Series synopsis
Bradley Walsh & Son: Breaking Dad is a British reality television series that premiered on ITV1 on January 2, 2019. It stars Barney Walsh, Bradley Walsh and Alexander Armstrong.
Actor Bradley Walsh and his 20-year-old son Barney are hitting the road together, travelling over 2000 miles from Los Angeles to New Orleans.
Premise
Actor Bradley Walsh and his 20-year-old son Barney are hitting the road together, travelling over 2000 miles from Los Angeles to New Orleans.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Barney Walsh as Himself
- Bradley Walsh as Himself
- Alexander Armstrong as Narrator
Episodes
This series spans 8 seasons with 43 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 2 | December 28, 2020 | December 24, 2021 |
| Season 1 | 4 | January 2, 2019 | January 23, 2019 |
| Season 2 | 6 | January 8, 2020 | February 12, 2020 |
| Season 3 | 6 | January 11, 2021 | February 15, 2021 |
| Season 4 | 6 | January 17, 2022 | February 21, 2022 |
| Season 5 | 7 | January 10, 2023 | February 14, 2023 |
| Season 6 | 6 | April 3, 2025 | May 6, 2025 |
| Season 7 | 6 | May 1, 2026 | June 12, 2026 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Unseen Show The actor and his son Barney reflect on their travels around America, picking their favourite moments and revealing previously unaired footage of their adventures. Armed with popcorn and refreshments, the Walshes watch back everything from additional unseen footage to moments they captured on their phones, behind-the- scenes clips with the crew and compilations of their road-trip antics. These include more sing-along bangers from their playlist, Brad's jokes, their favourite snacks, as well as quizzes and games they played to pass the time |
December 28, 2020 |
| 2 |
Bradley and Barney: Breaking Dad at Christmas Bradley and Barney Walsh will be up to snow good as they take their famous RV across the sea to the magical island of Iceland, for a special bumper Christmas episode of the beloved father and son travel show. The Walsh boys will test themselves to frosty new limits in the country of volcanoes, glaciers and breath-taking landscapes, finding Christmas joy and terrifying challenges in equal measure. That’s why Dads go to Iceland! By the end of all their festive frolics, will they discover the most valuable Christmas experience is spending time with the people we love, or will they be left bickering about their frostbite? |
December 24, 2021 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
LA The actor and his 20-year-old son Barney hit the road together, travelling more than 2,000 miles from Los Angeles to New Orleans. The pair begin their journey in Los Angeles, and head down to Muscle Beach to lift weights, before taking part in a game of volleyball. The following day, Bradley is terrified to hear that the agenda involves a 14,000ft skydive. |
January 2, 2019 |
| 2 |
Arizona Actor Bradley Walsh and his 20-year-old son Barney hit the road together, travelling more than 2,000 miles from Los Angeles to New Orleans. In the second leg of their journey, the pair leave the city of Los Angeles behind and make their way down the famous Route 66 to the southwestern state of Arizona. Here, they ride through a deserted ghost town, before the father and son reach Lake Havasu City, where Barney has arranged for them to try jet-skiing. Finally, they attend a Cowboy College, where they learn to become real-life horsemen. |
January 9, 2019 |
| 3 |
Texas The actor and his son Barney arrive in Texas, where they enjoy driving around in tanks, experience space travel in a centrifuge and hear campfire tales about UFOs. First up, the pair undertake some centrifuge training, which is used to prepare astronauts for the crushing gravitational forces produced at take-off from the extreme exhilaration. They also head to the outskirts of Houston to meet some UFO enthusiasts who investigate claimed sightings of extra-terrestrials and are gripped by stories of spaceships blocking roads and people being taken by aliens for experiments. |
January 16, 2019 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Florida Bradley and Barney begin their second series in Florida, where they visit the Palm Beach International Raceway and the home of the author Key West, and get close up to sharks. |
January 8, 2020 |
| 2 |
Smoky Mountains The duo head to the Great Smoky Mountains on the Tennessee-North Carolina border and go canoeing. After a swig of whiskey, they experience clog dancing and chopping wood with the aid of competitive lumberjacks. |
January 15, 2020 |
| 3 |
Kentucky For the next leg of their journey, Bradley and Barney visit the Red River Gorge in Kentucky, before heading to the supposedly haunted Poasttown Elementary School in Middletown, Ohio. The next day, they travel to Louisville, birthplace of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, where they follow in his footsteps by sparring at the local boxing gym. At the end of a long day, Barney rewards his dad with a well-earned meal at a KFC restaurant in Kentucky - the home state of the chain's founder Colonel Harland Sanders. |
January 22, 2020 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Netherlands The first episode is the Netherlands, where they try out the sport of canal jumping, before the pair don Lycra for a spot of velodrome track cycling alongside a world champion, and take on the world's tallest freestanding climbing wall. |
