Backpackers is a mixed genre travel-reality television program created by and starring friends Mick Middleton, James Grech (JAG) and Lee Mahoney from Colac, Victoria

Colac, Victoria

Colac is a small city located in the Western District of Victoria, Australia, situated approximately 150 kilometres south-west of Melbourne on the southern shore of Lake Colac and the surrounding volcanic plains, approximately 40 km inland from Bass Strait. Colac is the largest city in and...

.

The show was shot on three cameras over a year as Middleton, Grech and Mahoney left everything behind and backpacked on a shoestring budget around Europe.

It began airing in Australia on 13 November 2006 on Foxtel's Channel V

Channel V Australia

Channel [V] Australia is an Australian subscription television music channel, and also the newest Channel [V] channel. It is available on Foxtel, Optus TV and Austar satellite and cable services...

, but had already been picked up and aired in other countries throughout the world, including OLN Canada, C4 New Zealand, Extreme sports channel Extreme Sports Channel

Extreme Sports Channel

The Extreme Sports Channel is a Netherlands-based extreme sports television channel available across Europe and the Middle East. Al Gosling had the idea for the channel in 1998.-History:...

in England, in Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

, Dream TV Turkey

Dream TV Turkey

Dream TV, Dogan Media Group's foreign and Turkish, which broadcasts music channel. Super Kanal' s closure began with the publication. In addition to video clips in the channel film programs, including programs in Turkey are related to music festivals...

 and Channel V

Channel V

Channel [V] is the brand name for multiple international music television networks owned by STAR TV and Fox International Channels, fully owned subsidiaries of News Corporation.-Channel [V] International:...

 in Malaysia.

The program has received mixed reviews and cult recognition due to the nature in which the three backpackers went about making the show on small cameras and traveling on their own funds, interviewing, partying and recording all the random moments that occurred throughout the trip.

Backpackers has been both criticized and praised for its honest portrayal of a year of budget travel and has received a small cult base.
Backpackers has also been criticized for not being easy to find on the Internet.

Episode list

Episode #	Aus air date	Episode name	Description
1	13/11/2006	Australia and England	In the first episode Mick, Jag and Lee are introduced; three mates from Melbourne, Australia. They are about to say their goodbyes and get on a plane for a year trip around Europe. Once in England the fun begins as Lee gets a girl, Mick gets drunk and blows Jag.
2	Unknown	More England
3	Unknown	Scotland	The guys travel through the Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...  and Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west... talking about clock building and visiting the site where the Titanic was built, and as always having problems with Van Damme. But with money getting low the boys decide to head to Scotland to work, and pimp out Van Damme.
4	Unknown	More Scotland	The boys go in search of the Lock ness monster, cook haggis, make kilts and learn to dance.
5	Unknown	Scotland & France	As the guys say their goodbyes to their jobs and friends in Scotland they head over to France where they get beer at Maccas and get in trouble with the police. Oh and there are more problems with Van Damme.
6	Unknown	Spain	The group are now in Spain, which means drinks, bulls and good times to be had.
7	Unknown	Spain and Portugal	The Guys and girls Of Van Damme drive from Spain into Portugal, but not before stopping and checking out the little city of Cuntis & plenty of beaches.
8	Unknown	Largosl
9	Unknown	Spain
10	Unknown	Andorra
11	Unknown	Unknown
12	Unknown	Unknown
13	Unknown	France	After dropping the girls off at the airport to do their own thing, the guys head to a little town and have a look around, also eat frogs legs, snails and find a little town called Condom.
14	Unknown	Paris
15	Unknown	Belgium
16	Unknown	Netherlands
17	Unknown	More England
18	Unknown	Italy
19	Unknown	More Italy
20	Unknown	Sicily & Malta
21	Unknown	Scandinavia
22	Unknown	Unknown
23	Unknown	Unknown
24	Unknown	Unknown
25	Unknown	Unknown
26	Unknown	The Return home

External links

• Channel V site