![\"Coach](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AY_78682646-3ea8.jpg\")
\n\t\tBrendan Sheerin was an essential part of Coach Trip\u2019s success (Picture: Channel 4)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tBrendan Sheerin was an essential part of Coach Trip\u2019s success (Picture: Channel 4)<\/p>\n
Wearing Reactolite lenses and holding a clipboard close to his chest, Brendan Sheerin, or Brendan off Coach Trip<\/a> to most, spent 14 iconic years guiding hundreds of people \u2013 and viewers \u2013 around the world in a white vehicle adorned with Union Jack flags.\u00a0<\/p>\n His efforts meant the unique reality competition Channel 4<\/a> series ran for a whopping 640 episodes while paving the way for the likes of Race Across The World and Four in a Bed.<\/p>\n Each episode<\/a> was full of cheeky humour, required no strenuous brainwork, and felt quintessentially British. In addition, the episodes celebrated ordinary folk most beautifully, and somehow, viewers can enjoy 00s repeats just as much as the most up-to-date offerings.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s been 20 years since Coach Trip parallel parked onto our screens, and pinning down Brendan, 66, to divulge on his experience has been a challenge, as even when the cameras aren\u2019t rolling, he is still gallivanting around the globe.\u00a0<\/p>\n After back-to-back trips to Brazil and Barcelona, the TV personality stays in his hometown of Leeds long enough to log into Zoom and share his journey to reality TV royalty.<\/p>\n How Brendan got the Coach Trip job<\/strong><\/p>\n \t\t In the summer of 2004, Brendan was content working at a seafront spa in Scarborough. Three hours away, TV producer Andrew Brereton was on a trip to his parents\u2019 house in Stoke-on-Trent.<\/p>\n On this visit, he was fascinated by his parents\u2019 tales of their recent coach holiday, so upon returning to his London home, an inspired Andrew worked it up into a show idea. He had the format and financial backing, but one thing was missing: someone to guide the travellers.<\/p>\n His team were intent on finding someone charismatic, funny, and who could control different personalities with ease. They contacted many people in the tourism industry, including Brendan\u2019s boss, who was asked if she could think of anyone. <\/p>\n \u2018I said \u201cI\u2019m alright here\u201d when she suggested it to me,\u2019 Brendan recalls. After some convincing, he eventually travelled to London for an interview, booking himself a theatre ticket, so there was something in it for him too.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018These producers were young kids; they looked about seventeen. They asked me about my worst day at work, and I said when a client died,\u2019 he remembers, adding, \u2018People do die on holiday, you know, it happens.<\/p>\n \u2018The next day they rang me and said \u201cWe found the person we want\u201d. I replied, \u201cOh, I\u2019m so happy for you\u201d, and they said, \u201cNo, Brendan, it\u2019s you, it\u2019s got to be you\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018My stomach churned. I knew my life was about to change.\u2019<\/p>\n The timing of the opportunity came at a tough point for Brendan. \u2018It was weird because my partner of 25 years, Les, died two years before of heart failure, so I was getting over that,\u2019 he explains. <\/p>\n But his loss also made him all the more aware that life can be short, which fuelled Brendan\u2019s decision to join the show. \u2018When you get a new opportunity, you either say yes or go home and live in regret. I can put my hand on my heart and say, I ran with it.<\/p>\n \u2018Les was probably looking down from heaven with a smile because he liked a coach trip.\u2019<\/p>\n As a tour guide himself, Les taught Brendan the tricks of the trade when he accidentally became one. The story goes that he was working in the office of a travel company, but when one of the guides became ill, he had to step up. \u2018It was sink or swim, and well, I swam,\u2019 he jovially says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brendan says his \u2018big love\u2019 helped when filming commenced, too. \u2018I carried a bit of Les onto the show with me for sure,\u2019 Brendan says.<\/p>\n \u2018What people don\u2019t know is that I sometimes had Les\u2019 notes with me. We lived in L\u2019Estartit on the Costa Brava near Barcelona, so I\u2019d definitely use them whenever we went around there.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018Me and Les used to walk down the La Rambla together every Sunday evening. It\u2019s a special place for us.<\/p>\n \u2018It wasn\u2019t always easy to be a gay couple back then. We faced some abuse, but we had each other. I\u2019ve had viewers thank me for being representation for them, which is heartwarming.\u2019<\/p>\n The start of the Coach Trip adventure<\/strong><\/p>\n \t\t The basic premise of the Channel 4 show involved seven pairs of people \u2014 the spectrum ranged widely from sweet retired couple to unruly university pals \u2014 embarking on a voyage around Europe.\u00a0<\/p>\n To have a longer trip, contestants had to be popular, as each day concluded with a face-to-face vote. At this roadside ceremony, Brendan handed out a yellow card to the couple with the most votes or a red card if they\u2019d already received it<\/a>. At this point, they were forced to unload their baggage and watch as their ride continued off into the sunset without them.\u00a0<\/p>\n An initial pilot was filmed for Coach Trip in Oxfordshire, and Brendan remembers that the voting dramatically changed \u2013 travellers were previously allowed to keep changing their vote, but that naturally proved too time-consuming.<\/p>\n After that, they were TV-ready and hit the road in Amsterdam. In those heady early days, the cameramen would lie down in the bus gangway as they didn\u2019t have the budget to fit permanent ones.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018The first day was very long. They filmed the coach\u2019s wheels going round, and then my shoes coming down the steps over and over. I had never done anything like it before, so I was guided by production,\u2019 Brendan says.