for me to look back, and also have a look at life closer to home.

“Travelling around Cornwall I met so many fantastic characters who were warm and welcoming, talked with incredible honesty, and challenged my stereotypes of the county and really made me think.

“I’ve always loved Cornwall and filming there sounded like a brilliant idea. As soon as you start learning more about the county, you realise that not only is it one of our favourite holiday spots, but many of the challenges we face as a nation are found there in sharp focus.

“Cornwall has real extremes, with great beauty, plus real wealth and deep poverty. Travelling around Cornwall I met so many fantastic characters who were warm and welcoming, talked with incredible honesty, and challenged my stereotypes of the county and really made me think.”

Looking further ahead he add: “In Incredible Journeys I wanted to reflect on the joy of travel, show viewers some of the most inspiring people I’ve met, and share what I’ve learnt about the challenges and solutions for our incredible planet.

“The pandemic has put a stop to many of our travels, but eventually the pandemic will pass, and we will start travelling again. I can’t wait.”