Channel 4's two-part documentary 'Mission to Space With Francis Bourgeois' attempts to answer whether a social media-famous trainspotter can become an astronaut. The answer, clear from the start, is no. Bourgeois, a 25-year-old engineering graduate known for his TikTok videos celebrating trains, brings unforced joy and genuine geekiness, but the programme stretches his talents too thin over 90 minutes.
The documentary follows Bourgeois as he meets experts and undergoes physical tests required of astronauts. At the RAF Centre of Aerospace Medicine, he meets retired astronaut Tim Peake and promptly passes out during a G-force test. Later, a zero-gravity flight leaves him violently sick, and an emergency response simulation ends with him 'killing' a pretend patient. His resistance to hypoxia is negligible.
Bourgeois's dry British humour and literalness lead to awkward moments, such as when he tells Axiom Space's Matt Ondler about his head circumference at birth. An attempt to explore the emotional toll of space travel results in a bizarre therapy session where Bourgeois discusses his cat, leaving the therapist visibly confused.
The final 15 minutes offer a glimpse of a better programme, as Bourgeois discovers space engineering and bonds with passionate builders. His enthusiasm and engineering degree could have made for compelling television, but instead the documentary relies on a cringe-inducing voiceover and a premise that fails to land.
