Helen Lederer: ‘I think it’s ok to live in a faith without certainty about which side you’re on’
The comedy actor embarks on an emotive journey to Austria and Switzerland in the new series of Pilgrimage
Actor and author Helen Lederer, 70, is with six new friends atop a mountain. This might read like a riddle but is in fact statement of fact concerning Pilgrimage: The Road Through the Alps. The BBC series, which starts on 20 April, features celebrity pilgrims of all faiths, beliefs and fitness levels on a personal journey over 12 days, and for this year’s challenge they are facing strenuous Alpine climbs in Austria and finishing near Switzerland’s Lake Zurich, with a visit to the statue of the Black Madonna at the Benedictine Abbey.
A cast including TV presenter Jeff Brazier, footballer Harry Clarke, comedian Daliso Chaponda and journalist Nelufar Hedayat ranges in beliefs from Agnostic to Catholic to modern Muslim and with Helen’s mixed Jewish/Christian heritage, most faiths or non-faiths are covered.
Pilgrimage highlights positive human connection regardless of religious beliefs and as Helen says, “there’s no room for faking it. You’re too bloody knackered after hiking all day.”
As a comedy icon of the 80s and 90s, Helen regularly performed her schtick on the stand-up circuit, ever-present in shows like Ab Fab, Girls on Top and Bottom.
I ask if she had seen previous seasons of Pilgrimage.
“I had seen clips. And people walking…” (You never quite know if Helen’s being serious.) “…but I hadn’t understood the purpose of being together with people to ‘find’ something – whether a statue at the finish or more than that. Now I understand the significance of it.”
Did you train?
“I moved a bit…instead of not at all. Did some Pilates, walked, got a fitness tracker. I took the opportunity because it probably won’t present itself to me again. I’m pleased I did it, even though I look like a duck walking.”
You brought not one, but two faiths to the show. Did you celebrate any Jewish festivals growing up?
“I believe in God but I’m just not sure what the God is. My father was born into a Jewish family and although my Czechoslovakian grandparents were cultural Jews, they never talked about faith and we never celebrated Jewish festivals or traditions. As a refugee my dad met my mother who was Christian and came from the Isle of Wight, but the important thing for my parents was settling and becoming ‘English’. I’m told I was christened. As I get older, I’m learning that you can’t shed your background. So, with my mixed heritage, with all the pain of my family that isn’t mine, but theirs, I wanted to be able to turn it into something that will give me a bit of peace. I think it’s ok to live in a faith without certainty about which side you’re on.”
Had you visited Austria before?
“I skied there as a child and smells and memories flooded back, especially of my grandparents, and thoughts about what their life would have been. The emotion just finds you and I felt surprisingly connected to my past – there were lots of Lederers in Auschwitz, so that raised lots of thoughts and comparisons for me.”
Have you continued exploring the outdoors?
“Not as much as I’d like to because I’m busy with book promotion for my memoir, which we’ve just re-published in paperback, so it was wonderful to include extra chapters on Pilgrimage and one dedicated to my dear friend Tony Slattery who died in January.”
Did you have reservations about sharing deep thoughts and feelings with strangers?
“I loved the conversations around the dinner table, and especially chats with Jay [McGuiness]. I enjoy his vibration and we discussed life after death, talking about the loss of his friend Tom Parker. We made a wonderful human connection even if it wasn’t through being in a church building.”
Who is the most religious of the group?
I think we were all on our own journey, but there was a lot of ‘tell us the answers, Stef’[Reid], because she was such an informed Christian and very non-judgemental. It was wonderful seeing Nelufar and Stef find a connection with each other.”
Harry seems to be a mensch, carrying your rucksack as well as his own. How was it being with a mix of ages?
“The youngsters were such fun, making up silly games, hugging monks and all sorts. It’s like being in the Girl Guides – singing, engaging, listening. Quite a delicious experience really.”
As a Jewish woman I am prone to overpacking but you only had a small rucksack?
“As long as I have enough pants, a nightie and dry shampoo I can survive on very few items: a black dress to travel in and a chiffon blouse over the top of it for bars. All chucks neatly into a rucksack – a travel towel is a joy too.”
Helen Lederer may have joined the pilgrimage with a rucksack of uncertainty and mixed heritage, but what she found – beyond the climbs, conversations, and songs – was something quietly grounding: connection.
Pilgrimage: The Road Through the Alps is on BBC Two rom Sunday 20 – Tuesday 22 April at 9pm. All episodes will be available on iPlayer from 20th.
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