Michael Portillo’s Long Weekends: Madrid, 19 April 2024, Channel 5

Michael Portillo’s Long Weekends takes viewers on a journey to three of the presenter’s favourite European cities: Madrid, Prague, and Milan. In this inaugural episode, Portillo visits the vibrant and bustling Spanish capital, Madrid, a city he knows well, having visited regularly for over 60 years.

The episode, premiering on Friday 19 April on Channel 5, begins on the busy Gran Via boulevard, which connects the city’s famous Golden Triangle of art museums and El Retiro Park with the opulent Royal Palace. Portillo heads to the Old Town for an early lunch at a restaurant he has frequented for years—one of Madrid’s nearly 10,000 dining establishments. Here, there’s only one dish on the menu: suckling pig.

Portillo also explores the city’s hidden gems, including hotel bars with a shady history of espionage, a traditional confectioner crafting classic Spanish nougat, and a bespoke tailor specialising in stylish capes. For culture enthusiasts, he goes behind the scenes at the opera house, El Teatro Real, and visits one of the world’s greatest art collections.

In between his culinary and cultural adventures, Portillo finds time to relax in El Retiro Park, once exclusive to the king and royal court. He also pays a visit to the family flat where he stayed as a boy in the years following the Spanish Civil War.

Michael Portillo’s Long Weekends offers viewers an insightful and entertaining guide to some of Europe’s most captivating cities, blending history, cuisine, and local secrets.

Michael Portillo’s Long Weekends airs on Channel 5 at 9.00 pm on Friday, 19 April 2024.