Great British Railway Journeys
Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with a copy of George Bradshaw's Victorian Railway Guidebook. Portillo travels the length and breadth of the country to see how the railways changed us, and what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.
Type: tv
Season: 1
Episode: 1
Duration: 0h 30m
Release: 2010
Rating: 7.4
Season 1 - Great British Railway Journeys
2010-01-04
"Michael learns to speak Scouse in Liverpool, finds out about the first railway fatality and explores the origins of the Eccles cake."
2010-01-05
"Michael is in Manchester to find out more about George Bradshaw himself. He also gets fitted for a trilby in Denton and learns how the railways helped to create a national institution - fish and chips."
2010-01-06
"Michael travels back in time on the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway, finds out about the latest Roman discoveries in York and takes to the air in the Network Rail helicopter."
2010-01-07
"Michael searches for the last liquorice grower in Pontefract, discovers how the railways turned Hull into one of the largest white fish ports in the world and goes fishing for sea bass in Bridlington."
2010-01-08
"Michael goes bird-watching on the wild cliffs of Flamborough Head, learns to decipher traditional knitting patterns in Filey and meets one of the oldest residents of the Victorian seaside resort of Scarborough - a 4000-year-old skeleton called Gristhorpe Man."
2010-01-11
"Michael explores the origins of the temperance movement in Preston, samples the attractions of Blackpool, a resort made by the railways, and takes a walk across Morecambe Bay with the official Keeper of the Sands."
2010-01-12
"Michael returns to the historic Settle-Carlisle line to find out what has happened to it since he helped save it in the 1980s. Along the way, he explores the magnificent Ribblehead viaduct, finds out about the navvies who helped to build it and catches a steam train along the line."
2010-01-13
"Michael takes a steamboat tour of Lake Windermere, visits Wordsworth's home village of Grasmere and makes sausages with a local Herdwick sheep farmer."
2010-01-14
"Michael meets the wild clansmen of Carlisle, the Border Reivers, witnesses a wedding in Gretna Green and visits a secret World War One munitions factory."
2010-01-15
"Michael makes apple juice in the Clyde valley orchards, pays a thrilling visit to the top of the Forth Rail Bridge and relives his childhood memories in his grandparents' home town of Kirkcaldy."
2010-01-18
"Michael finds out about free holiday trains for the GWR workers in Swindon, samples the Spa in Bath, and tries his hand at glass blowing in Bristol."
2010-01-19
"Michael samples local Cheddar strawberries, explores Cheddar Gorge and the famous caves, and visits one of the oldest piers in the country at Weston Super Mare."
2010-01-20
"Michael finds out about Torquay's micro climate, goes salmon fishing on the Dart estuary and spends some of Totnes' new local currency."
2010-01-21
"Michael visits the largest clay mine in the world near St Austell, goes pilchard fishing in Mevagissey and finds out how the estate of Heligan shaped British gardens."
2010-01-22
"Michael searches for the lost church of St Piran, explores the last working tin mine in Cornwall and harvests oysters on the Helford River."
2010-01-25
"Michael visits an architectural wonder, the Duke of Devonshire's stables in Buxton, helps to repair the ancient peat landscape of the Peak District and travels on the historic steam railway to Rowsley."
2010-01-26
"Michael visits the oldest working factory in the world at Cromford, explores the country's first public park in Derby and finds out why Burton's beer is said to be the best."
2010-01-27
"Michael meets the queen's saddler in Walsall, learns how to cook an authentic Indian curry in Birmingham and visits Bournville, rumoured to be the best place to live in Britain."
2010-01-28
"Michael relives the Coventry Blitz, meets the last pure breed Aylesbury duck farmer in Buckinghamshire and finds out how the trains helped to evacuate millions of children during World War II."
2010-01-29
"Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with a copy of George Bradshaw's Victorian Railway Guidebook. In a series of four epic journeys, he travels the length and breadth of the country to see how the railways changed us, and what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.\n\nHis journey takes him from Buxton along one of the first railway routes south to the capital, London. This time, Michael explores one of the grandest railway stations and hotels in the country: St Pancras. He rides the world's first tube line to Smithfield market and climbs up the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament to hear Big Ben chime."
Season 2 - Great British Railway Journeys
2011-01-04
"2\/25. Michael explores the changing fortunes of London's docks."
2011-01-05
"Michael Portillo discovers how the trains transformed Newmarket's races."
2011-01-06
"Michael goes fishing with the last eel trapper on the Fens at Ely."
2011-01-10
"Michael visits the world's first iron-framed building in Shrewsbury."
2011-01-11
"Michael explores historic Chirk castle and has a go at making traditional Cheshire cheese."
2011-01-12
"Michael visits Chester's Roman remains and goes mussel fishing on the Conwy estuary."
2011-01-13
"Michael visits the Victorian slate capital of Blaenau Ffestiniog in the Conwy valley."
2011-01-14
"Michael takes the train to the top of Wales's highest peak, Mount Snowdon."
2011-01-17
"Michael Portillo visits the first locomotive factory in the world."
2011-01-18
"Michael Portillo visits the historic Durham Cathedral and takes a Dracula tour in Whitby."
2011-01-19
"Michael Portillo takes a Turkish bath in the famous spa town of Harrogate."
2011-01-20
"Michael Portillo finds out about shoddy, a successful 19th-century recycling industry."
2011-01-21
"Michael finds out how trains transformed the traditional British sport of fox hunting."
2011-01-24
"Michael visits the Royal Observatory at Greenwich to see how the railways standardised time, takes a walk through the world's first underwater tunnel at Rotherhithe and explores the historic Dockyards at Chatham"
2011-01-25
"Michael explores the life of Victorian hop pickers, finds out about Maidstone's revolutionary paper industry and discovers how the railways turned cricket into a national sport"
2011-01-26
"Michael finds out how Canterbury Cathedral was saved during the Baedecker raids of World War II, goes whelk fishing in Whitstable and explores the origins of a seaside swim in Margate."
2011-01-27
"Michael explores a secret port that ran the first train ferries to France carrying vital supplies during World War I, visits Walmer castle, the home of the Duke of Wellington and discovers how the Victorians initiated the building of the Channel tunnel"
2011-01-28
"Michael discovers a hardy breed of sheep on the atmospheric Romney Marsh, explores Kent's new sparkling wine industry and finds out why the Victorians went mad for ferns in Hastings"
2011-01-31
"This journey goes up the west coast of Scotland from Ayr to Skye\n\nEp21. Ayr to Paisley.\n\nMichael visits the hometown of Robbie Burns and finds out how to make haggis, discovers how the railways transformed the game of golf in Prestwick, and uncovers the story of the great Victorian tartan hoax in Paisley."
