Hobby Man Premieres Friday 19 August on Channel 4

At the age of 38, Alex Brooker has decided he needs something new in his life… a hobby. So, in the company of four celebrity hobby testers chosen for their enthusiasm, insight and total lack of experience, Alex travels around the country having a go at hobbies and meeting the people who love them.

Alex’s exploration takes him to Edinburgh with Scarlett Moffatt, Swansea and Cardiff with Joe Wilkinson, Wiltshire, Berkshire and London with Joe Thomas, and York, Leeds and the North York Moors with Andi Oliver. In this warm and funny celebration of some of Britain’s favourite hobbies – from knitting and birdwatching to model railways and home-brewing – Alex and his guests are thrown in at the deep end.

At the end of each episode, they reflect on the highs and lows of their week of hobby testing and decide which hobby they loved best. The answers may well surprise you!

In this first episode, Alex is in Edinburgh with Scarlett Moffatt for a funny and enthusiastic introduction to three hobbies. Together, they visit one of the world’s oldest chess clubs to find out why this ancient game continues to be so popular. Alex has never played before, so he goes on a crash course before going head-to-head with Scarlett in a match worthy of The Queen’s Gambit.

Their second hobby is home brew, as they meet brewers from the all-female group Beers Without Beards and get hands-on with home brewer Malcom as he starts brewing a new batch. Then they go one step further and brew their own beer, Hoppy Man, before heading north to Loch Leven to try out their third hobby – birdwatching – where they join two keen birders for an introduction and embrace all things ornithological on the final part of their trip.

Series Prod/Dir: Chris Richards; Prod: Jake Clifford; Prod Co: North One

Airdate: Friday 19 August 2022 at 8.00pn on Channel 4.

Season 1 Episode 1