How the Travel Channel missed the train with the media launch of Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains.

The very first media and press event I was invited to and attended in 2014 as a TV critic and a journalist covering television - Travel Channel's (DStv 179) media launch of Jonathan Phang's new TV show Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains - also turned out to be terrible and one of the worst things I've gone to in a really long time.

It remains to be seen if anything that's going to be done by any TV channel, broadcaster, production company or PR agency in 2014 when it comes to a media launch for a new TV show or channel, will be more thoughtless, more badly conceptualised or feel more of a let-down than Travel Channel's press event for Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains.

To be clear - Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains is a great-looking TV show on MultiChoice's Travel Channel on DStv. Jonathan Phang himself is wonderful, was so generous with his time to do interviews, and was very open, funny and amazing.

I like the show and I will watch it and I hope viewers who love travelling, food or trains will watch it too. It is filmed beautifully.

To be clear - Travel Channel who jetted in Travel Channel executives from Scripps as well as star talent Jonathan Phang from London did two press launches - one in Johannesburg where those invited went to Rovos Rail and actually had a train journey.

However, Travel Channel executives and Jonathan Phang also flew further to Cape Town for a similar press launch - in unbearable heat for an event which felt total junk.

People sat in sweltering heat in an Atlantic Rail Steam train saloon carriage - in a train which never went anywhere, on a Friday afternoon, remaining stationary next to one of the Cape Town station's platforms.

It's baffling to me as to why Travel Channel would see it fit to have a press launch for a show about a train journey in a train which isn't actually going to go anywhere, especially if so much money is spent to actually fly in the talent and executives from overseas.

In 2013 Travel Channel launched Rob Bell's excellent Man vs World with a boat journey from the Cape Town harbour to Clifton and back.

When the Travel Channel invited people to a new programme launch on a train on a hot Friday afternoon, Travel Channel should assume that people will think the train is actually going to go somewhere. As in ... be moving. On train tracks.

The food? Not good. It wasn't just me who passed when waiters brought out trays of snacks. As a TV critic my job is to actually watch shows. It's what I do and like. I was a bit baffled when Travel Channel showed only half of the first episode of Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains and then switched the television off.

To find the place and actual entrance was another huge challenge. I popped in at 5 different places at the Cape Town train station trying to find the place to enter to the platform.

I happened to walk into the Blue Train luxury lounge to also ask there as I was on my way. Aircon. Beautiful. Understated luxurious look.

Why have a media launch in extreme heat and a fan in the corner if its on a train that's going to go nowhere, if there's something like a cool, beautiful luxury railway lounge in the actual building?

Or ever heard of the Cape Town landmark restaurant, the Atlantic Express Cake &Coffee Train - an actual train carriage in Sea Point which doesn't move and actually serves food?

Because if you're not actually taking people somewhere, just because its a train - and one that's stationary - it isn't a good enough reason to not move an event to a better stationary place like a lounge or a restaurant. And it could even have been done on that very day by just directing people elsewhere.

Afterwards I didn't quite know what to make of the Travel Channel. I spoke to several other TV critics and journalists the past weeks since that media launch. I didn't quite know if I should say anything about it but after long conversations and thought felt I need to.

Travel Channel media launches have always been great. Events fit the TV show, feeling and ambience and its been held at places that make sense. The Jonathan Phang Gourmet Trains was a Travel Channel fail and it needs to be stated. It wasn't good; difficult to concentrate, a let-down and just not a nice experience.

When I got back to my car and drove home as rivers of sweat (I'm not over exaggerating) were pouring out of me, I thought: What really just happened?

Why would a TV channel's executives fly halfway around the world, to do an extremely lame and almost amateurish presentation and media launch in extremely uncomfortable circumstances? Especially when they've done it before, and much better?

I applaud Travel Channel's intent and even effort to do something for a show, but the execution sucked. The Jonathan Phang Gourmet Trains media launch in Cape Town felt like a badly done SABC event and I can compare it.

Almost a decade ago the public broadcaster did fly national TV critics and press to Rovos Rail in Pretoria and did a short train journey. At least then the train moved but it was disastrous for many reasons - including a completely drunk publicist and other things.

This felt like that. Not sophisticated at all and below par compared to everything the Travel Channel has done before.

I like the Travel Channel, I watch the channel's shows but this was a disappointment and a bad surprise and not what I expected.

Travel Channel missed the train on this one. And it never even left the station.