2011-02-01
"Michael explores the historic Dumbarton shipyards that built the Cutty Sark, visits one of Queen Victoria's favourite haunts, Loch Lomond, and goes hunting for gold in Scotland's mountains"
2011-02-02
"Michael discovers how trains spread the word about Oban whisky, hears about the heroic struggle to build a railway across the desolate Rannoch Moor, and visits Corrour, one of the favourite shooting estates of the Victorian political elite"
2011-02-03
"Michael investigates one of the great geological mysteries of the 19th Century, the parallel roads of Glenroy. Plus, he finds out how the Victorians put a weather observatory on the top of Ben Nevis and takes a steam train across one of the most spectacular viaducts in Britain at Glenfinnan"
2011-02-04
"Michael discovers how the railways helped train the first generation of commandos at Lochailort in World War II, finds out why langoustines have replaced herrings as the top catch in the fishing port of Mallaig, and sails across the sea to Skye to explore the history of the highland crofters"
Season 3 - Great British Railway Journeys
2012-01-02
"Michael Portillo discovers the grave robbing history of Great Yarmouth and tries his hand at working a Victorian swing bridge in Reedham."
2012-01-03
"Michael Portillo follows the Victorians' fascination with Britain's own Atlantis to Dunwich and discovers the history of the Port of Felixstowe."
2012-01-04
"Michael Portillo comes face to face with a medieval politician, takes a rail tour of Victorian freak show hot spots, and rides an early electric railway."
2012-01-05
"Michael Portillo sees how gunpowder made in Waltham Cross fuelled an empire, and heads to Hackney to uncover the gruesome details of the first murder on a train."
2012-01-06
"Michael Portillo takes a ride on a secret miniature railway hidden beneath London's streets, and rings the bells of the famous church of Bow."
2012-01-09
"Michael Portillo visits a station fit for royalty in Windsor and views an engineering triumph built by Brunel to span the Thames at Maidenhead."
2012-01-10
"Michael Portillo tastes a Victorian superfood in Alton and tries his hand at driving a steam train on the challenging Watercress Line."
2012-01-11
"Michael Portillo experiences the magnificent Victorian organ at Winchester Cathedral and visits a 19th-century rail works still running in Eastleigh."
2012-01-12
"On the trail of a Victorian snake catcher, Michael visits the New Forest seeking out venomous adders, uncovers a secret library in Wimborne containing some very rare books, and visits the Poole potteries founded in the 19th century, which are still working today."
2012-01-13
"Michael uncovers the amazing oil fields hidden underneath England's quiet seaside resorts, discovers the crucial role Weymouth played in the D-day landings, and heads to the cradle of Victorian Britain's most prestigious building rock, Portland."
2012-01-16
"Michael is lead to a special view of the city of Oxford by his 19th century guidebook, samples a Victorian navvies' brew made by steam power, and discovers a unique and colourful crop in the heart of the Cotswolds."
2012-01-17
"Michael Portillo visits the Worcestershire village of Hartlebury, which was once home to a bishop who captured Queen Victoria's attention, on the second leg of his journey from Oxford to the south Wales coast. He also investigates the secrets of Worcestershire sauce and learns why the Malvern hills were popular with 19th-century health enthusiasts."
2012-01-18
"Michael discovers Britain's hidden micro-mines within the Forest of Dean, sees why the Victorians fell for the romantic ruins of Tintern Abbey and uncovers the railway engineering behind the industrial icon that is Newport Transporter Bridge."
2012-01-19
"Michael discovers the Victorian coal heritage that turned Cardiff into the city it is today, explores the 19th-century reason why Barry Island isn't an island, and takes a steam ride through the beautiful Brecon Beacons National Park."
2012-01-20
"Michael explores the Victorian railway legacy behind the steel works of Port Talbot, follows the trail of 19th-century waterfall hunters in Neath, and uncovers the fascinating whaling past of Milford Haven."
2012-01-23
"Michael discovers the unique cross-border history of Berwick-Upon-Tweed, hears the unique story of the Pitman Painters of Ashington and sees first-hand the perils of working on the rails in Victorian times."
2012-01-24
"Michael gets his hands dirty following the example of Victorian archaeologists at Hadrian's Wall, discovers how the invention of the ticket machine made a big difference to 19th century rail users, and sees how the Victorian railways first fuelled invention in Wigton."
2012-01-25
"Michael drinks a Victorian brew drawn from the pure waters of Cockermouth, steps inside the hidden world of nuclear reprocessing at Sellafield, and travels into the wonders of a Japanese inspired, 19th century garden."
2012-01-26
"Michael finds out the secrets behind Kirkby's famous blue slate, submerges himself into a secret world of nuclear submarines in Barrow, and sees why the executions at Lancaster castle drew the Victorians in their droves."
2012-01-27
"Michael sets sail from Heysham to the Isle of Man, where he discovers the horse trams of Douglas, the 19th century secrets of the giant Laxy Waterwheel, and the Victorian history of the delightful Snaefell mountain railway."
2012-01-30
"Today Michael observes the amazing engineering feat involved in building the railway along Dublin's treacherous East coast, explores 19th century crime and punishment in a Victorian jail, and finds out how the lions of Dublin Zoo changed the fortunes of the railways."
2012-01-31
"Today Michael explores the extensive railway network within the Bog of Allen, discovers the Victorian secrets behind the amazing Boyne Viaduct, and travels underground, into the vast Irish Zinc mines."
2012-02-01
"Today Michael explores the Victorians' fascination with antiquity, by visiting the amazing Cromlech stones of Dundalk. He reaches for the stars at the Portadown Observatory and travels in style along the steam railway of Downpatrick."
2012-02-02
"Today Michael explores the fascinating history of Belfast's Victorian docks, discovers the Irish spade making traditions untouched for over 150 years and takes a walk on the wild side with Whitehead's Victorian coastal paths."
2012-02-03
"Today Michael takes a white knuckle walk over the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, follows in the footsteps of the Victorians to experience the delights of the Giant's Causeway and explores the rich history of Londonderry."
Season 4 - Great British Railway Journeys
2013-01-07
"Michael Portillo embarks on another journey around the nation with a copy of George Bradshaw's Victorian Railway Guidebook to discover how the railways have affected people and what remains of Bradshaw's Britain. He begins by travelling from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, to Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, finding out about the remarkable craftsmen behind the Victorian furniture trade, discovering how George Bradshaw helped save Britain's canal heritage and seeing Shakespeare through the eyes of a 19th-century rail tourist."
2013-01-08
"Michael Portillo learns how the railways helped to make Birmingham the pen-making capital of the world, hears the chilling tale of one of 19th-century Britain's most notorious murderers and samples delicacies concocted in a Victorian kitchen at Shugborough Hall, Staffordshire."
2013-01-09
"Michael Portillo travels from Stoke-on-Trent to Winsford, Cheshire, finding out about one of the greatest locomotive factories in railway history along the way. He also discovers the dark side of the Industrial Revolution and learns how Victorian potteries brought their products to the masses."
