There’s something immediately pleasing about Rick Stein. He seems like a nice bloke… but one that could throw a punch in your defence if needed. He’s travelled the Mediterranean and widened his eyes at fresh fish near his house and now, we get to tag along in Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey (BBC Two, Thursday, 16 July, 8pm). The Far East has been a muse to pretty much every TV chef going, yet no-one has managed to beat Keith Floyd in terms of going there and making hilarious and brilliant TV. That’s possibly down to the fact that no-one dared knock as many drinks back as Floyd. So will Stein be swiping the crown?

Related: Rick Stein’s Memoirs of a Seafood Chef | Rick Stein and Cornwall fall out? | Rick Stein’s Who Do You Think You Are?

In fairness, it’s a bit trite to compare Rick Stein and Keith Floyd. While Floyd was anarchic and slapdash, Stein is a little more measured and precise. Thankfully, both have equal charm.

So off Stein goes to gasp and fizz at the sheer volume of weird and wonderful food on offer in the Far East. Of course, this being Our Rick, he’s off to wander the back alleys and unbeaten tracks to find something more indicative of his hosts.

He’ll once again feature food from professional kitchens as well as simple, sumptuous stuff rustled up by local amateurs. I would imagine that Stein will pay a little tribute to Floyd by cooking on a boat. Everyone cooks on boats when they head out East. It’s the law.