A Bradford-born television presenter has spoken of her enjoyment at being at the centre of BBC Two’s newest travelogue, Wild Escapes.

With Anita Rani and JJ Chalmers in the driving seat, the feel-good show follows the presenting duo on their first adventure to Italy’s stunning Dolomite Mountains.

Anita, who grew up in a Sikh family in Bradford and attended Bradford Girls’ Grammar School, said she was a self-confessed explorer, adding: “I find it very hard to sit still.”

Wild Escapes is doing its bit to encourage holidaymakers to shun eye-watering price tags and extensive journey times in favour of three-day exploits closer to home.

The rules: the flight time must be less than three hours from the UK and flights must cost under £100 per person, per leg.

“The Dolomites are just so surprising, beautiful and unexpected,” recalls Anita, 40, excitedly.

“Whilst I was there filming the programme, I just kept thinking, ‘I must come back here with friends and family and my husband’, because it’s so easy to get to and so doable.”

She follows: “I’m loving it, especially because I do go to places miles away to try and find that isolation, but it’s difficult now in the age of Instagram. [And] people don’t always have the luxury of taking two or three weeks out.”

“The fact of the matter is we’re all restricted by time or money these days,” concurs JJ, 30.

“So the opportunity to cram something in and just say, ‘I’m going to go off and do this for a weekend’, is pretty much how life works.”

How did the Scottish father-of-one fare on this occasion?

“I’m the kind of guy that likes to burn the candle at both ends and blowtorch the middle if I can,” he quips, admitting it’s not an entirely relaxing break.

“Although there were lovely moments, nice dinners and feet up here and there, you probably won’t come back feeling physically refreshed, but it’s good for the soul.

“You come back feeling rejuvenated,” he adds. “Especially if you’ve had a hay bath!”

“The ‘Alpine spa’?” Anita jokes.

JJ and Anita were the perfect companions for the job.

“It was just a great break to go away, get to know Anita and have a blast with her,” JJ said.

“She was really good fun and ultimately she was up for absolutely anything, so the two of us just got stuck into every opportunity.

“I guess that’s why me and JJ work well together,” agrees Countryfile host, Anita. “JJ is very easy to get on with and we’re both very open-minded, so it works.”

Asked if she could leave the rat race behind for good, Anita said: “Not yet, I’m having too much fun. “East London is great and actually it feels like a nice little village, even though London is the big smoke full of millions of people.”

l Wild Escapes airs on BBC Two on Friday May 25.