Extreme Pilgrim
An Anglican vicar explores global spiritual practices.
Pete Owen-Jones, an Anglican vicar, hosts the BBC series *Extreme Pilgrim*, which first aired in January 2008. In the show, he explores and tries out various global approaches to spirituality and enlightenment, arguing that Western society has largely lost touch with these practices.
The series consists of three episodes. In the first, Owen-Jones travels to the Shaolin Monastery in China’s Henan Province, the historic home of martial arts. He studies the teachings of the Indian Buddhist Bodhidharma, taking part in meditation and a grueling physical regimen. Dissatisfied with what he perceives as the monastery’s commercialized atmosphere and his own difficulty reaching deep meditation, he moves on to a mountain temple in Sangwan. There, through focused breathing and movement, he eventually experiences a quiet mind and feels he has achieved a degree of Zen.
The second episode takes place in Allahabad, India, where Owen-Jones joins wandering Sadhu holy men, who view themselves as intermediaries between gods and humanity. He investigates the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu pilgrimage that draws crowds to the Ganges River. After the festival, he seeks a guru to guide him in the Sadhu way, then travels to Haridwar to learn more about Hindu beliefs and deities. He continues north into the Himalayan foothills, living on the edge of a cave in a village to pursue solitude.
The final episode is set in Egypt, focusing on the teachings of St. Anthony of the Desert, the Desert Fathers, and the hermit lifestyle. Owen-Jones visits Coma, Anthony’s birthplace, and the church where Anthony spent 20 years in relative isolation. He then crosses the desert with Bedouin camel herders, following Anthony’s route to the site of the Monastery of Saint Anthony. After staying with Coptic monks there, he enters one of the hermit caves where Anthony lived his final 43 years. Guided by an Australian Coptic hermit, Father Lazarus El Anthony, Owen-Jones spends 21 days alone in the cave.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Religious television program
- Director
- Graham Johnston
- Presenter
- Pete Owen-Jones
- Composer
- Paul Pritchard
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Num Series
- 1
- Num Episodes
- 3
- Executive Producer
- Jean-Claude Bragard
- Editor
- Steve Stevenson
- Runtime
- 60 minutes
- Company
- BBC Television
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The series comprises three episodes. In the first, 'China: the Mountain,' Peter travels to the Shaolin Monastery of Henan Province, central China, the ancestral home of all martial arts. He is introduced to meditation and follows a punishing regime of physical exercise. After becoming disenchanted with what he sees as a branding of life at the monastery, he travels to a mountain temple in Sangwan, where he manages to feel the stillness of mind he requires through breathing and movement and concludes that he has attained a level of Zen.
The second episode, 'India: the River,' is located in Allahabad, India, and follows Peter's time with wandering Sadhu holy men. He looks into the Hindu pilgrimage named the Kumbh Mela, which draws people from all over India to the River Ganges. After the festival, he travels to Haridwar to learn more about the Hindu faith and its gods, then north into the foothills of the Himalayas to a village where he lives on the outskirts of a cave to seek solitude.
The third and final episode, 'Egypt: the Desert,' is set in Egypt and looks to gain insight into the teachings of St Anthony of the Desert, the Desert Fathers, and the Hermit lifestyle. Peter visits Coma, the birthplace of Anthony, and the fort/ruin near the Red Sea where he spent 20 years in relative isolation.
Reader's Guide
Extreme Pilgrim offers a documentary exploration of spiritual practices outside the Western mainstream, as experienced by an Anglican vicar. Its significance lies in presenting a personal, embodied journey through three major religious traditions: Zen Buddhism at the Shaolin Monastery, Hindu asceticism during the Kumbh Mela and with Sadhus, and Christian desert hermitage following St Anthony of the Desert. The series highlights the contrast between institutionalized religion and the search for direct, personal enlightenment, a theme Owen-Jones explicitly connects to what he sees as a loss in the West. By documenting his own struggles—such as disenchantment with the branding of monastic life in China and the physical demands of the regimes—the series provides a candid, non-idealized view of these paths. Its legacy is as a travelogue of spiritual seeking that emphasizes the diversity of methods for achieving stillness of mind and solitude, from martial arts to cave dwelling.
Did You Know?
- The series was first broadcast by the BBC in January 2008.
- The presenter, Pete Owen-Jones, is an Anglican vicar.
- In the first episode, Peter travels to the Shaolin Monastery in Henan Province, central China.
- In the final episode, Peter spends 21 days in solitude in a hermit cave under the stewardship of an Australian Coptic hermit, Father Lazarus El Anthony.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the presenter of Extreme Pilgrim?
The series is hosted by Pete Owen-Jones, an Anglican vicar who personally immerses himself in each spiritual tradition he visits.
What is Extreme Pilgrim about?
It is a BBC documentary in which Owen-Jones travels to various parts of the world to experience and evaluate different global approaches to spirituality and enlightenment firsthand.
When and where did Extreme Pilgrim first air?
The show premiered on the BBC in January 2008.
How many episodes does Extreme Pilgrim have?
The series is a short three-episode run, with the first episode focusing on his time at the Shaolin Monastery in Henan Province, China.
What is the central argument of Extreme Pilgrim?
Owen-Jones contends that Western society has largely drifted away from meaningful spiritual and enlightenment practices, and he sets out to test whether those traditions still hold relevance.
More in British religious television series 1-18
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced