'It made me experience India in such a rich way'

Rob Rinder and Rylan Clark discuss self-exploration and friendship in their new series Rob And Rylan's Passage To India, which airs on BBC Two and iPlayer this Sunday

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Following the success of their BAFTA-winning Grand Tour Of Italy, Rob Rinder and Rylan Clark return with a new travel series exploring one of the world's oldest and greatest civilisations: India.

The three-part BBC Two series retraces the footsteps of Rinder's favourite novelist, E.M. Forster, who a century ago wrote the celebrated A Passage To India.

In Rob And Rylan's Passage To India, the duo journey through Delhi, Rajasthan, known as the Land of Kings, and Varanasi, often regarded as the spiritual heart of the country.

Their travels begin in Delhi, India's capital and home to 34 million people, where they dive into the bustling street market of Chandni Chowk, echoing Forster's own path, before visiting Humayun's Tomb, a 16th-century architectural masterpiece that later inspired the Taj Mahal.

Along the way, they meet figures such as billionaire art collector Shalini Passi and activist Naveen Koomar, revealing the city's stark contrasts between wealth and poverty.

In Rajasthan, the pair arrive during Diwali, the festival of lights, to explore Udaipur and Jaipur, cities renowned for their rich traditions, where the artistry of jewellers and printers has been preserved for generations.

Their journey concludes in Varanasi, where they encounter an ancient erotic temple, take part in mud wrestling as a form of spiritual growth, and walk barefoot through India's holiest city.