2013-01-10
"Michael Portillo travels from Dudley in the West Midlands to Bridgnorth, Shropshire. He learns how Victorian blacksmithing was not for the faint-hearted, rides on one of Britain's most modern trains and traverses the Victoria Bridge at Bewdley in Worcestershire."
2013-01-11
"Michael Portillo travels from Welshpool, Powys, to Aberystwyth in Ceredigion. He experiences Victorian entertainment in one of Wales's best-loved resorts, hears how the railways took the country's textiles into the most exclusive households and unleashes the power of a 19th-century engineering triumph."
2013-01-14
"Michael Portillo embarks on the next stage of his journey in which he travels from the naval hub of Portsmouth to Grimsby docks. On the first leg, he helps feed the crew of Britain's newest battleship, discovers how the Victorians planned to repel a possible French invasion and learns there is a well-established industry in an unlikely location."
2013-01-15
"Michael Portillo travels from Woking in Surrey to Clapham Junction in south London. Along the way he gets close to some precious Victorian botany at Kew Gardens, tries his hand at croquet and discovers a very surprising 19th-century place of worship."
2013-01-16
"Michael Portillo learns how volunteer Victorian fire fighters liked a tipple."
2013-01-17
"Michael Portillo discovers how derelict Victorian London is being rejuvenated."
2013-01-18
"Michael Portillo sees how Lincolnshire farmers utilised rails to improve their harvests."
2013-01-21
"Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with his copy of Bradshaw's Victorian railway guidebook, he travels the length and breadth of the British Isles to see what of Bradshaw's World remains. Michael is exploring the stunning scenery of rural and coastal Scotland, travelling from Stirling, through the industrial east coast and dramatic Highland landscapes, to the beauty of the western lochs, finally ending his journey in John O'Groats. Michael learns about a Scottish hero, visits a Highland Games and discovers how an impressive piece of Victorian engineering ended in tragedy."
2013-01-22
"Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with his copy of Bradshaw's Victorian railway guidebook, he travels the length and breadth of the British Isles to see what of Bradshaw's World remains. Michael is exploring the stunning scenery of rural and coastal Scotland, travelling from Stirling, through the industrial east coast and dramatic Highland landscapes, to the beauty of the western lochs, finally ending his journey in John O'Groats. Michael learns how Queen Victoria used to hide from her subjects, discovers how factory workers went deaf and goes out with a bang in Aberdeenshire."
2013-01-23
"Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with his copy of Bradshaw's Victorian railway guidebook, he travels the length and breadth of the British Isles to see what of Bradshaw's World remains. Michael is exploring the stunning scenery of rural and coastal Scotland, travelling from Stirling, through the industrial east coast and dramatic Highland landscapes, to the beauty of the western lochs, finally ending his journey in John O'Groats. Michael learns how Victorian whisky trains were raided by robbers, travels along one of Scotland's most impressive viaducts and discovers that life is not always sweet on a shortbread production line."
2013-01-24
"Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with his copy of Bradshaw's Victorian railway guidebook. He travels the length and breadth of the British Isles to see what of Bradshaw's world remains. In this programme, Michael explores the scenery of rural and coastal Scotland, travelling from Stirling to the beauty of the western lochs, ending his journey in John O'Groats. Michael rides one of Scotland's most picturesque railways, visits Scotland's smallest station and learns what went into a Victorian-style spa break."
2013-01-25
"Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with his copy of Bradshaw's Victorian railway guidebook, he travels the length and breadth of the British Isles to see what of Bradshaw's World remains. Michael is exploring the stunning scenery of rural and coastal Scotland, travelling from Stirling, through the industrial east coast and dramatic Highland landscapes, to the beauty of the western lochs, finally ending his journey in John O'Groats. Michael learns how one man's vision helped bring train travel to the Highlands, discovers how farming has changed since Bradshaw's day and hears the remarkable tale of Scotland's Victorian gold rush."
2013-01-28
"Michael gets to grips with the old grey matter at a Victorian asylum, gives an historic horse a facelift and makes malt the 19th century way."
2013-01-29
"Michael visits a world famous tourist hotspot that's been captivating visitors since the Victorian era, takes to the air in Yeovil and tries his hand at cloth making, the 19th century way."
2013-01-30
"Michael explores a church that moves in mysterious ways, finds out just what it takes to run a 19th century signal box and summons all his strength, to move a one hundred and ten tonne steam locomotive."
2013-01-31
"Michael gets up close to a piece of natural history, visits a garden used as a viewing platform for public hangings and experiences a timepiece like no other."
2013-02-01
"Michael takes to sea with the heroes of the RNLI, visits a stormy coastal railway and has a close personal encounter with his boyhood hero."
2013-02-04
"Michael Portillo takes to the tracks once again using his Bradshaw's 'Handbook for Tourists in Great Britain and Ireland' from the Victorian era. Portillo is on a railway journey through the Republic of Ireland travelling from the rugged beauty of County Kerry, across the rural Irish Midlands to end in the city of Galway on the Atlantic coast. In this episode Michael samples nineteenth century foodie delicacies, explores a stunning landscape shot to fame by rails and royals and risks life and limb for the gift of the gab."
2013-02-05
"Michael Portillo takes to the tracks once again using his Bradshaw's 'Handbook for Tourists in Great Britain and Ireland' from the Victorian era. Portillo is on a railway journey through the Republic of Ireland travelling from the rugged beauty of County Kerry, across the rural Irish Midlands to end in the city of Galway on the Atlantic coast. In this episode, Michael learns the ancient art of butter making, attempts to learn the basics of Ireland's oldest game, and rides the Duke of Devonshire's Victorian Irish railway."
2013-02-06
"Michael Portillo takes to the tracks once again using his Bradshaw's 'Handbook for Tourists in Great Britain and Ireland' from the Victorian era. Portillo is on a railway journey through the Republic of Ireland travelling from the rugged beauty of County Kerry, across the rural Irish Midlands to end in the city of Galway on the Atlantic coast. In this episode, Michael tries his hand at cutting marble Victorian style, uncovers 19th century Ireland's surprising industrial heritage and learns how the railways helped bring motorsport to the masses."
2013-02-07
"Michael Portillo takes to the tracks once again using his Bradshaw's 'Handbook for Tourists in Great Britain and Ireland' from the Victorian era. Portillo is on a railway journey through the Republic of Ireland travelling from the rugged beauty of County Kerry, across the rural Irish Midlands to end in the city of Galway on the Atlantic coast. In this episode, Michael visits the Irish National Stud, discovers how harsh life was for the Irish poor and uncovers an astronomical feat of Victorian engineering."
2013-02-08
"Michael Portillo takes to the tracks once again using his Bradshaw's 'Handbook for Tourists in Great Britain and Ireland' from the Victorian era. Portillo is on a railway journey through the Republic of Ireland travelling from the rugged beauty of County Kerry, across the rural Irish Midlands to end in the city of Galway on the Atlantic coast. In this episode, Michael is on the final leg of his Irish journey and discovers historic jewellery with royal connections in Galway, meets a people's king and finds his voice with a traditional Irish singing group."
