BBC to air 'Real Marigold Hotel' docu-series

LONDON, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- The BBC says it plans to air a travel docu-series called The Real Marigold Hotel, which is inspired by the 2012 blockbuster film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

Set to premiere late this month, the reality show will document in three, hour-long episodes the adventures of eight famous senior citizens as they head to India for three weeks to see if they would consider spending their golden years retiring to the other side of the world, a news release said.

The small-screen cast includes actress Miriam Margolyes, dancer Wayne Sleep, actor Sylvester McCoy, comedian Roy Walker, chef Rosemary Shrager, darts champion Bobby George, singer Patti Boulaye and former news reader Jan Leeming.

"In 2016, BBC Two will be tackling a number of contemporary issues, from the black economy to low pay, with lively, entertaining new programs with real purpose. I'm delighted to be kicking off with this warm and very funny experiment examining how we spend our older years. With a terrific lineup of characters, The Real Marigold Hotel is both entertaining and incredibly moving and raises some big questions about the way we live the later part of our lives," BBC Two Controller Kim Shillinglaw said in a statement Thursday.

The movie, which was followed by a 2015 sequel, starred Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Penelope Wilton, Tom Wilkinson and Bill Nighy. It was about financially strapped, British pensioners who start new lives in India and form a new family in a deceptively advertised inn.