A 'LONG-TIME ambition' for a sitcom set in Buckinghamshire has finally come true for a pair of Aylesbury writers.

'The Great Outdoors' follows the adventures, trials and tribulations of a group of ramblers when it hits our screens on BBC4 on Tuesday.

It's partly based on the experiences of writer Andy Riley, a big walking fan and former Aylesbury Grammar School student, and co-author Kevin Cecil.

Eagle-eyed viewers may recognise some of the scenery, with much of it being shot in Bucks.

Some of the filming was done on the Wormsley Estate near Stokenchurch, which Riley describes as “the most beautiful bit of the Chilterns – it's absolutely extraordinary”.

Describing his latest creation, Riley – whose previous work includes the acclaimed 'Bunny Suicides' books and Channel 4 comedy 'Black Books' with Cecil – said: “There's a power struggle between people in the rambling club. Going for a walk should be a simple thing but it could be a matter of life or death.”

The three-part show features a “great cast” including 'Gavin and Stacey' star Ruth Jones, Mark Heap and Joe Pasquale's son Joe Tracini.

Despite being a keen walker, filming 'The Great Outdoors' proved an eye-opener for Riley.

He said: “Where I draw the line is wearing a map on a cord around your neck. Our two main characters, Bob and Christine (played by Heap and Jones), are pretty hardcore ramblers and the others are a bit lightweight. Bob wears the map and it's like a medallion saying, 'I'm a rambler'.

“We were filming one scene in the middle of a public footpath when a group of four ramblers walked towards us. The leader, clearly an alpha male, had the map round his neck.

“One of the crew politely said, 'We're filming something, would it be OK if you walked round the edge?' This rambler got right up on his high horse and walked straight across the field.

“I thought, 'This is excellent, that's exactly what our main character would do'.”

Shooting the show brought about other challenges, not least due to the unpredictable British weather.

“If you're Francis Ford Coppola you can say, “The light's not quite right” and you can stop work,” said Riley. “We can't do that – you have to film in whatever there is.”

The actors had to stay out of the sun's glare between takes for continuity reasons: “All the cast had to have factor 15 on and the crew looked like they had been in Greece for a month.”

* 'The Great Outdoors' debuts on BBC4 on Tuesday July 27.