A man who has visited every motorway service station in the UK has named one that left a lasting impression. On Sunday night (May 24), Channel 5 aired a brand new programme, Britain's Best Service Station, hosted by JLS star JB Gill. The former boyband member set out to uncover the 'weird and wonderful world of UK service stations' and interviewed experts along the way.
During one of his stops, JB sat down with self-proclaimed 'Service King' Rich Cross, who has spent over £10,000 travelling to every motorway rest stop in the country. When asked to name his favourite service station, Rich initially hesitated. 'I couldn't possibly have a favourite. They all have their own quirks and their own interesting features,' he said.
However, he admitted that the recently-opened Rotherham Services is among 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 went on to describe his fascination with rest stops, adding: 'They 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 unique hobby started when he was a child. As the son of a truck driver, he has fond memories of spending inset days and school holidays driving through motorways with his dad. While Rich couldn't pick a single favourite, Channel 5 ultimately unveiled the country's top five service stations according to a Which? survey.
Before the show, fans had already cast their votes on social media. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one shared: 'It's Tebay and that's it.' Someone else agreed: 'Tebay is obviously going to win, but really it should be Markham Vale or Skelton Lake,' while a third echoed: 'Tebay. End of.' It seems fans weren't quite correct as the survey named Tebay Services as the nation's second-favourite service station, while Gloucester Services claimed the number one spot. Britain's Best Service Station is available to stream on Channel 5.
