Bradley Walsh takes brutal revenge on son Barney as huge phobia exposed

Bradley and Barney Walsh are on the road again, and this time their travels meant Bradley had to once again confront his vertigo in challenges set by his son

Barney and Bradley travelled to Thailand and Japan for the new series (Image: ITV)
Bradley and Barney Walsh promise they spent some “quality time” together while filming their latest road trip – even if it did involve Bradley firing balls from a robot at his 27-year-old son’s head. The pair, now on their sixth travel series together, headed to Thailand and Japan for the latest series of Bradley & Barney Walsh: Breaking Dad, and the 64-year-old The Chase presenter reveals a highlight for him was a trip to meet some giant cyborgs.

“I had a lot of fun playing with some amazing supersized robots, they were very impressive,” Bradley says. “The one I had a go at controlling was so massive they couldn’t get it out of the warehouse. It was kitted out with these little balls you could shoot out, so I had a great time terrorising Barney!”

Bradley isn’t a fan of heights, or rope bridges (Image: ITV)
His son, who helps pick the places they visit for each series and usually goes for ones that challenge his dad’s fear of heights, got his own back with a trip to the Anxiety State Crisis Cave in Northern Thailand that is also known as Tham Wiung Fah.

Described on one climbing website as a 70m-deep massive cavern with “wild overhanging routes with sick exposure”, Barney calls their experience there as “unreal”.

“It was massive and definitely anxiety-inducing for dad,” he laughs. “I really loved all the adrenaline-fuelled activities we took part in.

“And fulfilling a lifelong goal of becoming a ninja for a day was also a lot of fun – my younger self would be proud.”

Bradley reveals it was an action-packed trip all round.

“We started off in Japan, experiencing the hustle and bustle of cities Tokyo and Osaka, and it was even crazier than I thought it would be,” he says. “We then hopped over to Thailand – the beaches in the southern islands were spectacular. Not that I got to do much sunbathing. Barney really put me through my paces this series.

Bradley and Barney tried out sumo wrestling (Image: ITV)
“We then headed north to the capital Bangkok and up to the mountains of Chiang Mai – it was such an incredible trip and so much fun.”

“We had so much fun on this trip,” Barney agrees. “I really packed out our itinerary.

“It was awesome to try out some national sports. We had a go at Muay Thai in Thailand, it was intense but a lot of fun.

“Some of the kids we got to train with were unbelievably strong, they nearly knocked dad over!

“And in Japan, after a bit of training, we went toe-to-toe with professional sumo wrestlers which was really cool. One of us even ended up with a surprising victory… but I won’t tell you which one of us it was.”

The father-and-son team, who also present Gladiators together, have been making Breaking Dad since 2019, beginning with a trip across America where they worked as cowboys, undertook centrifuge training at a space centre, and even met a voodoo high priest in New Orleans for some energy cleansing. Since then, they have travelled across more of the US, and visited countries in Europe including Switzerland, Italy, Croatia and Poland, while the most recent series in 2023 had them experiencing the sights and sounds of Central and South America. This latest trip, however, is their most ambitious adventure yet.

Bradley and Barney Walsh also host Gladiators together(Image: BBC)
“Travelling through Japan and Thailand was so different to anywhere we’ve been before,” says Barney. “We’re on our sixth road trip now but it’s still so much fun, and it’s amazing that we’re able to carry on adventuring around the world together. It was great to get stuck into learning about both countries’ cultures.

“It’s the furthest we’ve travelled together for the series and I think it’s the most exciting one yet.”

It was also a bonding experience for the pair.

“The highlight for me has got to be the quality time I got to spend with Barney, having a laugh and making lifelong memories together,” says Bradley. “It was also great to meet so many wonderful people along the way.

“We had a great guide who travelled with us across Japan – he was such a laugh, and brilliant at karaoke, I might add. We met a whole host of characters along the way who taught us so much about both countries’ history and culture.

“I love taking it all in and learning as much as I can.”