The One Show and the Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail

Melanie Burnside
Apr 8
2 min read

A glimpse of our Lent Pilgrimage shared with a national audience

The Screenhouse Productions team with the One Show Presenter Kevin Duala on the labyrinth at Old Byland - photo by Val Mather

There are moments when something that has been growing quietly begins to be seen more widely, and this has been one of those moments for the Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail.

During our Lent Pilgrimage in March, we were joined by Screenhouse Productions, filming for The One Show on BBC One. The team spent the day beforehand capturing the wider life of the Trail, including horse riders, cyclists, and churches not visited on the pilgrimage itself. Then, on the day of the pilgrimage, presenter Kevin Duala joined us, walking the route and sharing in the life of the day.

George Gyte and Kevin Duala chatting outside the closed church of St Michael Cold Kirby - photo my Val Mather

What they stepped into was a day shaped by people as much as place. Walkers, riders, cyclists, families, volunteers and church communities gathering across Upper Ryedale. A shared journey marked by prayer, conversation, hospitality and the quiet beauty of the North York Moors.

Screenhouse Production crew filming George and Kevin - photo by Val Mather

Watching the final piece, it is always interesting to see how two full days of filming are shaped into a four and a half minute film. What emerges is necessarily only part of the story.

Screen grab of the preview clip on BBC One's The One Show Monday 30 March 2026

And yet, something real carries through. The sense of movement, the gathering of people, and the shared experience of walking together are all there. It offers a glimpse into the life of the Trail, even if it cannot hold everything that was part of the day.

Screenhouse Productions and their amazing drone - photo by Doug Place

For us, the Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail has always been about more than a route to follow. It is about creating space for encounter. With God, with one another, and with the stories held in these places. It is about rediscovering a pilgrim pace in a world that rarely slows down. It is about hope, lived out in community.

Lunch at Cold Kirby with the film crew in the background - photo by Doug Place

To see something of that reflected through The One Show is an encouragement. Not because it tells the whole story, but because it opens a window into it.

We are grateful to Screenhouse Productions for the care they brought, and to everyone who shaped the day, whether seen on screen or not.