I suppose they could have called it Gone Golfing. If you enjoy Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer shooting the breeze by the riverbank (which returns just before this airs) you will probably take to this new series fronted by Bill Murray as he travels around Ireland playing golf like the proverbial fish to water. Though as the programme keeps emphasising, it's not about golf. It's not about golf. Got it? Right.

And it's also not supposed to be about Caddyshack/Lost In Translation/Groundhog Day star Murray even though he is the charismatic stand-out character, occasionally hitting balls around glorious courses with his chum Tom Coyne, but mostly meeting the locals and getting on with them like a house on fire. Even the one who calls him Bill Cosby.

In the opening episode, for example, he meets a woman called Margaret who ends up narrating the entire episode, giving it some real charm. As if there wasn't already enough charm seeing the colourful old streets of Kinsale and watching Murray hand out free ice creams to his crew.

A Course Called Ireland is essnetially another celebrity travelogue. I almost expected to see the Irish Tourist Board namechecked in the credits because i'm sure it'll be giving them a boost. I had to stop myself from clicking on Ryanair while i was watching because some of the sea views were so enticing.

We also get to see Murray being shaved and there's a slightly overlong section on road bowls, the local sport I've seen too many times in travel shows. And of course Murray has to have a crack at it - he's pretty nimble for someone in his mid-seventies. He has a pretty good golf swing too.

While Gone Fishing often dwells on health and death Murray steers clear of that aspect, even though he's more ancient. Instead there's some informative history of Irish emigration to America – Murray's family was part of that movement and back in the old country he clearly feels totally at home. Partly because he thinks he looks like everybody.

Future episodes see him teeing up alongside Celebrity Traitor Joanne McNally and Chris O'Dowd. For those too lazy to switch channels after Gone Fishing this will go down as smoothly as a freshly poured pint of Guinness. 

A Course Called Ireland, BBC Two, Sundays from October 25, BBC Two, 9.30pm and all available on iPlayer

Picture Credit: BBC/Stellify Media