Season 5 - Great British Railway Journeys
2014-01-06
"Michael begins a new journey from Manchester to Chesterfield and begins by finding out how the world's first industrialised city also gave birth to a revolutionary political movement. He also learns about the legacy of George Francis Train in Birkenhead."
2014-01-07
"Michael begins his journey in the Lancashire resort of Southport, where the railways brought thousands of visitors to the popular seaside town. He then learns about Victorian entrepreneurship in Wigan and learns about the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution in Bolton."
2014-01-08
"Michael celebrates celebrates the Victorian trade with the Preston Guild and then travels on to Rochdale where he learns about a pioneering movement that helped improve the lives of working families."
2014-01-09
"Michael starts the latest leg of his journey from Manchester to Chesterfield at the home of the three Bronte sisters in Worth Valley, Yorkshire. He then travels on to Oakworth where he learns how the station and its heritage railway line secured a starring role in one of the most popular movies ever made."
2014-01-10
"On the final leg of his journey Michael learns about the music of the mills and collieries of Victorian England and plays with the brass band at Honley. In Holmfirth, he learns about a nineteenth-century tragedy that struck the town and led to a tourist boom on the railways."
2014-01-13
"Michael finds out about what happened to the once proud Euston Arch before braving the watery depths under Camden Town to learn how goods were transported by rail, road and canal. He then travels north to explore the Harrow of his childhood and remembers the shocking rail disaster of 1952."
2014-01-14
"Michael is in Bletchley where he meets one of the Second World War's most secret agents, and learn about a poet in Olney whose words are still sung today. He ends up in Newport Pagnell, where he finds out about the ancient craft of vellum making."
2014-01-15
"Michael makes his way to Northampton, the land of shoemakers, where shoes have been made for more than 130 years. In Rugby, he learns about the legacy of Dr Thomas Arnold. He ends journey in Nuneaton, birthplace of an author whose identity was once a guarded secret."
2014-01-16
"Michael is in Leicester, where he follows the trail of 'the famous crook-backed King Richard III', who Bradshaw's informs him was buried at the Grey Priory. He learns about the hunt for the king's remains and how scientists managed to prove that the skeleton discovered under a car park was him."
2014-01-17
"Michael learns more about a once-famous poet in Nottingham and in Mansfield he travels on a railway line resurrected by popular demand after falling victim to Beeching's cuts. After making his way to Worksop, he finds out about the burrowing activities of an eccentric Duke. He then travels on to Doncaster, where in the nineteenth century thousands worked to build trains and where in the twentieth century, rail workers helped to shape British political history."
2014-01-20
"Michael starts the first leg of a journey from Southampton to Wolverhampton, beginning by being taught how to set the table on the liner Queen Elizabeth. In Netley he learns about the remains of an extensive military hospital built by order of Queen Victoria. He finishes this leg of his journey in Basingstoke, where he finds out out about a battle between residents and the Salvation Army."
2014-01-21
"Michael is Winchfield, where he learns about the vast carriage which carried the Duke of Wellington's coffin to his state funeral at St Paul's Cathedral in 1852. He then makes his way towards Farnborough and the army camp at Aldershot, where he joins the regulars to be put through his paces under military instruction."
2014-01-22
"Michael starts in in Wokinghamand learns how demand from a growing number of rail commuters fuelled the development of the modern printing press and discovers how to print on an iron press. He makes his way towards Newbury, where he learns about a Tudor captain of industry, who manufactured cloth in huge volumes."
2014-01-23
"Michael travels from Chippenham, where at Lacock Abbey he finds out how the world's first photographic negative was made and learns how to make a print. He then makes his way to Bristol where he visits the Victorian Clifton Zoo. He then makes his way towards the Severn Tunnel Junction in Wales, where he learns more an extraordinary piece of Victorian engineering."
2014-01-24
"Michael makes the journey from Southampton to Wolverhampton, stopping at the spa town of Cheltenham, where he learns about a very early locomotive carriage which ran not on rails but on the road. He then makes his way to the medieval town of Tewkesbury, scene of a shocking battle during the Wars of the Roses."
2014-01-27
"Michael is in Norwich and pays a visit to a Norman castle where he learns about the Victorian public's gory fascination with crime and punishment and learns how campaigners such as Elizabeth Fry worked to improve conditions for prisoners. He then makes his way to Thetford and learns about how the Victorian appetite for rabbits and their fur led to special train services to London."
2014-01-28
"Michael makes hos way from Ipswich to Chelmsford, beginning at an agricultural implements works with its own railway sidings. He then travels south-west into Essex where he dredges for oysters off Mersea Island before taking the train to Witham, where he finds out about a model farming establishment at Tiptree."
2014-01-29
"Michael makes his way along the Essex bank of the Thames before crossing the river into Kent. He pays a visit to Barkingside, where Thomas Barnardo made it his life's work to transform the lives of destitute children. At Gravesend he learns how one of Queen Victoria's favourite army officers, General Gordon, left his mark on the town."
2014-01-30
"Michael starts in Faversham and visits on the oldest surviving breweries, Shepherd Neame. He then moves on to Dover, and learns about one of the town's best kept secrets, the sunken fortress known as the Western Heights."
2014-01-31
"Michael finds out about the history behind the Pavilion at Brighton and discovers that Queen Victoria was not an admirer of the Prince Regent's flamboyant taste. At Bramber, he learns visitors used to make their way to the town in huge numbers due to a Victorian museum of taxidermy. He then pays a visit to Arundel Castle and he's pleased to find that the Duke of Norfolk was a great supporter of the railways. He finally makes his way to Chichester and visits Goodwood."
Season 6 - Great British Railway Journeys
2015-01-05
"Michael travels through southern Scotland from west to east. After leaving Ayr, he admires the island of Ailsa Craig before getting to grips with the sport of curling. After he makes his way to Barassie, he rides the footplate of a freight train hauling coal on Scotland's oldest railway line.\n\nNew"
2015-01-06
"Michael is in the industrial town of Greenock where he sails on the last seagoing paddle steamer in the world. In Glasgow, he learns about the devastating effects of the 2014 fire at the Glasgow School of Art. In Blantyre, he learns about the beginnings of Britain's most famous missionary and explorer."
2015-01-07
"Michael learns more about Victorian iron and steel in Motherwell and admires the Forth Rail Bridge. He then takes a journey through some picturesque countryside to admire the raw power of nature at the magnificent and romantic Clyde Falls."
2015-01-08
"Michael is in Stirling, where he pays a visit to the scene of the battle at Bannockburn. He then travels north to Crieff to experience the popular Hydro. In Perth, he finds out how to make a sporran."
