I’m quite disappointed by the selection of TV shows set in Thailand available on UK streaming/on demand sites, tbh.

Before I went to Italy, I was spoiled for choice. There was a selection box of fictional and travel shows with episodes set in Italy that I almost couldn’t watch them all. Almost. But for Thailand? The odd foodie travel episode with some random wildcards thrown in. Has Michael Palin not visited Thailand yet? And has no one got anything to say about Phuket or the Andaman Islands?!

Nevertheless, I’ve done my best with what I could scrounge. Here are the five TV shows set in Thailand that I’m watching before my trip to Bangkok, Phuket and Phi Phi Islands in November!

Random TV shows set in Thailand I’m watching

1. Jack Whitehall: Travels with my Father

Despite it being one of the most cringe-inducing, fake reality shows you will ever see, Jack Whitehall: Travels with my Father has to feature on my list. Though their ‘banter’ is so scripted. I genuinely believe anyone could portray the part of Jack Whitehall’s dad.

Season one follows British comedian Jack Whitehall on a ‘delayed gap year’ style jaunt around the Banana Pancake Trail in South East Asia. He invites his dad along for the laughs. They begin their trip in Bangkok before moving onto Phuket, Koh Phangan for a Full Moon Party and Ko Panyi. Thailand is only featured for the first three episodes of season one, but that’s more than most other TV shows set in Thailand!

You can watch Jack Whitehall: Travels with my Father on Netflix whenever you like. It’s a Netflix production so won’t be going anywhere any time soon!

2. Highland: Thailand’s Marijuana Awakening

Give me strength. They really tried, and it’s an interesting subject matter, but Highland: Thailand’s Marijuana Awakening is very biased and gets quite tedious towards the end. Unsurprisingly, this show is about Thailand’s relationship with weed. South East Asian countries are super strict with drug offenders, and Thailand is no different. But this documentary looks at the changing attitudes in Thailand about using Marijuana for medicinal and recreational purposes.

It’s just a three-parter and the three episodes are only 20 minutes long (why this isn’t a one-hour special, I’ll never know). They only seem to interview people who are all for the legalization of Marijuana for medical and recreational purposes, and one dude even thinks it will be legalized completely in two years (lol, what).

It’s great to watch documentaries with a more local insight as opposed to travel shows, but it was a bit dull by the third episode.

Highland: Thailand’s Marijuana Awakening is also on Netflix, but it’s a Coconuts TV production so it might not be there forever.

3. Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends

I thought I’d watched every episode of Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends on Netflix, but currently, they only stream two seasons. There’s actually a third season that you can find on BBC iPlayer right now.

Episode five is set in Bangkok where Louis becomes involved in ‘Thai bride’ agencies. These are agencies, usually run by fifty-something creepy men, who pair Thai women with British men. It’s so gross, as expected. The men running the agencies claim it’s great because Thai women want the respect that can, apparently, only be found in Western men. And the British men want a more subservient wife. Simple (and as gross) as that.

This is Louis Theroux at his finest. It’s an old show, like the early 2000s, but does Theroux ever go out of style?

4. Somebody Feed Phil

I had never heard of Somebody Feed Phil before my research into TV shows set in Thailand. However, I’m definitely going to catch up on all two seasons. This show is so entertaining and makes me feel so hungry.

It’s a really classic food/travel show premise. Presenter, usually white male, visits ‘exotic’ location and eats yummy food on camera. Pretty standard so far, yes? But presenter/food worshipper Phil Rosenthal is so joyous to watch onscreen, he clearly just loves food. He was even making me hungry eating a bowl of chicken soup and I’m a vegetarian.

The Bangkok episode is episode one of The First Course season on Netflix. And this is also a Netflix show. They take you all over the food markets and top restaurants of Bangkok, which is actually super handy. You can make a list for your next trip!

5. Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

Even though I’ve only recently started watching Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown on Netflix in the last week or so, I still find it extremely sad that this funny, culinary genius is no longer with us.

This series goes beyond the normal foodie fare; it’s named Parts Unknown for a reason. The Thailand episode is season three, episode seven. It’s so interesting comparing this episode to the Bangkok one from Somebody Feed Phil. Instead of Thailand’s capital, Bourdain heads to the more obscure Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand and hangs with farmers eating local delicacies which include raw blood and bile. The rest of the episode is essentially him going on an all-night food and beer binge with a famous Thai food chef from the USA. Madness.

So both shows are actually very different, even though they are food and travel TV shows. And I’ve got to say, though Bourdain is such an interesting dude, Somebody Eat Phil is much more useful as a travel guide.

You can watch Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown on Netflix. It’s Netflix run was extended after the tragic news of Anthony Bourdain’s death earlier this year, but I doubt it will be accessible for much longer.

And those are the five TV shows set in Thailand that I’m watching right now! Do you have any good travel show recommendations? Let me know in the comments below! 

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