Bonnes Vacances!, By Rosie Millard

A small army of British writers has crossed the channel to document colourful quests - finding love, finding themselves or living the good life in bucolic France.

Rosie Millard, the BBC's former arts correspondent, ups the ante by taking herself, her four children and her husband on a 13-week trip across the French territories - the last vestiges of a once-mighty empire - to make a documentary series. She wants it to be a "big adventure". Her husband retorts: "What, you mean the midlife crisis one?"

Their first stop is St Pierre et Miquelon, an overpriced back-water. Things hot up in French Guiana, Martinique and beyond. They come across Gauguin's grave, eat iguana casserole and meet Polynesian priests. It's tame, twee family fun, though at times, we do feel for their children.