2015-01-09
"Michael pays a visit to the birthplace of golf at St Andrews before making his way to Dunfermline, where he learns about the poor beginnings of one of the world's wealthiest men. After arriving in Edinburgh, Michael pays a visit to the Edinburgh Fringe."
2015-01-12
"Michael travels on London's first underground railway, the Metropolitan Line, from Amersham, where he finds out about the foundations for modern day suburbia."
2015-01-13
"Michael is on aboard the construction locomotive for Crossrail as it travels under the Thames. He meet Mary, on whom the project depends. He also travels on London's first railway, and admires the brick viaduct on which it was built."
2015-01-14
"Michael takes a ride on the high-speed line to Stratford to learn more about the legacy of the Olympic Park. He finds out how an Indian lawyer went on to change the world and explores an area of the city which has become home to a new wave of immigrants."
2015-01-15
"Michael finds out more about London's theatreland and learns how 19th-century engineering made for spectacular theatricals. At Charing Cross, he finds out about the ambitious building programme which saw Trafalgar Square replace streets of slums and comes face to face with George Bradshaw."
2015-01-16
"Michael takes a look around the Albertopolis and reaches dizzying heights inside a Victorian landmark. He meets some of Battersea's most famous residents and also finds out about the darker side of London's flower market in Bradshaw's day."
2015-01-19
"Michael gives an old engine a make over in the railway hub of Derby, before making his way to Nottingham to find out about the Victorian origins of a well-known high-street chemist."
2015-01-20
"Michael is in Boston, south Lincolnshire, where he learns about the connection between the town and its American namesake. At Southwell, Nottinghamshire, he learns about the origins of a local Victorian apple."
2015-01-21
"Michael is in Hessle, on the north bank of the River Humber, where he finds out about the technology that made it possible to build the Humber bridge. In Kingston upon Hull, he meets local MP Alan Johnson, who tells him about William Wilberforce."
2015-01-22
"Michael pays a visit to one of the last cast iron foundries in Middlesbrough and helps cast a carrot valve for a steam engine. He then makes his way to Darlington where he finds out how the city profited from its fast connections the rest of the country."
2015-01-23
"Michael learns about the world\u2019s earliest swing bridge and learns how Newcastle's Victorian industrial heritage has a new cultural purpose."
2015-01-26
"Michael is in Pembroke Dock, where Queen Victoria's royal yachts were built. He then makes his way to the market town of Naberth where he learns what caused rebels to dress up as women. The then spends the night at an inn in Carmarthen where Horatio Nelson once met Emma Hamilton."
2015-01-27
"Michael takes a look around the ruinous gardens at Aberglasney House near Llandeilo before riding shotgun in the driver's cab on one of the most scenic routes in the country."
2015-01-28
"Michael pays a visit to the Big Pit coal mine in Blaenavon, where he finds out how Victorians worked night and day to power the industrial revolution. He also finds out more about the Ascott Martyrs and has a go at hand ploughing on a farm."
2015-01-29
"Michael visits the Bodleian research library in Oxford to see some Victorian treasures, After making his way to Bicester, he investigates two exciting new rail projects."
2015-01-30
"Michael is in Oakham, where he finds out about a tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. He then makes his way to Stamford, where he learns why the town is such an attractive location for period dramas. He also visits Christ\u2019s College at Cambridge University, where he finds out about the student days of Charles Darwin."
Season 7 - Great British Railway Journeys
2016-01-05
"Windermere to Carnforth\n\nMichael continues his journey through the Lake District where he discovers a magical world of talking rabbits, ducks, hedgehogs and mice, who have entertained children for more than 100 years. At the village home of author and illustrator Beatrix Potter, Michael learns about her legacy and her fears about the railways. Fuelled by a Victorian energy bar, Michael presses on to Brantwood, home of the Victorian art critic John Ruskin. He finishes with a brief encounter at Carnforth."
Season 8 - Great British Railway Journeys
2017-01-17
"Greystones to Dublin\n\nAt Trinity College, Dublin, Michael Portillo discovers one of Ireland's greatest treasures and learns how it became the symbol of the nation. There is a chance to sample the black stuff in a Dublin pub before Michael learns how Victorian royals were deployed to calm rocky relations between Britain and Ireland. He explores the magnificent house and gardens of Powerscourt in County Wicklow. Finding an angle on triangulation helps Michael to understand how Ireland was put on the map - and why."
2017-01-18
"Navan to Mullingar\n\nMichael gets up to speed with modern archaeology in County Meath and uncovers a controversial Victorian dig at the sacred Hill of Tara. He investigates leaping salmon in Leixslip and discovers an electrifying breakthrough at an historic seminary. At Mullingar, Michael bangs the drum for the town's marching band."
2017-01-19
"Dromod to Sligo\n\nWith his Victorian Bradshaw's guidebook in hand, Michael Portillo crosses the Emerald Isle uncovering Irish identity, forged at a time of political strife. Travelling through the beautiful landscape, Michael learns how it inspired one of the 20th century's greatest poets, WB Yeats."
2017-01-20
"Ballina to Westport\n\nOn the last leg of Michael Portillo's long journey from Wexford to Westport, a fashionable Victorian seaweed bath is followed by a steamy scene in Ballina. On tenterhooks in Foxford, Michael discovers the visionary charity of an entrepreneurial nun. He learns of a double tragedy at Clew Bay and begins a pilgrimage to the summit of Ireland's holy mountain, Croagh Patrick."
Season 9 - Great British Railway Journeys
2018-01-19
"With his Edwardian Bradshaw's railway guide tucked under his arm, Michael Portillo begins the last leg of his journey from Hull to Caernarfon. In picturesque Snowdonia, he braves the fastest zip line in the world - stretching 1,500 feet across a vast slate quarry. He uncovers a bitter industrial dispute between quarrymen and the owner of the pit, Lord Penrhyn, which divided the community at the beginning of the 20th century. Riding north Wales's splendid heritage railways, Michael visits the home of British mountaineering, Pen y Gwryd, to hear how an Edwardian journalist and poet created a climbing community, which grew to include men who would conquer Everest in the 1950s. Michael meets the grandson of one of his political heroes, the Edwardian Prime Minister David Lloyd George, at his birthplace in Criccieth."
Season 10 - Great British Railway Journeys
Season 11 - Great British Railway Journeys
2020-01-20
"Beginning in Canterbury in Kent, Michael treads the boards as he uncovers the political message behind a play, published in 1936, inspired by the 12th-century murder of Archbishop Thomas a Becket."
2020-01-21
"On this leg, Michael alights at Limehouse in east London for Cable Street, which became the focus of Britain's fight against fascism in the 1930s."
2020-01-22
"Michael Portillo's railway journey reaches Witham in Essex. Here he visits the factory of the world's oldest supplier of metal framed windows which became popular in the 30s."
2020-01-23
"Michael Portillo heads for Snape Maltings, a concert and arts venue, and learns how the music and life of one of Britain\u2019s greatest composers was shaped by the sea and his Suffolk surroundings."
