HITTING the open road with a group of strangers may not sound like holiday heaven - but for one couple it was an opportunity not to be missed.

Radio presenters Mark Kelly and Kelly Roughley took part in the television game show Coach Trip after advertising on their own show for contestants.

“Mark decided that as they were looking for contestants we should have a go,” said Kelly.

“I thought it would be a bit of a social experiment,” said Mark who admits to not enjoying the company of strangers or coach travel — the two main features of the Channel 4 show.

The pair live in Tyldesley with their two daughters, Leah, aged eight and four-year-old Beth.

They are radio hosts for Salford City Radio and entertainers, working under the stage name Okey Dokey Entertainments.

“This is very different to anything we have ever done before,” explained 37-year-old Kelly.

The show is hosted by flamboyant tour guide Brendan Sheerin who takes seven couples on the journey. During the trip, which takes in Belgium, Luxembourg and Italy before heading to Marbella, couples are voted off by their fellow travellers.

“Brendan is absolutely brilliant, he holds it all together,” said Mark.

At the end of each day the couples gather and the couple with the most votes collects a yellow card. Once they get two yellow cards they are voted off and replaced by a new couple.

Mark, aged 41, and Kelly do get voted off but after scheming and back-biting by other couples they decided it was time to go.

Mr Kelly said he became annoyed with one particular traveller who was flirting with his partner.

“I basically went all out to get voted off as I’d had enough,” said Mark, who admitted it is easy to become ‘paranoid’ and wonder what people are saying about you when you are in such a confined space for such long periods of time.

“It was an experience but we won’t be doing it again.”

The pair visited Belgium and France before leaving the competition.

They got the opportunity to try chocolate making in Belgium, have a go at human table football and go scuba diving.

The new series of Coach Trip starts on Monday, January 27 at 5.30pm.