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Indian travelogue shows with British TV presenters are as predictable as they are popular. Here, let me sketch the formula on the back of this samosa. Take, I don’t know, Sue Barker and James Redmond. Whack them in front of the Taj Mahal, then in a tuk tuk. Let them eat pav bhaji. Earnest closeup, while regarding temple carvings. Shot of begging children, while they reflect on what a country of contrasts this is. Much saris and smiling. Close on moment of spiritual epiphany, which evaporates by the airport. It’s a hit!

So I am unaroused by the prospect of Rob and Rylan’s Passage to India (Sunday 14 September, 9pm, BBC Two), the genesis of the three-part series being that Rob Rinder’s favourite novel is the namesake title by EM Forster. Should we send Patrick Kielty to a Kyoto entertainment district because he likes Memoirs of a Geisha? Still, the pair won a Bafta for their previous jaunt around Italy, so I decide to give them a chance.

A quip in the first episode wins me over. Rylan, overwhelmed by the noise of Delhi traffic, is flapping and squawking, and Rinder accuses him of sounding “like the headmistress of a school for excluded children”. I squawk at that. Rinder and Rylan are funnier than anyone who has previously attempted an Indian travelogue, with the possible exception of Romesh Ranganathan. Clearly, there’s something about people whose names begin with R, and I should know.

Their wits compliment each other like raita and mango chutney. Rinder loves classical music, fine art, history. His is a dry, wry whine, complaining about the indignity of having his ears de-waxed on camera, or being made to walk the streets barefoot. He describes Forster as the “Liza Minnelli of literature” to his travelling partner, who he’s horrified to learn hasn’t read the book before filming. (“I was in LA with Mariah Carey,” is the only excuse Rylan gives.)

Rinder grounds the programme, getting misty-eyed at murals, murmuring explainers of why they’re doing any of this at all, all of which washes over Rylan; he’d be as happy at Geri Halliwell’s birthday, or MCing a corporate fruit cider launch. To square the imbalance, the show attempts to imply Rylan is busy doing logistical work off camera. He has many voiceovers along the lines of “While Rob’s admiring sculptures, I’ve tracked down a community spokesperson/organised a tour of the ghats/scored an invitation to a local puppeteering cooperative,” none of which I believe for a second.

His karma could do with some repair. Presenting This Morning last month, Rylan naively complained about small boat migrants to the UK being given free iPads and four-star hotels, a comment for which Ofcom has received more than 700 complaints. He’s on safer ground here, hammering a running joke that Rinder is secretly in love with or trying to get off with him.

Banter notwithstanding, the show is at its best when the hosts discuss gay identity and their yearning for relationship.

Their friendship has real heart under the ribbing. As working-class social climbers, there may be a subterranean identification between them and their subject. They too are riddled with contradictions. Rylan, who sells himself as sex-driven and supercilious, is actually kind and eccentric. He reveals he has built a life-sized railway station in his house, and can only go the toilet naked: “Can’t even have a sock.”

This show is so good-natured it can walk comfortably in contentious territory. It suggests that anxieties about the subcontinent’s colonial past largely arise from western guilt. (For what it’s worth, I’ve found this too – there’s a bizarre amount of fondness for the Brits in India.) With encouragement from a tailor, Rinder puts aside his worries about cultural appropriation and dons a turban. “I look like Martine McCutcheon with a thyroid problem.”

Rob and Rylan’s passage doesn’t transcend travelogue tropes, but it does update them. They interview India’s first openly gay mainstream politician and Naveen Kumar, a Dalit rapper (the caste formerly known as untouchable) who uses his music to call out injustice. This is modern India, beyond holy cows and street sweepers. It remembers to have fun – there’s a king cobra, a brutal astrology reading, lavish parties with billionaires and royalty. It’s closer to EM Forster, but the novelist would have appreciated the phallic gags … and the attempt to change perceptions. A mildly spicy, very sweet treat.

Late designer Giorgio Armani instructed heirs to gradually sell the fashion house he created 50 years ago or seek a market listing, his will said, setting off a race to control one of the world’s best-known brands and a major shift for a company highly protective of its independence and Italian roots. The designer, known in the industry as “King Giorgio”, died on Sept 4 at 91 and with no children to inherit his fashion empire, which industry analysts value at between five billion and 12bn euros ($5.9bn-$14bn).

The will, comprising two documents filed with a notary in March and April this year, states heirs should sell an initial 15 per cent stake in the Italian fashion house within 18 months of Armani’s death. They should later transfer an additional 30 to 54.9pc stake to the same buyer between three and five years after the designer’s death.

Preference for French firms

The will also says that priority should be given to luxury giant LVMH, beauty heavyweight L’Oreal, eyewear leader Essil­orLuxottica or another group of “equal standing” identified by a foundation the designer set up to preserve his legacy with the agreement of Armani’s business and life partner Pantaleo Dell’Orco.

The explicit mention of stake sales and of France-listed players as potential buyers comes as a surprise, given Giorgio Armani’s persistent refusal to dilute his control or list his fashion group, which industry experts say retains appeal despite a global luxury slowdown. As an alternative to the sale of the second tranche of shares, an initial public offering should be pursued, in Italy or in a market of equal standing, the will said.

These types of provisions are essentially binding and could be challenged in court if not fulfilled, according to the Italian notary association. EssilorLuxottica, controlled by the heirs of Italian entrepreneur Leonardo Del Vecchio and with commercial ties to Armani, said in a statement it would consider a possible deal. French cosmetics group L’Oreal, which holds a licensing agreement with the Armani group until 2050, also said on Friday it will study the opportunity.

Armani enters new era

Over the years, the brand that revolutionised modern fashion through its minimalist jackets and suits received several approaches, including one in 2021 from John Elkann, scion of Italy’s Agnelli family, and another from luxury brand Gucci, when Maurizio Gucci was still at the helm.

Armani was the sole major shareholder of the company he set up with his late partner Sergio Galeotti in the 1970s and over which he maintained a tight rein — both creative and managerial — until the very end. He leaves behind a business which generated relatively stable revenue — 2.3bn euros ($2.7bn) last year — but whose operating profits have shrunk to less than three per cent of revenue.

The will, which lists six different types of shares with different voting rights, gives the Fondazione Giorgio Armani and Dell’Orco 30pc and 40pc of the company voting rights, respectively, meaning they would together control the fashion group with 70pc of the total. The foundation will retain a 30.1pc stake in a listing and in a sale.

“The Fondazione .. shall never hold less than 30pc of the capital, thereby acting as a permanent guarantor of compliance with the founding principles,” Armani’s executive committee said in a statement, adding that the foundation will propose the name of Giorgio Armani’s successor as group CEO.

The foundation’s five-member board will be chaired by Dell’Orco, in accordance with bylaws. Other board members include Rothschild partner Irving Bellotti, Armani’s nephew Andrea Camerana and two family outsiders, a person close to the matter said. Heirs should consider other fashion and luxury companies with which the Armani group has commercial ties for a future sale, the will also said.

The Armani group has commercial partnerships with both L’Oreal and EssilorLuxottica. Yet, with a market value of 240bn euros and a reputation for being a patient and supporting minority investor, LVMH may ultimately prevail. “We think that LVMH would likely be the most interested, of the three, were it to become available, given the strategic fit,” analysts at Berenberg said in a note. They said the group could easily afford to buy Armani, which they valued at between five and seven billion euros.

Originally published in Dawn, September 13th, 2025