The Call to Adventure!

Join BBC comedy writer and Netflix storytelling coach Ian Hawkins for adventures on England's longest short walk with only a tent and a very big map for company. 

One summer’s day, Ian Hawkins set off from his London flat to walk to his brother’s house - in Canterbury, at the other end of the legendary Pilgrims’ Way, a distance of 86 miles (or 192,822 steps in old money), in just 72 hours. The one thing Ian didn’t have? A good reason why he was doing it in the first place.

Following in the footsteps of kings, paupers and pilgrims, Ian takes the audience on a quest without a cause as he tries to find an answer to why he’s hiking through a heatwave and a thunderstorm, encountering failure, ghosts and the kindness of strangers along the way. His story and history intertwine as he looks back on a life that’s been far from ordinary and tries to answer the question: what motivates us to do difficult things?

The Call to Adventure leaves audiences entertained, uplifted and ultimately ready to seek out their own story.

Ian Hawkins is Speaking and Storytelling Coach for Netflix. His work has appeared on CBS, Reuters and BBC.

Ian has worked with the biggest names in politics, entertainment and sport. In his live storytelling shows, he tells of beating the odds to survive and explores our innate capacity for greatness.