2020-01-24
"Michael Portillo is in Attleborough, at the headquarters of an international horse welfare organization which was established in the late 1920s, where he learns about the charity's pioneering founder."
Season 12 - Great British Railway Journeys
2021-04-26
"Michael Portillo strikes out on another series of railway journeys, starting with a tour of the Home Counties and beyond in the city of dreaming spires, Oxford."
2021-04-27
"Michael Portillo continues his travels through England's Home Counties at Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire, where he discovers the legacy of a German Jewish doctor who fled the Nazis."
2021-04-28
"Michael Portillo heads for leafy Hatch End, where he investigates an illustrator whose work was so popular in the 1920s and 30s that his name entered the English dictionary."
2021-04-29
"Michael Portillo resumes his tour of the Home Counties in the picturesque and historic county town of Guildford.\n\nEnglish"
2021-04-30
"Michael is heading for Farnborough, Hampshire, famous today for its airshow and home to what was then the Royal Aircraft Establishment."
2021-05-03
"Armed with his 1930s Bradshaw's, Michael Portillo explores interwar East Anglia. Starting at Sutton Hoo, he visits the experimental Summerhill School and learns about the Kindertransport refugees."
2021-05-04
"Michael Portillo continues his Bradshaw's-inspired journey through East Anglia, where he discovers the Essex origins of the BBC and joins the Women's Land Army to pick damsons at Tiptree."
2021-05-05
"Michael's Bradshaw travels resume in leafy Hertfordshire, where he attempts a canoe slalom course, visits the estate of Dame Barbara Cartland and hears the shocking story of the R101 airship."
2021-05-06
"Steered by his Bradshaw's guide, Michael Portillo heads for the Hertfordshire village of Perry Green to learn about Henry Moore became one of the defining artists of British modernism."
2021-05-07
"Michael Portillo is in Suffolk on the last leg of his 1930s Bradshaw's inspired tour of East Anglia, visiting the racecourse at Newmarket and the Roman Catholic shrine at Walsingham."
2021-05-10
"Oh, Mr Porter, what could he do? Michael Portillo is in Crewe, a town steeped in railway history and immortalised in Victorian music hall, to investigate the making of the iconic cinema classic, The Night Mail during the 1930s."
2021-05-11
"Michael Portillo's 1930s Bradshaw's-inspired railway tour of North Wales takes him to a coast lined by magnificent castles and sweeping bays."
2021-05-12
"Michael Portillo continues his 1936 Bradshaw's-inspired railway tour of North Wales in the coastal city of Bangor before turning south from Llandudno Junction to travel the Conwy Valley Line to Betws y Coed, the gateway to Snowdonia."
2021-05-13
"In the Welsh mountains of Snowdonia, Michael Portillo reaches an abandoned mine, where in 1940 the wartime government sought sanctuary for the National Gallery\u2019s priceless art collection. Michael hears how, as invasion appeared imminent, great masterpieces were transported by train and lorry to be stored hundreds of feet beneath the ground in a natural granite bunker.\n\nAt Tan y Bwlch, Michael meets 'Blanche', who used to haul slate at Penrhyn quarry and was built in 1893. Now beautifully restored, she takes Michael on a memorable ride on the oldest narrow-gauge line in the world, the Ffestiniog Railway.\n\nIn the harbour town of Porthmadog, Michael investigates the Welsh origins of a man forever associated with the Middle East, Lawrence of Arabia."
2021-05-14
"Armed with his 1930s Bradshaw's Guide, Michael Portillo travels from Aberystwyth into the Cambrian Mountains at Devil's Bridge and finishes in Newtown, Powys. Michael's 250-mile tour of North Wales draws to a close in style at the birthplace of the nation's first classical music festival, Gregynog Hall, near Newtown. Michael is intrigued to discover that its founders, sisters Gwendoline and Margaret Davies, used the fortune they inherited from their grandfather, a noted Welsh railway builder, to establish the country estate as a centre for art and music from 1933. In the glorious music room, a Welsh harpist helps to evoke the spirit of festivals past and present."
Season 13 - Great British Railway Journeys
2021-05-17
"Michael Portillo experiences a terrifying \u2018victory roll\u2019 in a World War II Spitfire, high above the most famous aerodrome of the Battle of Britain, Biggin Hill. The 80-year-old aircraft, in which so many young men risked their lives for the nation, is one of a fleet intensively maintained by a dedicated team of technicians, and Michael is privileged to be flown by an ex-Royal Navy pilot. Michael learns of the strategic importance of the sector airfield to the defence of the capital and the country.\n\nBack on terra firma, Michael takes the train to East Grinstead on the trail of a bear with very little brain. In Ashdown Forest, he meets a biographer of A.A. Milne to find out about the author\u2019s much-loved character, Winnie the Pooh. Michael plays a game of Pooh Sticks, then treats himself to a \u2018little something\u2019 at Pooh Corner."
2021-05-18
"Starting in Hassocks, Michael makes his way to the beautiful Sussex village of Ditchling, where, between the wars, a Roman Catholic community of artists made their home. Michael finds out how they made their mark on the village, the capital and the nation\u2019s railways.\n\nIn the seaside town of Bexhill-on-Sea, Michael hears of the work of the wartime air raid precautions wardens, immortalised in the BBC series Dad\u2019s Army. He discovers Bexhill was heavily bombed from the air and became a target of the Nazi invasion plan, Operation Sealion.\n\nMichael takes the train north to the village of Burwash, where he finds a magnificent Jacobean house called Bateman\u2019s. Its occupant - until 1936, when Michael\u2019s guidebook was published - was the most famous writer in the country, Rudyard Kipling, author of the Jungle Book. Michael learns about his life and work.\n\nThe delightful Kent and East Sussex heritage railway conveys Michael from Bodiam Castle through the scenic Rother Valley to Tenterden."
2021-05-19
"Michael Portillo follows his 1930s Bradshaw\u2019s guide to the unspoilt East Sussex port of Rye, where he learns about the loss of a generation of lifeboatmen in 1928 and explores a wartime pillbox.\n\nOn the beaches at Rye, Michael explores one of 28,000 pillboxes constructed around the British coastline during World War II and hears from a military historian about how the nation prepared for an expected German invasion.\n\nTrain heaven beckons as Michael boards the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch railway to cross Romney Marsh en route to Dungeness. Along the way, he hears about the eccentric inventor of the railway, Count Louis Zborowski.\n\nFrom Dungeness, Michael heads to the former RAF base of Denge, where he discovers a cluster of giant concrete structures with an intriguing name, Sound Mirrors. The RSPB warden in whose nature reserve they stand explains their history to Michael."
