The emotional one-off special last year saw Stephen Mulhern break down in tears.
ITV has commissioned three more Accidental Tourist specials which will see Stephen Mulhern joined by Ant and Dec in a bid to face more of his fears and phobias.
During an episode which aired late last year, the presenter travelled to South Korea and filmed emotional scenes as he reflected on the death of his dad.
Speaking about his late dad, Christopher, Stephen broke down in tears, saying: “As a family, we know what we like and that’s what we do, and we always have. I am scared, I find my phobias so frustrating, but it’s time to make change, and the change is now.”
The episode saw Stephen attempt to overcome his food phobias and fear of the sea, and continued after mentioning his late father: “If I was to tell my dad this, my dad passed away at the start of the year…sorry.” Struggling to get his words out, he whispered: “He wouldn’t believe it. I hope… he’d be proud.”
ITV has now confirmed Stephen will embark on an unknown journey and leave behind his creature comforts.
The broadcaster teased: “Travelling to South Korea opened Stephen’s eyes to a brand new culture, but there is still a long way to go.
“The trip proved such a success that Stephen made some much needed changes to his life back in the UK, but he’s slipping back into his old ways.
“Not wanting to undo the impressive progress he’d already made during his trip to South Korea, Stephen has decided he needs to spread his wings further and who better to help once again than his close pals Ant and Dec.
“With their support, further encouragement from his family and a little help from social media, Stephen will again find himself thrust into the unknown as he attempts to navigate unfamiliar territories in the hope to quell some of his life limiting phobias.”
Stephen shared: “The response to my trip to South Korea has been so overwhelming and the amount of people that related to the worries and fears I have has blown me away.
“I was so proud of what I achieved that I planned to book a trip to Japan on my return, but what did I do instead? I booked an all inclusive trip to the Algarve!
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“I don’t want to undo the good work I achieved so I’ve asked Ant and Dec to help me again. I need that little loving shove in the right direction, otherwise I fear I’ll slip back into my old ways.
“I’m still scared but this time I’m a little excited too, I know I can do this…. Or at least give it a good go!”
Ant said: “We are so proud of Stephen, we never thought he would accomplish what he did in South Korea – if we’re honest, we weren’t even sure he’d get on the plane! We loved seeing how much of a positive impact the trip had on his life, but we’ve noticed his old ways creeping back in… so when he said he was up for another trip, we were only too happy to oblige.
Dec added: “Unbeknown to Stephen, we have a long list of places we’d love him to experience that will hopefully help him get over more of his fears and phobias, which we know he’s keen to try and conquer. We can’t wait to see what he will accomplish during his next adventures!”
Sue Murphy, Director of Factual Entertainment and Kate Teckman, Head of Development and Commissioning Editor also said, “We are delighted to be building on the success of the Accidental Tourist with Ant and Dec and Stephen with this exciting new series. The audience has clearly enjoyed seeing them together in a new light in such a personal project, as have we.”
Accidental Tourist is available to watch on ITVX
