Trailer
Synopsis
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.
Episode 20 : St Pancras to Westminster
January. 29,2010
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.
His 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.
Episode 19 : Coventry to Watford
January. 28,2010
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.
Episode 18 : Walsall to Bournville
January. 27,2010
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.
Episode 17 : Cromford to Burton-on-Trent
January. 26,2010
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.
Episode 16 : Buxton to Matlock
January. 25,2010
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.
Episode 15 : Truro to Penzance
January. 22,2010
Michael searches for the lost church of St Piran, explores the last working tin mine in Cornwall and harvests oysters on the Helford River.
Episode 14 : Bugle to Mevagissey
January. 21,2010
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.
Episode 13 : Torquay to Totnes
January. 20,2010
Michael finds out about Torquay's micro climate, goes salmon fishing on the Dart estuary and spends some of Totnes' new local currency.
Episode 12 : Yatton to Weston Super Mare
January. 19,2010
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.
Episode 11 : Swindon to Bristol
January. 18,2010
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.
Episode 10 : Edinburgh to Kirkcaldy
January. 15,2010
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.
Episode 9 : Carlisle to Glasgow
January. 14,2010
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.
Episode 8 : Windermere to Kendal
January. 13,2010
Michael takes a steamboat tour of Lake Windermere, visits Wordsworth's home village of Grasmere and makes sausages with a local Herdwick sheep farmer.
Episode 7 : Settle to Garsdale
January. 12,2010
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.
Episode 6 : Preston to Morecambe
January. 11,2010
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.
Episode 5 : Filey to Scarborough
January. 08,2010
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.
Episode 4 : Pontefract to Bridlington
January. 07,2010
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.
Episode 3 : Todmorden to York
January. 06,2010
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.
Episode 2 : Manchester to Bury
January. 05,2010
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.
Episode 1 : Liverpool to Eccles
January. 04,2010
Ep1: Liverpool to Eccles.
Michael begins his journey on the world's first passenger railway line, learns to speak Scouse in Liverpool, finds out about the first railway fatality and explores the origins of the Eccles cake.
Similar titles
Combat Trains
For over a century, locomotives played a vital role in wartime. We explore some of the trains and railways, from the American Civil War through World War II, that turned the tides of battles and changed history. Rarely seen archival footage and accounts from vets who were there highlight these thrilling stories of engineering genius and extraordinary bravery.
Great Asian Railway Journeys
Michael Portillo is in Southeast Asia, armed with his 1913 Bradshaw's Handbook. It will lead him on a spectacular 2,500-mile railway adventure across six countries. He explores towering megacities and magnificent mosques.
Great American Railroad Journeys
Michael Portillo crosses the Atlantic to ride the railroads of America, armed with Appleton's General Guide to the United States, published in 1879.
Great Indian Railway Journeys
Guided by a century-old Bradshaw’s Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel, Michael Portillo embarks on a railway adventure across India and takes in the extraordinary variety of the Indian landscape.
Japan Railway Journal
Discover the secrets of Japan's railways, from the newest technologies and systems in use, to travel tips and must-see places.
Full Steam Ahead
With the help of Victorian steam enthusiasts across the country, historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands journey back in time to the era of steam which shaped modern Britain.
Paddington Station 24/7
With visitor numbers approaching 70 million every year, Paddington is one of the UK's busiest transport hubs.
Railroad Australia
Discover what it takes to transport ever-growing numbers of passengers and crucial resources across Australia. With unprecedented access we go behind the scenes to meet the train drivers, locomotive servicing crews and track maintenance teams on some of the toughest and most spectacular journeys.
Locomotion: Dan Snow's History of Railways
Dan Snow examines the development of the railways from their beginnings as track-ways for coal carts in the early 18th century to the pivotal technology for modern Britain.
Related
The Sky at Night
Your monthly journey through the fascinating world of space and astronomy with the latest thinking on what's out there in space and what you can see in the night sky.
Eek! The Cat
Eek! The Cat is a Canadian-American animated series, created by Savage Steve Holland and Bill Kopp and produced by Fox Kids and Savage Studios with animation by Nelvana, that ran from 1992 to 1997.
Top Streaming TV Show
#1
Ikaw
November. 12,2021
5.9
#2
Dexter: New Blood
November. 07,2021
8.1
#3
Money Heist
May. 02,2017
8.4
#4
Chicago Fire
October. 10,2012
8
#5
Emily in Paris
October. 02,2020
6.9
#6
The Witcher
December. 20,2019
8
#7
Yellowstone
June. 20,2018
8.7
#8
Squid Game
September. 17,2021
8
#9
The Bachelorette
September. 23,2015
5.3
#10
See
November. 01,2019
7.6