A sick cat in New Jersey was the unlikely inspiration for a veteran television show host to start his own tour of Bermuda to raise money for public television in the United States.

Television personality Burt Wolf was in Bermuda yesterday filming an episode of his long-running show 'Travels & Traditions'.

He was here with his wife Natalia and three-year-old son Nicholas. The episode will probably air in early 2008 and will kick off a special Burt Wolf-inspired travel package.

"About a year ago, a public television station in New Jersey, NJN, asked me to help raise funds," Mr. Wolf told The Royal Gazette said yesterday.

"So I went to one of my underwriters, Globus, one of the world's largest travel companies. I said 'I want you to lend me one of your boats'. I wanted to fill it with people from New Jersey."

The idea was for travellers to donate money to NJN in exchange for a celebrity trip with Mr. Wolf. One trip included a boat trip of the canals of Europe.

The first tour was so successful he raised $500,000 for the television station. The trip spawned other trips to raise money for public television stations around the United States.

"When I was on the first tour of Europe with people from New Jersey, last July, a woman in her mid-70s was very upset that her cat was sick," Mr. Wolf said. "She couldn't figure out how to make a call. So I gave her my Blackberry to use."

He was in the midst of arranging a straight-forward phone service for tour goers when he came across a lady in New York who also did public relations for Bermuda.

"I told the woman about our tours to raise money for public television," Mr. Wolf said. "She said 'That sounds wonderful, would you ever do this tourist project for Bermuda?'

"So we decided to come down and film the story, which will help to promote a tour of Bermuda."

The tours of Bermuda will be dubbed 'The Burt Wolf Sent Me Tours'.

Mr. Wolf himself probably won't be on the tours, but the itinerary will include things like a trip on the Bermuda sloop Spirit, behind the scenes trips to places like the Aquarium, visits to local churches to mingle with Bermudians and lessons in flying kites, playing darts and other activities.

Many of these things will be covered in the upcoming 'Travels & Traditions' segment in Bermuda.

It will be the fifth time the show has been filmed here; the last time was in 1999.

"I came down and started to write and wander around," Mr. Wolf said. "I chose my old friend, Charles Webbe, to be in this episode. I get a big kick out of him."

Other local people featured will include Dr. Ian Walker of the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo, Dr. Edward Harris of the Bermuda Maritime Museum and journalist Brian Darby, among others.

"While I am here I am going to take a look at some restaurants that are interesting," he said. "I am not a great upscale eater. I like to eat in simple, straight-forward places.

"I have had two recommendations. One was Bolero Brasserie, which I thought was excellent, and then I am going to one called Granny's Kitchen.

"I am also going to do a story on the Hamilton Princess."

"We went in to St. Paul's AME Church on Sunday and people were wonderful to us," Mr. Wolf added. "Everyone was full of hugs.

"They had a special T-shirt for my son Nicholas because there was a special children's event going on. We will be talking about how the AME Church got started and why."

Mr. Wolf has been filming travel and culture programmes since the early 1970s.

He has been nominated for two Cable Ace awards for his work and has won an Emmy.

He has also written a number of books including 'Eating Well' and 'Burt's Table'.

His shows are translated into a variety of languages and seen all over the world. The Bermuda episode will likely be seen in the United States for about six years.

For more information go to www.burtwolf.com.