<\/p>\n The commitment to doing what was necessary paid off, with TV magic soon being made. \u2018In Greece, we went to the worst mud bath ever, full of frogs that were jumping on us, and one traveller got stuck. We had to drag her across the top while she was sinking down,\u2019 Brendan fondly recalls with a laugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n When it came time for airing in March 2005, the audiences lapped these antics up and voted with their remotes: \u2018It kept getting bigger and bigger. We were getting nearly two million people watching every day. Crazy!\u2019<\/p>\n Being Brendan<\/strong> off Coach Trip<\/p>\n \t\t There were plenty of Brendan-isms from his tutting at breakfast latecomers to getting passengers to sing the national anthem as they entered the boundary of a new country.\u00a0<\/p>\n A name badge was always clipped onto his summer shirt \u2013 although why, is unclear, as after the launch series, everyone knew who he was, but his commitment was part of the charm. Despite being part of one of telly\u2019s longest-running shows, he still felt like a tour guide you would get assigned on a package holiday in Menorca.<\/p>\n Brendan\u2019s touch was all over the behind-the-scenes too; the coach drivers sometimes relied on his navigation, while production would come to him to check itineraries. <\/p>\n When asked what makes a good tour guide, Brendan says: \u2018Being a people person and caring about holidaymakers\u2019 enjoyment.<\/p>\n \u2018It was my responsibility to make sure they had a lovely time on holiday, and that didn\u2019t change whether it was for a TV show or not.\u2019<\/p>\n His enthusiasm for the role is still intact today. \u2018We never queued up for anything,\u2019 he excitedly tells us. \u2018If we went to a water park, they would give us it for the whole morning and we could ride as many rides as we wanted.\u2019<\/p>\n So, were there any downsides to the job? \u2018We stayed in France for a bit too long once,\u2019 he says after a long pause, in a way that tells us he was grappling to think of anything negative.<\/p>\n After years as part of the show, Brendan understands why viewers loved it. \u2018It was two in one \u2014 a travel show, where people could be like \u201cOh look they\u2019re going to Salzburg\u201d and the other part is seeing who liked who and friction,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n The <\/strong>Coach Trip contestants<\/strong><\/p>\n \t\t Being stuck in a coach for hours and forced to pick the least favourite travel companion led to plenty of bickering, which didn\u2019t slow even when the credits were rolling.<\/p>\n \u2018We had a lovely feast in the Sahara desert for a final episode. I was riding away on a camel and could still hear two women rowing with each other,\u2019 he recalls.<\/p>\n But being Switzerland, Brendan stayed firmly out of any drama<\/a>. \u2018If there were people that I didn\u2019t like, then usually the group didn\u2019t like them anyway,\u2019 he points out.<\/p>\n \u2018When people were on the coach quite a while, they\u2019d get a bit too comfortable and say, \u201cOh, are we doing a painting class? Boring!\u201d They would slowly get a bit more non-appreciative, but if start sitting on your laurels, there\u2019s always someone behind you waiting to take the place.\u2019<\/p>\n Although we saw a lot of the goings-on, there were a few things that viewers weren\u2019t privy to, and they\u2019re likely grateful: \u2018We wouldn\u2019t film people retching, and there could be some of that whenever we had to get onto a ferry.\u2019<\/p>\n The sun sets on Coach Trip<\/strong><\/p>\n \t\t After travelling to every country in Europe, bar Russia, and specials in North Africa and Western Asia, the brakes were firmly applied to the show in 2023. Channel 4 announced that the future of the show was \u2018uncertain\u2019 after showing only repeats for the last four years.<\/p>\n \u2018I think money\u2019s a problem in television at the moment. Getting funding for programs is difficult,\u2019 Brendan says. \u2018We had other ideas, but when Covid came along, it put the nail in our coffin.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n But he wasn\u2019t disappointed, the reality star felt grateful he\u2019d got the experience at all. \u2018After series six, my brother Patrick asked, \u201cWhat will you do when this finishes?\u201d I said, \u201cPatrick, I\u2019m on the crest of a wave and I\u2019m surfing. I\u2019m going as far as it\u2019ll take me. When it gets me to the beach and I have to stop, what a ride I\u2019ve had,\u2019 he says philosophically.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018Maybe it has run its course, but if they rang me up tomorrow and said we\u2019re doing another one, I\u2019d be there.\u2019 Clipboard in hand, we\u2019re sure.<\/p>\n Coach Trip is available to watch on Channel 4.<\/strong><\/p>\n Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Josie.Copson@metro.co.uk<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Share your views in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n Arrow Arrow![\"Television](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AD_72578997-099f.jpg\")
\n\t\tBrendan was working at a spa when Coach Trip were casting for the show (Picture: Channel 4\/Charles Fearn)<\/p>\n![\"Television](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AD_160267675-eda5.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe only way to stay on Brendan\u2019s coach was to be popular (Picture: Channel 4)<\/p>\n![\"Television](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AD_125141029-6acc.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe name badge never left his chest (Picture: 12 Yard Productions Limited)<\/p>\n![\"Brendan](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_248546018-22d1.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe show was always full of characters (Picture: Channel 4)<\/p>\n![\"Brendan](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_248544906-53e6.jpg\")
\n\t\tIf Coach Trip returns, Brendan is keen (Picture: Brendansheerin1\/Instagram)<\/p>\n
\nMORE: Are you getting old or is M&S suddenly cool? The truth revealed<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: My daughter might have lived if doctors had told us the truth<\/a><\/p>\n