Harry Clark Goes to Rome

Blending warmth, wit and emotional honesty, Harry Clark Goes to Rome follows Harry’s personal journey to re-connect with his Catholic faith in these modern times.

In this documentary, 25-year-old Harry Clark of BBC Traitors and Pilgrimage: The Road to the Alps fame embarks on a personal pilgrimage to Rome in search of answers about belief, identity and what it means to be a 'good' Catholic today. He also has an audacious quest to meet one of the most powerful figures in the world – and latest addition to his (spiritual) family – the recently appointed Pope Leo XIV.

Living with his close-knit, real family in Slough, in the house where he grew up, Harry’s faith remains central to his life. But as the pace of modern living accelerates – pubs, clubs, media events, and relationships – his faith increasingly clashes with the traditions passed down by his mother and grandparents. Can belief survive modern life, and what does it mean to be a good Catholic in the midst of it all? For Harry, there is only one place that might offer answers – the home of the Catholic faith, Rome and the Vatican City.

As he prepares for his pilgrimage, Harry talks to those closest to him: his family and friends, his childhood priest and the most important woman in his life – his mum, Georgia. Through these conversations, he explores what it means to be Catholic, is challenged about his lapsed habits and learns about traditional Catholic pilgrim practices – fasting, confession, visiting the tomb of a saint and saying a prayer for someone he loves in Rome. These lead to deeply personal insights into Harry’s life, including an emotional visit to his grandad, a former footballer who is currently battling dementia.

Running parallel to this spiritual journey is Harry’s determined – and often comic – attempt to reach the man at the very top of the Vatican hierarchy, Pope Leo XIV himself. Through letters, phone calls, social media messages – and any other way he can think of – Harry pursues a meeting with the pope, despite the scepticism of those around him.

Whilst undertaking a 24-hour fast and accompanied by his mum, they arrive in the holy city of Rome. Among nodding Pope figurines, al fresco dining and streets lined with tourists, devotees and religious figures, they explore important places of pilgrimage. But at the end of the first night, as Harry breaks his fast, he worries the experience isn’t bringing him any closer to God.

At the pope’s Angelus in St Peter’s Square, Harry catches his first glimpse of Pope Leo XIV. He takes the opportunity to see if a member of the Swiss Guard can help him get closer to a meeting with the pontiff, but again he is unsuccessful. To find a deeper connection with his faith, Harry and his mum make an emotional visit to the tomb of 15-year-old millennial saint, Carlo Acutis, which raises difficult questions for them both, whilst a meeting with Sister Emanuela sees Harry nervously commit to undertaking his first private confession in nearly a decade.

As the journey reaches its climax, Harry is granted a meeting with Cardinal Roche – a member of the conclave responsible for appointing the new pope. Here, Harry finds an opportunity to raise some of the wider questions he has about his Church.

But will this meeting within the pope’s inner circle prove to be his chance to reach the very top of the Vatican and achieve what feels like a one-in-a-million moment? And what impact will this personal pilgrimage have on his faith and his understanding of what it means to be a modern Catholic?