Christopher Stevens, writing in the Daily Mail, judged the new series Rob and Rylan's Passage to India a misstep for the celebrity travel duo, saying their trademark formula worked less well in Delhi and often came across as pretentious and ill-informed.
Stevens's review singles out frequent namedropping by co‑host Rylan and what he described as clumsy, self‑congratulatory commentary from Rob Rinder. The critic highlighted on‑screen exchanges that, in his view, exposed a gap between the programme's cultural ambitions and the presenters' knowledge of Indian art and history.
Stevens recalled an early scene in which Rylan, a former X Factor contestant and television presenter, rattled off a list of celebrity guests at a party while riding in a tuktuk. Rob Rinder, the former barrister and frequent TV critic, pressed him for clarification about some of the names. The reviewer also quoted a candid birthday celebration in which Rinder described what he wanted in a partner, and an on‑cam rebuff from Rylan when Rinder appeared to make a pass.
The review criticises the show's invocation of E.M. Forster as a framing device, calling the comparison "pretentious" given the presenters' admitted unfamiliarity with Indian art. Stevens wrote that the pair began the series with what he termed the "obligatory hand‑wringing" about the British Empire, and he cited a line from Rinder in which the historian role was reduced to a few broad observations: "For 200 years, we ruled the country for our own benefit," and, according to the review, that Britain "brought cricket and trains, which proved useful for taking our treasure back home."
Stevens described an episode visit to the home of Shalini, identified in the review as a celebrity figure from the Netflix series Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives. He reported that Rinder reacted with surprise at photographs of the former British monarchs on display; Shalini's response, as quoted in the review, pushed back on the premise that only Britain had examined its imperial past, and she pointed to the prominence of people of Indian origin in British business.
The critic compared the India instalment unfavourably with the pair's previous series set in Italy, where he said the contrast between Rinder's gallery habitueship and Rylan's enthusiastic ignorance produced more effective chemistry. Stevens wrote that the Italy format, which mixed cultural visits with occasional revelry, had suited the duo better than the more historically charged context of Delhi.
Stevens's piece noted that during promotion of the series the hosts insisted their relationship was platonic, with Rylan saying, "We're like a married couple — we row all the time and don't have sex." The review framed moments of personal banter alongside the presenters' stated aim to follow literary footsteps, concluding that the series often prioritised celebrity anecdotes over sustained engagement with local culture and history.
The review was published in the Daily Mail on Sept. 15, 2025. Rob and Rylan's Passage to India continues to air its new episodes, presenting a mix of cultural visits and companionable, often gossipy interaction between its two hosts, a format that Stevens argued did not translate smoothly to the subject matter and setting of Delhi.