Catch up TV

Series 1: 1. Sweden

Paddy has just turned 50, and Chris is not far behind. Some might say they are well and truly middle aged now. So, they are on a mission to find out how to grow old gracefully, and possibly disgracefully, and discover ways to make the years ahead their best ever yet. There are blokey bants and plenty of soul-searching as they head to Europe on a road trip, starting with Sweden.\n\nThey meet some of the healthiest, happiest, ‘well-preserved’ and long-lived people alive. And they take a deep dive to discover a few brilliant and madcap midlife secrets on the planet.\n\nIn episode one, Paddy and Chris head to Sweden, one of the healthiest and most outdoorsy places on earth. They face off their 50 years of age and classic midlife tropes by plunging straight into mastering the art of the Nordic mindset of ‘friluftsliv', which means getting back to nature and embracing the great outdoors. Swedes swear by ‘friluftsliv’ to restore body confidence, calm stress levels and ultimately improve mental health. \n\nPaddy and Chris sweat it out in a Swedish sauna, where all the men are an average age of 70 and let it all hang out as naked as the day they were born. They train primal-style with a diehard Swedish 50-year-old in a 'forest gym' and play the national team sport of ice hockey - although neither have been on ice since they were boys. There is also some fairground rollercoaster joy, all with the perfect excuse of having fun and helping to turn back the clock.\n\nAlong the way, there is banter in their classic, old Volvo, stunning stop-offs, truly breathtaking scenery and some proper soul-searching from the old mates.\n\nNo Swedish midlife trip is complete without friendly and flashy boys toys, such as a hydrofoil Candela boat, or fishing for and eating a Swedish delicacy – golden seaweed, which is a Swedish health food. There is also a big man versus nature challenge at the end with a stunning but arduous hike on a remote island, followed by an ice-cold swim across a lake for final reflections and some Swedish ‘fire water’ around a firepit.\n\nThe question is, when push comes to shove, how are their stress levels and body confidence, and can they step away from their hectic, daily lives to fully connect with nature and get the reboot they need?

Source: BBC 1