Kent-based independent TwentyThree Studios has commenced principal photography on Two For The Road, a new British walking history series exploring the stories and landscapes that shaped the nation.

TwentyThree Studios, the Kent independent production company founded by Gary JJ Spate, Sadie Ingoldby-Spate, and producer Glyn Spate, has announced that production has begun on its debut television series, Two For The Road. Principal photography starts on 1st August 2026, with filming taking place along the Kent coast.

Two For The Road is a six-part walking history series in which presenter Gary JJ Spate journeys through some of Britain’s most historically significant locations, uncovering the events, secrets, and stories that shaped the country — guided, unseen, by The Oracle, the presence behind the camera. Each 22-minute episode blends geography, human drama, and historical intrigue — from Roman invasions and medieval sieges to Second World War operations — all filmed on location where history actually happened.

The series is built around the chemistry between Gary and The Oracle: Spate as the enthusiastic, audience-facing storyteller, occasionally getting things hilariously wrong, and The Oracle as the calm, all-knowing presence felt but never seen — a whisper in Gary’s ear, or a hand drifting into shot. Together, they make British history approachable, entertaining, and genuinely surprising, with more than a little uncertainty over who’s really in charge.

Gary JJ Spate, producer and presenter on the series, said:

“I’m absolutely delighted to finally be getting this project into production — it’s a show I’ve wanted to make for a long time, and for very personal reasons. History wasn’t a subject I enjoyed at school. It felt distant, dry, and disconnected from the world around me. But I genuinely believe that if series like this had been available when I was growing up, it would have been a very different story. Seeing history come alive in the actual places where it happened — that’s what changes how people feel about it.”

“Part of my inspiration for Two For The Road is the late, great Tim Grundy, who presented Two’s Country on Discovery Home & Leisure in the 1990s. Tim had a remarkable gift for bringing the past to life, and the show had a warmth and authenticity that has stayed with me ever since. Part of what made it so unique was his cameraman, known only as The Eye — you never saw his face or heard his voice. Just the occasional glimpse of his hand, and a whisper in Tim’s ear. It was wonderfully understated and utterly distinctive. I wanted to honour Tim’s legacy and capture that same spirit with The Oracle — while combining it with a fresh, original approach that feels right for today’s audiences. This one’s partly for him.”

The pilot episode will be produced independently, without a broadcaster attached, with TwentyThree Studios intending to use the finished cut to pursue distribution and commissioning conversations.

Shot entirely on location with minimal graphics and natural sound, Two For The Road reflects TwentyThree Studios’ wider commitment to authentic, character-led British storytelling. The Kent-based studio, which also has feature films and music video productions in its portfolio, has been developing the series since its founding in 2020.

Find out more about Two For The Road here, or learn more about TwentyThree Studios.

Two For The Road is a TwentyThree Studios production. Principal photography begins 1st August 2026 on the Kent coast. A broadcaster and release date are yet to be confirmed.

For press enquiries, contact TwentyThree Studios via our contact page.