For a new BBC Two show

Ed Byrne is to take the 100km religious pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago in Spain for a new TV series.

The comic is one of seven celebrities who will embark on the 15-day journey for the BBC Two show The Pilgrimage.

The others are Neil Morrissey, Debbie McGee, singer Heather Small, former Gogglebox star Reverend Kate Bottley, BBC journalist Raphael Rowe and paralympic athlete turned presenter JJ Chalmers.

The BBC says the three hour-long episodes ‘explore how relevant the medieval rites of pilgrimage are in today’s society’, adding that the walk offers a chance for he celebrities to ‘reflect on questions of faith, ethical and spiritual issues’.

But it adds that: ‘The physical challenge proves too much for some, theology debates divide opinion but an unexpected confrontation brings the group together.’

 Living as simple pilgrims, including staying in traditional hostels and carrying everything they need on their backs, the seven celebrities will visit historic and religious landmarks and meet other people on the trail

The stars have a variety of beliefs, with Byrne being an atheist and patron of the British Humanist Association, who has called the Bible ‘fucking horseshit’.

The Camino de Santiago was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during the Middle Ages to what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela, where St James’s remains are said to be buried. Today, some 200,000 travellers a year walk the route, for either religious or purely recreation.

Byrne is a keen walker, who writes a regular column in hillwalking  magazine TGO. He made the news earlier this year when he came to the aide of a stricken walker in the Cairngorms.

He is no stranger to TV travelogues, having driven the Pan-American Highway with pal Dara O Briain in 2015, leading to a follow-up this year, where they travelled from Kuala Lumpur to Mandalay. He also drove in Siberia with Andy Parsons for an episode of The World's Most Dangerous Roads.

Published: 5 Aug 2017