2021-05-20
"From the Kent Cinque Port of Deal, Michael heads to the splendid Walmer Castle, home during the 1920s to a Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Lord Beauchamp. Michael\u2019s guide, the founder of the LGBTQ working group for English Heritage, tells Michael of the lavish homosexual parties Lord Beauchamp held at the castle and how his openly hedonistic lifestyle, at a time when homosexuality was illegal, resulted in his exile from the country.\n\nTracking the east Kent coast, Michael reaches the Royal Harbour of Ramsgate, where he remembers the courage of the little ships that evacuated men from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940. Michael goes deep underground to see where the town\u2019s residents sheltered from enemy bombs in a two-and-a-half mile long disused railway tunnel, some for up to five years.\n\nNext stop is Margate, 'an exuberant resort' according to Bradshaw\u2019s and the holiday destination of choice for Londoners drawn by the town\u2019s pioneering amusement park, Dreamland."
2021-05-21
"Armed with his interwar copy of Bradshaw\u2019s Guide to the Railways, Michael reaches the Kent seaside resort of Herne Bay, where he learns about a pioneering aviatrix who began her working life as a typist in Hull but whose epic achievements made her an international celebrity.\n\nMichael takes the train five miles west along the coast before heading offshore into the entrance to the Thames Estuary. He is amazed by seven enormous steel sea forts, which loom out of the water 90 feet above the seabed. The engineering involved in constructing these impressive structures is awe-inspiring, as is their role in protecting the nation from enemy bombing during the Second World War.\n\nIn the seaside town of Whitstable, Michael tucks into its famous staple, oysters. He then crosses the North Downs to Lenham, from which he visits Leeds Castle, the 'loveliest castle in the world' and home between the wars to the visionary Lady Olive Bailey."
2021-05-24
"Michael continues his journeys in greater London. Beginning on its southeastern fringe in the leafy and historic village of Chislehurst, Michael finds surprising imperial connections and a dark labyrinth beneath. Michael discovers that during the years between the wars, a mushroom farm thrived in the 22 miles of man-made passages and tunnels. Once war broke out, however, he finds that the caves became one of the largest public air raid shelters in the land, offering refuge to up to 15,000 people.\n\nNext stop is Eltham, boyhood haunt of Henry VIII, who grew up in its grand royal palace. Michael investigates how, in the early 1930s, a wealthy couple rescued it from dereliction and created their own 'grand design' of the day. Stephen and Virginia Courtauld restored the magnificent great hall and added a vast new mansion, which embraced the art deco style and mod cons of the period. Michael marvels at the opulent design and the glamorous cocktail parties hosted by the pair."
2021-05-25
"Michael continues his travels through the capital in the heart of London\u2019s East End. Michael explores Hackney Wick, today transformed from the time of his 1930s Bradshaw\u2019s guide, when factories belched smoke and the Communist Party of Great Britain launched The Daily Worker. Michael hears about the newspaper\u2019s origins and aims from the editor of its modern incarnation, The Morning Star.\n\nA bout in the ring at Repton Boxing Club has Michael floating like a butterfly - if not stinging like a bee - as he discovers one of Britain\u2019s greatest fighters, Ted 'Kid' Lewis. Michael is captivated by the story of the Jewish refugee from the Russian pogroms, who twice became welterweight champion of the world.\n\nA night at one of the earliest railway hotels, the Great Northern, sets the scene for Michael to explore the railway revolution of the interwar years, when around 150 companies were rationalised into the 'big four', heralding a golden age of glamour, speed and style."
2021-05-26
"Michael\u2019s Bradshaw\u2019s-inspired rail tour of London continues in Hampstead, where shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, a groundbreaking Jewish doctor found refuge. Sigmund Freud fled the Austrian capital of Vienna by train to escape the Nazis, who branded his work degenerate. Michael hears how the father of psychoanalysis was warmly welcomed in London and sees the famous couch, upon which patients would lie to recount their dreams.\n\nIn St John\u2019s Wood, Michael discovers how Britain went on record between the wars at the Abbey Road Studios. He is amazed by the cavernous space in which Sir Edward Elgar and the London Symphony Orchestra played at the grand opening ceremony in 1931, and he's awed by the list of famous names to follow their lead, topped by the Beatles, who immortalised Abbey Road on an album cover. A young violinist brings Studio 2 to life with a tribute to Elgar."
2021-05-27
"Armed with his 1930s Bradshaw\u2019s guide, Michael is in London, where he tracks the River Thames from east to west. Michael is drawn to the industrial eastern suburb by the unexpected sound of pipes. He finds their origins in a Sunday school band for girls begun by a cleric in the 1930s. Still going strong, the Dagenham Girl Pipers explain their history and success, as well as treating Michael to a performance of Tipperary.\n\nAboard a Thames Rocket boat, Michael finds out how the river is both the lifeblood of and an existential threat to the capital. He hears how a great flood claimed 14 lives in 1928 and investigates how London is protected today on a visit to the Thames Barrier.\n\nMichael finishes this leg of his tour at one of London\u2019s most iconic buildings, Battersea Power Station, built during the 1930s by Giles Gilbert Scott."
2021-05-29
"Michael Portillo discovers the origins of Harry Beck's map of the London Underground, learns about a shocking surrealist show in 1930s Piccadilly and explores the headquarters of Churchill's war cabinet."
Season 14 - Great British Railway Journeys
2023-06-19
"Michael Portillo strikes out to explore the Britain of his youth, starting at Preston\u2019s Fulwood Barracks and heading across to Bury Bolton Street station in Greater Manchester."
2023-06-20
"Michael\u2019s journey through north west England from Preston to Hebden Bridge reaches Greater Manchester, where Michael celebrates new beginnings for the nation in the years after the Second World War."
2023-06-21
"Greater Manchester\u2019s Metrolink tram delivers Michael to the former cotton town of Oldham. He heads across to Wakefield and the striking postwar sculptures of Barbara Hepworth."
2023-06-22
"From Wakefield, West Yorkshire, Michael visits the National Coal Mining Museum for England at Caphouse Colliery. He pauses to admire the tall spire of Wakefield Cathedral and its resident peregrine falcons before heading to the banks of the River Calder. In a vast factory, he finds the headquarters of a shirt manufacturer, Double Two, a pioneering wartime business co-founded by a Jewish refugee from Austria.\n\nIn Leeds, Michael heads for the Chapeltown area to investigate the origins of the Leeds West Indian Carnival in 1967 and try his hand on the steel drums. In the city's Harehills district, he admires the back-to-back houses once condemned as slums but now highly prized for their character and community."
2023-06-24
"Michael Portillo continues his postwar exploration of north west England in Bradford, Shipley and Hebden Bridge. In Centenary Square in Bradford, Michael encounters Bradford\u2019s literary giant JB Priestley, author of An Inspector Calls. Just north of Bradford, at Shipley station, Michael discovers a nature reserve in the middle of a car park that's home to more than 14 species of butterfly and moth."
2023-06-26
"Michael Portillo travels through the Britain of his youth from London\u2019s Docklands and East End to the \u2018city within a city\u2019, the Barbican."
