Former Scottish MP Mhairi Black has signed up for a new BBC series as she continues to build a career in television and comedy following her departure from politics.
Black will be one of seven famous faces taking part in the next series of BBC Two’s Pilgrimage, which sends celebrities with different faiths and beliefs on a challenging journey together.
She will join former Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis, comedian Leigh Francis, EastEnders star Nina Wadia, reality TV personality Ferne McCann, comedian and musician Jay Foreman and social media star Shabaz Ali.
Black said: “I’m really excited to explore places I’ve never been, with people I’ve never met. Not so excited about finding out whether I am as fit as I claim to be.”
Black was raised as a Catholic and attended Lourdes Secondary School in Glasgow, but has spoken publicly about her changing relationship with faith.
Pilgrimage traditionally brings together participants from a mixture of religious backgrounds, as well as atheists and agnostics, and uses the journey to explore their different beliefs and attitudes towards spirituality.
Previous series have followed routes through Portugal, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Italy and Turkey.
Black youngest MP elected to Westminster since 1832 when, aged 20, she defeated Labour’s Douglas Alexander to win Paisley and Renfrewshire South for the SNP at the 2015 General Election.
She announced in 2023 that she would stand down at the next election, saying Westminster was a “toxic workplace” and that the lifestyle of being an MP was taking its toll.
She subsequently left Parliament following the 2024 General Election and has increasingly moved into broadcasting and entertainment.
She took her debut stand-up show Politics Isn’t For Me to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2024 before touring it around the UK.
Earlier this year she fronted the BBC documentary Mhairi Black: Being Me Again, which followed her as she adjusted to life outside Westminster and explored what she wanted to do next.
Daisy Scalchi, the BBC’s head of religion and ethics for television, said the new series would once again bring together people with very different perspectives.
She said: “Pilgrimage continues to offer a unique space for our pilgrims to explore some of life’s biggest questions, and I’m delighted that this year’s group have agreed to take part.”
Details of where Black and her fellow celebrities will be heading are expected to be revealed closer to broadcast.
The ninth series of Pilgrimage will air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in spring 2027.