‘I’ve splashed £10k touring every British service station and one stood out’

Channel 5 has aired a brand new programme shedding light on Britain’s best service stations

A bloke who has toured every motorway service station has singled out one that truly made an impression.

On Sunday night (May 24), Channel 5 broadcast fresh programme Britain’s Best Service Station fronted by JLS star JB Gill.

The boyband member embarked on a mission to explore the “weird and wonderful world of UK service stations,” chatting to specialists throughout his journey.

During one of his pit stops, JB sat down with so-called ‘Services King’ Rich Cross, who has splashed out over £10,000 visiting every motorway rest stop across the nation.

When pressed to reveal his top service station, Rich couldn’t pick just one. “I couldn’t possibly have a favourite. They all have their own quirks and their own interesting features,” he said, reports the Mirror.

Nevertheless, he confessed that the recently-opened Rotherham Services ranks amongst his top picks.

Rich explained: “This site stands out for me because it is just a completely different design to what we’ve seen before. The interior has depicted a typical Yorkshire High Street with mock shop-fronts.”

He continued to outline his obsession with rest stops, adding: “They [service stations] certainly are an exciting experience for everybody, not just kids.

“They offer something completely unique and completely different, kind of mini shopping centre on the side of a motorway.”

Rich’s unusual pastime began during childhood. As the son of a lorry driver, he cherishes memories of spending Inset days and school holidays cruising motorways alongside his father.

While Rich couldn’t single out a favourite, Channel 5 eventually revealed the nation’s top five service stations according to a Which? survey.

However, before the show aired, fans had already made their preferences known on social media. One user posted on X, formerly Twitter: “It’s Tebay and that’s it.”

Another person concurred: “Tebay is obviously going to win, but really it should be Markham Vale or Skelton Lake,” while a third chimed in with: “Tebay. End of.”

Despite the predictions, fans were slightly off the mark as the survey named Tebay Services as the nation’s second-favourite service station, with Gloucester Services taking the top spot.

Britain’s Best Service Station is available to stream on Channel 5