2023-06-27
"Michael Portillo continues his railway exploration of the post-war Britain of his youth on a journey from London to Cambridge, starting at South Bank."
2023-06-28
"Michael Portillo ventures deep underground onto London\u2019s newest railway: the Elizabeth Line. He travels across London before transferring to the Epping Ongar Heritage Railway."
2023-06-29
"Michael Portillo continues his rail exploration of the east of England, starting on the seafront of Felixstowe and finishing in the plate glass campus of the University of East Anglia."
2023-06-30
"Michael Portillo completes his railway journey through the east of England during the post-war period, heading from RAF Lakenheath to the city of Cambridge."
2023-07-17
"Michael Portillo explores the postwar Britain of his youth on a railway journey from the Midlands to the West Country, beginning in the city of Derby."
2023-07-18
"In Coventry, Michael recalls the destruction by the Luftwaffe of the city\u2019s Gothic cathedral in November 1940, before heading to Leamington Spa to visit the Guide Dogs for the Blind National Centre."
2023-07-19
"Michael Portillo\u2019s railway journey reaches the heart of the Warwickshire countryside, where work is underway the biggest project of new railway infrastructure in Britain for a hundred years: HS2."
2023-07-20
"At the African and Caribbean Heritage Centre in Wolverhampton, Michael finds out about the impact of Enoch Powell's 1968 speech on immigration in Wolverhampton and across the nation."
2023-07-21
"Michael visits the fairy-tale castle of Eastnor at the foot of the Malvern Hills, before heading to the Severn Estuary and Filton, the centre of Britain's postwar aviation industry."
Season 15 - Great British Railway Journeys
2024-03-18
"Beginning at London Marylebone, the last great Victorian railway terminus to be built in the capital, Michael Portillo embarks on a postwar exploration of Britain\u2019s southern counties."
2024-03-19
"Michael Portillo joins Navy Wings pilots for a spectacular close formation flight in the skies over Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton and visits the magnificent Elizabethan mansion of Longleat."
2024-03-20
"Michael Portillo reaches England\u2019s south coast to continue his exploration of postwar Britain, beginning on the steam-powered Swanage Railway in Dorset."
2024-03-21
"Michael Portillo reaches Havant, where the Scalextric factory was located, and Haslemere, the surprise birthplace of a musical phenomenon: the plastic recorder."
2024-03-22
"Michael goes on a tour around Heathrow Airport, taking an eerie walk around the mothballed Terminal 1 building and ending up atop the iconic 87.5 metre control tower."
2024-03-25
"Michael Portillo boards the West Highland Line to begin a railway journey across Scotland\u2019s central belt, from the Arrochar Alps to the Loch of the Lowes."
2024-03-26
"At the home of Scottish football, Glasgow\u2019s Hampden Park stadium, Michael admires the oldest football trophy in the world and hears how the 'passing game' was born there."
2024-03-27
"Michael Portillo continues his postwar Scottish railway adventure, this time from Glasgow to the capital, Edinburgh."
2024-03-28
"At the former Midlothian mining village of Newtongrange, Michael meets the son of a miner whose name loomed large in the disputes of the 1970s and 1980s, 'Red' Mick McGahey."
2024-03-29
"Michael\u2019s rail journey through post-war Scotland takes him over the River Tay to Dundee on the trail of Joseph McKenzie, the father of modern Scottish photography."
2024-04-01
"Michael Portillo twists and shouts through postwar Liverpool, visiting the strikingly contemporary Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral and visits the former home of artist and poet Adrian Henri."
2024-04-02
"Michael Portillo reaches the jet age in the Derby suburb of Peartree, where he tours the engineering colossus Rolls-Royce."
2024-04-03
"Michael Portillo\u2019s postwar journey from Merseyside to Teesside resumes at Brayford Pool in Lincoln, where England\u2019s oldest canal, the Fossdyke, meets the city of Lincoln."
2024-04-04
"Michael Portillo\u2019s journey finds him in York, a paradise for rail enthusiasts. He discovers the gardens at Harlow Carr in Harrogate and checks into the headquarters of Yorkshire Tea."
2024-04-05
"Michael Portillo confronts a detachment of Gurkhas, produces a fine heritage cheese and discovers a monster cracker, which is key to making plastic."
Season 16 - Great British Railway Journeys
2025-04-07
"Michael Portillo takes to the rails to explore one of Britain\u2019s oldest surviving landscapes, the woods and pasture of the Weald in south east England."
2025-04-08
"Michael Portillo\u2019s rail exploration of the historic wooded region of south east England, known as the Weald, continues from Tonbridge, at the heart of the area's rail network."
2025-04-09
"Michael Portillo\u2019s railway tour of the Weald reaches the spectacular Surrey countryside, where he finds a surprising connection to the darker reaches of the universe."
2025-04-10
"Michael Portillo\u2019s rail exploration of the spectacular countryside of the Weald in Surrey, Sussex and Kent continues - this time, aboard the Gatwick Express train."
2025-04-11
"Michael Portillo\u2019s railway tour of the green and pleasant landscape between the North and South Downs, known as the Weald, nears its conclusion."
2025-04-14
"Michael Portillo begins a railway tour of the spectacular border counties of Cumbria and Dumfriesshire, starting in the stunning Lake District National Park."
2025-04-15
"Michael Portillo\u2019s railway tour continues as he travels along the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line. He visits an iron ore mine turned into an arts centre and discovers the cradle of Quakerism."
2025-04-16
"Michael Portillo\u2019s railway journey through Cumbria and Dumfriesshire heads to the hills as he follows in the footsteps of the Lakeland poets."
2025-04-17
"Michael Portillo\u2019s railway journey through Cumbria and Dumfriesshire takes him to the rolling countryside around Aspatria to meet a couple who swapped their old life for organic dairy farming."
2025-04-18
"Michael concludes his journey from Cumbria to Dumfriesshire by crossing the Solway Firth into Scotland, where he visits the beautifully preserved last home of Scotland\u2019s greatest poet, Robert Burns."
2025-04-21
"Michael Portillo re-enacts the Battle of Shrewsbury and explores the town's beautiful gothic cathedral, while also riding the Telford Steam Railway\u2019s flagship locomotive."
2025-04-22
"Michael Portillo is in Ironbridge Gorge on the River Severn, a hotbed of 18th-century innovation which features the world's first coke blast iron furnace."
2025-04-23
"Michael Portillo boards a barge on the Dudley Canal, discovers an ancient seabed and explores racial tension in 1960s Smethwick."
2025-04-24
"Arriving in Birmingham, Michael Portillo heads to Curzon Street for a tour of the HS2 terminus still under construction. In the Newtown area, he visits the oldest private manufacturing firm in the UK."
2025-04-25
"On the final leg of his Midlands tour, Michael Portillo travels to Solihull, the home of iconic British brand Land Rover. Later, he visits the childhood neighbourhood of JRR Tolkien."