ALSO READ: New series, Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains, on Tuesdays on Travel Channel at 21:00.
ALSO READ: Jonathan Phang on his new show, Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains on Travel Channel: "Every production comes with challenges".

INTERVIEW. Jonathan Phang on his new show, Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains on Travel: 'Every production comes with challenges'.

Jonathan Phang of Jonathan Phang's Caribbean Cookbook on the Travel Channel (DStv 179) returns to TV screens tonight in a new series, Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains at 21:00.

In my "exclusive" interview with Jonathan Phang (hilarious how various publications suddenly want to claim an "exclusive" interview although the talent was flown to South Africa and was interviewed by numerous journalists), he dished on his new show.

Not even the oppressive heat, sitting in a stationary carriage next to a platform at the Cape Town station in a train that wasn't going anywhere, could dampen his boisterous, jovial mood.

As we both lunged at creaky windows, desperate to just try and get some air in at the sweltering Travel Channel media launch, Jonathan Phang was a breeze to interview as he heartily chatted and joked about his new show.


What was the most enjoyable experience for you out of the filming of the series?
I'm going to be honest with you, none of it was awful. I didn't have a bad day at all because I love to work. I do one show a year generally. Working for me is something that's a real joy because I have an office job and that's what I do most days.

So I'm very lucky to this sort of jobs, TV wise. None of it was awful. It's more about the stand-out things. The anticipation of getting onto the Venice-Simplon Orient Express was something great. There's nothing like that feeling.

I wasn't particularly into trains until I got the job. I think the Eastern Oriental Train was beautiful. Just the scenery was spectacular because we went from Singapore up to Bangkok through Malaysia and it was a very varied landscape and a very tropical landscape. Each journey had something that it gave me.

There's quite a lot... even on Travel Channel's there's a lot of travel shows, lots of cars shows, lots of train shows. Did you set out to bring a different angle or atmosphere to Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains? What will viewers see that's different?
From a presenter's point of view I can only be who I am. You cannot approach a project by trying to be anything.

If you go from the point of view of "I have to try and be different" you will tie yourself up in knots and you won't be authentic and honest. I'm not influenced by anything on the channel. Actually I don't think there's anything like what we've done on the channel.

Our show is a bit more luxurious. Most of the shows I've seen on Travel Channel are a bit more outdoorsey. So our show is just very different because you're experiencing the journey and then experiencing the destination from a food perspective. I think that's very different and new for Travel Channel.

So my approach was still to try and make it different, but by nature of what we've done it is going to be slightly different.

You'll see food from a destination perspective, as opposed to an adventure perspective, and you'll get to experience the journey of the trains which is quite an exclusive thing to do.

Can you talk a little bit about challenges you've experienced making this as opposed to television you've done before.
Every production comes with its own challenges because unfortunately nobody's got any money anymore.So its always difficult. And every time you see the end result it looks so easy and so glamorous and grand and people say "oh yes, you call that work!". Actually, we did all that Venice work in one day.


Because in that episode we see you say that its the end of the day and you did all of that stuff and you're tired. And i know from my own work as a print journalist how difficult it is to interview more than one person on a day with all the logistics and organising it entails.

I flew in and I got to the hotel at 01:30 in the morning, right. Started at 7:00. We finished at 02:30am.

The King of Fish, literally when we sat down to eat - because we cannot not eat it - it was 2 o' clock in the morning. And then  I had to be at the train station at 8:00.

And we had to do arrival shots at 07:00 in the morning which of course got canned because it started raining. It's that laborious. It is that long a day.

Lucky enough for me, people make me alive. I love people and I love talking and all of that stuff. So when I interview somebody it all kind of goes and I'm fine. But that's the truth behind it.

It's really intense and it's really long. No day was shorter than 15 hours and some days 18 hours.


You're knowledge of food is so comprehensive and huge. And then you have to interview other people. And I thought that was interesting, is that you sort of have to narrate and explain on their behalf when they don't really talk, or talk enough. Do you consciously have to tone down the language to make it easy for ordinary viewers to follow, and then explain more when the on-screen chefs don't?
It is difficult because a lot of the chefs on our show weren't very articulate with the language. So it was hard because I had ...my other job is being an agent.

So I'm a bit of a stage mom if you know what I mean. So "come on!" You want to sort of do them justice and be respectful, but yes, I knew what they were going to say before they said it really because I grew up reading cook books. And by nature I've got quite a good knowledge of food anyway.

