Katherine Ryan and Joe Wilkinson to seek out the best bargain holidays for Channel 4

Obviously we don’t mind somebody like Michael Palin doing such a thing – after all, he journeys to places many of us would never get an opportunity to visit, offering informative insights into destinations and their residents along the way – but there have been a fair few lately who have been to such popular package holiday spots as Spain or Italy, which seems a little like a waste.

However, we’re promised that Wilkinson and Ryan’s series won’t be. It’s a sort of cross between the travelogue and the once-popular format adopted by the BBC’s once-popular Holiday programme or ITV’s Wish You Were Here…? only with more laughs, despite having a hint of austerity thrown in for good measure.

The comedians are friends, although they have very different approaches to taking a break.

“If pushed on it, I’d have to say my three favourite words are: ‘bargain’, ‘holiday’ and ‘voucher’ (and ‘large vacuumed packed portable food bags…’),” claims Wilkinson.

“This series gets under the skin of all three. We’re going to uncover the biggest bargain holidays in the world and we’re going to have some fun doing it! (And some tears, I well-up at the drop of a hat).”

“Three of my favourite words are: ‘cocktails’, ‘Maldives’ and ‘helicopter’,” adds Ryan.

“This series is really going to test my friendship with Joe.”

Nevertheless, the Canadian stand-up star, who has been based in the UK since 2008, is willing to ‘slum it’ in the name of entertainment; she’s also keen to help viewers struggling for inspiration find places to visit and things to do without busting their budget.

“Hungry Bear are delighted to make this show for Channel 4,” says Dan Baldwin, the production company’s managing director. “The world cannot have enough laughter… or bargains.

“Watch out for the best tips, advice and genuine money-saving tricks to have the most brilliant holidays on a budget, guided by two great friends and two masterful comedians.”

The six-part series begins with a trip to Norfolk.

Although they’re not a couple, the emphasis is on the ‘romantic’ here, with tongues firmly in cheeks while posing for Instagram-perfect photos in the county’s pretty lavender fields.

They also stay in an enchanting church, sample the ‘delights’ of an alternative spa experience and – in an arguably the show’s highlight – serenade each other with poetry.

Look out too for an encounter with owls, some couple’s therapy with a difference and a picturesque boat trip on the Norfolk Broads.

It’s a holiday neither they nor those watching at home are likely to forget in a hurry – and we can’t wait to see more of the same next week, wherever their travels take them.