January 11, 2021 |
| 2 |
Germany Bradley and Barney continue their European adventure in Germany. They head to the city of Frankfurt, where Brad is pushed to the edge, literally, as he attempts to abseil down the side of a building, facing forwards. The boys also make a stop at a bratwurst-themed hotel and soak up some local Bavarian culture when they have a go at finger wrestling. The pair finish off their time in Germany with a wet and wild adventure in the mountains. |
January 18, 2021 |
| 3 |
Switzerland The actor and his son continue their European adventure in Switzerland, where they take a ride on a mountain rollercoaster before exercising their vocal chords when they try the Swiss tradition of yodelling. The following day, Barney arranges a unique way for them to enjoy some local cheese, and then drive to the Contra Dam, where Barney reveals they are about to attempt one of James Bond's most famous stunts. |
January 25, 2021 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Croatia The actor and his son embark a 3,000-mile journey through Europe, aiming to experience extremes from the fiery heat of the Mediterranean to the icy tundras of the Arctic Circle. They begin in Croatia, where they swing off the roof of Hajduk Split's football stadium, before diving headfirst into the crystal-clear waters of the Adriatic. The action continues when the pair go head-to-head on aqua bikes alongside a former world champion, before heading to the capital Zagreb to meet a young inventor, who stuns them with his electric creation. |
January 17, 2022 |
| 2 |
Hungary The actor and his son head to Hungary, where they take to the open waters of Lake Balaton for a spot of high-speed catamaran sailing with an Olympic crew, before warming up in their RV with some goulash. The pair finish in the capital Budapest, where Barney has arranged to meet a world-famous escapologist. |
January 24, 2022 |
| 3 |
Poland The pair continue their European adventure in Poland, going sightseeing in Krakow before attending an exclusive performance by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in honour of Poland's most famous composer Chopin. |
January 31, 2022 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Mexico: Part 1 Walsh Senior and Junior embark on another challenge-filled road trip and this time they are in for a real culture shock as they head to Latin America. They start out in Mexico, where they grapple with one of the country's most famous sports - lucha libre wrestling. The next day they are in for a fright when they visit an eerie island inhabited by creepy, decrepit dolls - but something far more scary is waiting for them when they find themselves clinging to the side of a mountain |
January 10, 2023 |
| 2 |
Mexico: Part 2 The Walshes are still in Mexico and still on the side of a mountain. Can they complete the final part of the challenge, which requires Bradley to swing across the top of the mountain with nothing but a terrifying drop below him? Once recovered, the father and son head toward Mexico's coast, where Barney takes his dad inside a pitch-black cave that's home to snakes and thousands of bats. They also have fun at a waterpark before joining the cast of Cirque du Soleil |
January 10, 2023 |
| 3 |
Guatemala The Walshes reach Guatemala and pick up their new mode of transport, which quickly becomes a nightmare for Bradley to drive. They travel into the jungle, where they abseil down a lift face into a water fall and meet a quirky shaman who believes in the healing powers of chocolate. They then head off for a bike ride - but what Barney forgets to mention to his dad is that they are riding on a tightrope 25 metres in the air. |
January 17, 2023 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Japan (Tokyo) The boys kick off their trip in Japan's capital of Tokyo as they try the national sport of sumo and Brad's fear of heights is put to the test on a hanging bridge. |
April 3, 2025 |
| 2 |
Japan (Tokyo to Gifu) Bradley and Barney’s time in Japan continues as the boys get a taste of drifting and Zen meditation, and Brad is pushed to the edge, literally, when he attempts a bungee jump. |
April 8, 2025 |
| 3 |
Japan (Osaka) The Walshes reach Osaka as they explore the city in go-karts, learn how to become ninjas, and have a go at the quirky yet growing Japanese sport of pillow fighting. |
April 15, 2025 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Sydney The series begins in the iconic city of Sydney, where Brad's fear of heights is put to the test with a terrifying aerobatic flight and a trip on an extreme cable car. |
May 1, 2026 |
| 2 |
Into the Country The boys are now in the Aussie countryside and learn how to shear sheep before joining a local community whose fundraiser involves pulling a gigantic truck. |
May 8, 2026 |
| 3 |
Gold Coast The boys have hit the Gold Coast, where Barney has sun, sea and some serious action planned - including setting his old man on fire in an epic stunt. |
May 15, 2026 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | ITV1 |
|---|---|
| First aired | January 2, 2019 |
| Last aired | May 6, 2025 |
| Runtime | 30 minutes |
| Status | continue |
| Schedule | Friday at 19:30:00 |