And for the viewer of Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains, are you conscious of over verbalising or explaining to make it accessible?
If you want to make the point of what's going on - and I feel that a recipe is really beautiful - I think its important to let the viewer know what's going on. For me, when I watch television I get frustrated if I don't get any knowledge to take home from it. Because then it means I'm watching something mindless.

So I think cooking shows - so controversial of me to say it - but I think sometimes they cheat. Everything is in a little bowl, chopped and they chuck it in.

You don't really know what they've done. And I don't think a lot of the time chefs say "look, I've put two tablespoons in", "This is what a two inch piece of ginger which I'm going to grate, looks like".

If you're proud of the dish and you think you want people to cook it, you've got to give them the knowledge. But I am talkative.


Watching the first episode that was quite striking to me. 
And if they're not going to say it, you've got to say it for them! Ha ha.

Because in the bit where he puts the lamb in the first episode in the oven, the chef doesn't talk at all, and you have to say oh it's going into the oven for just a few minutes so as to not overcook it.
Yes. The truth is I would have been happy if he'd said it. But he was not going to. Ha ha. And if they're not going to say it, you've got to, otherwise it's not going to be used.


For a second possible series of Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains, are there places you'd like to go to?
There's absolutely ... there's two places I want to do. My dreams would be Victoria Falls. I think that would be amazing on the Rovos. I would love to do the Blue Train. I'd like to do the Indian trains. And I might do the Orient Express trains in Machu Picchu. For me that would be the best season two.

We've done some quite spectacular journeys on this one and a next one would have to be even better to justify and do.


Trains with showers.
Yes. And then my train life will be done. Because I don't really want to do the Trans-Siberia Express.


I think that would be a great one!
It would be a great one for a day. But I know they'll shove me for about a month and it would drive me crazy! Ha ha ha ha.

I'm sure we're going to see you on it Jonathan, ha ha. Thanks for talking to me.

ALSO READ: New series, Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains, on Travel Channel on Tuesdays at 21:00, embarks on a culinary journey by rail.
ALSO READ: How the Travel Channel missed the train with the media launch of Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains.

Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains, Tuesdays on Travel Channel (DStv 179) at 21:00

New series, Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains, on Travel Channel on Tuesdays at 21:00, embarks on a culinary journey by rail.

Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains, starting on Tuesday 11 February at 21:00 on the Travel Channel (DStv 179) sees the presenter of Jonathan Phang's Caribbean Cookbook setting off on a culinary adventure across the globe on luxury rail.

In this new series inspired by "the allure of old world glamour" according to the Travel Channel, Jonathan Phang, a self-confessed bon viveur with a passion for gastronomy, goes on a gourmet journey on luxury trains, stopping off and interviewing some interesting people along the way.

Luxury railway journeys in Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains include Venice to London on the Venice-Simplon Orient Express, Bucharest to Istanbul on the Venice-Simplon Orient Express, England (Kent and Rutland) on the British Pullman and Northern Belle, Singapore to Penang on the Eastern and Oriental Express, and Budapest to Vienna on the Venice-Simplon Orient Express.

On board the trains Jonathan gets to know the staff and fellow passengers and helps out with the chefs, including Christian Bodiguel and Yannis Martineau, who between them have worked on the trains for over 50 years.

In the cities he stops off in, Jonathan Phang explores what's new on the food scene, meeting people who are pioneering in their culinary field and tries the unexpected and cutting edge.

"The trains obviously looks more or less the same, but the destinations and the feel of the journey is what's interesting to me on the show," Jonathan Phang told TV with Thinus.

"Each city has something has something great. There's cities I've never been to like Bucharest - and not destinations I would necessarily choose to go to. So it's quite nice to be forced to go to them and to discover something you don't know".

"Also Istanbul I think is an amazing city. That's certainly a place I'd go back to."

Jonathan Phang said "apparently English people love train shows. Which I didn't know, because I don't particularly like trains. I've never been particularly interested in trains. The producers went to the channel with the idea and then the channel suggested that I might be the right person to front it. So I came in after it was commissioned".

"Trains are not my thing but after having experienced it I understand why it would be somebody else's. If you have an affection for trains, it's about as good as it gets," Jonathan Phang told me.


ALSO READ: Jonathan Phang on his new show, Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains on Travel Channel: "Every production comes with challenges".
ALSO READ: How the Travel Channel missed the train with the media launch of Jonathan Phang's Gourmet Trains.