Guest speakers are a popular fixture on a number of river voyages operated by many of the leading river cruise lines. Whether its wine connoisseurs offering their insights and sharing their expertise to compliment a wine-themed cruise or former politicians sharing their stories of parliamentary intrigue, guest speakers can add focus and depth to many a river cruise itinerary and can make for an absorbing evening’s entertainment. But what if you were to book a river cruise on which your guest speaker had more direct river experience? Here’s a look at four fantasy river cruise guest speakers I’d like to hear from.
Joanna Lumley OBE
National treasure Joanna is of course a familiar face to all of us, whether it’s as aging fag-addicted fashionista Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous or the face of 70’s style Purdey in The New Avengers. Outside of acting, however, she’s been involved in a number of human and animal rights causes and filmed several documentaries, including Joanna Lumley’s Nile in which she shared with the world her journey along the iconic river. She’s also the godmother of Viking River Cruises’ Viking Odin vessel, so it seems only fitting that she should share some of her wisdom on a river cruise.
Sir Steve Redgrave CBE
As an Olympic gold medal-winning British rower who won gold medals in a staggering five consecutive Olympics, Sir Steven is of course a household name and the most successful male rower in the history of the Olympic Games. With all those years of training and competition behind him, it’s a safe bet that he’s put in the hours on the odd river or two, so who better to share their knowledge and experiences of the waterways’ mighty natural power?
Jeremy Wade
It’s possible you may be more familiar with angling author Mr Wade thanks to his popular TV series River Monsters, in which he travels the world’s rivers in search of their most dangerous denizens. Not just a mere observer and commentator, Jeremy’s not afraid to roll his sleeves up and get stuck in, often tackling his watery quarry bare-handed, though it’s always from the point of view of research and understanding. His experiences, coupled with his degree in zoology, would give him the perfect angle on river fauna.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
As presenter of the highly-successful Channel 4 TV series River Cottage and its subsequent spin-offs, the well-known chef and TV personality is ideally placed to wax culinary on a river cruise. It’s not just his food know-how which would come in useful however, as Hugh environmentally-conscious credentials would come in very handy when educating passengers on ethical eating. His River Cottage: Gone Fishing series explored responsibility in British fishing and his high-profile Fish Fight campaign explored the issue of worldwide sustainable fishing.
If you can think of any guest speakers you’d like to see on a river cruise, please comment and let me know.
By Simon Brotherton
Google