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Great British Railway Journeys

Rating:3.5 of 5Total number of episodes:189Last broadcast:24/03/2019 at 06:35
March 2019
28:58

Season 8 Episode 1 - The Flying Scotsman

3.0 0 x
Michael boards the most famous train in history for King's Cross station, London. Michael captures the glamour if the 1930s when he boards the iconic Flying Scotsman. Among his fellow passengers are a former Flying Scotsman driver and a previous owner of the locomotive. But all does not go to plan and the historic non-stop...
28:53

Season 10 Episode 3 - Manchester To Elsecar

4.0 1 x
Armed with his early 20th-century Bradshaw’s Guide, Michael Portillo continues his journey from Warrington to the Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent. In Manchester, at the magnificent Heaton Park, Michael discovers one of the first open-air concerts was held here in 1909 by an opera fan, William Grimshaw, who entertained 40,000 p...
28:56

Season 7 Episode 15 - Bridgewater To Dartmoor

4.0 0 x
Armed with his Bradshaw’s guidebook, Michael Portillo enters the foul smelling world of a Victorian tannery. In Nailsea, he discovers how mountains of bird droppings made one of the greatest fortunes of the era for a 19th century entrepreneur, who spent his wealth building churches and chapels and one of the most luxurious...
29:02

Season 10 Episode 2

4.0 1 x
Michael Portillo continues his rail tour of Britain’s industrial northwest, steered by his early nineteenth century Bradshaw’s guide. In Blackburn, he catches a rare glimpse of Edwardian life on celluloid and marvels at how factory workers and schoolchildren alike were drawn to seek fame on film. Continuing east to Nelson,...
28:55

Season 7 Episode 13 - Stroud To Bath

3.0 2 x
Michael Portillo takes pot luck on the snooker table as he investigates the Victorian origins of the game and finds out what it takes to produce the fine green cloth which smoothes the path of the balls. In Cirencester, he ploughs a crooked furrow at the Royal Agricultural College before taking tea with the ladies in Bath,...
29:02

Season 10 Episode 1

3.0 2 x
Armed with his early 20th century Bradshaw’s Guide, Michael Portillo embarks on a new journey through Britain’s industrial heartland in the footsteps of King George V. Starting at what was then the gateway to Lancashire - Warrington - Michael discovers this was no ordinary royal tour. He learns how it began with huge excit...
29:00

Season 7 Episode 12 - Redditch To Gloucester

3.0 0 x
Every train ride begins with a whistle and Michael Portillo’s new railway journey is no exception, blasting off from Birmingham’s jewellery quarter to the sound of the Acme whistle, manufactured there since 1884. A visit to the city’s town hall reveals a magnificent organ and the location for a celebrated music festival. ...
February 2019
29:20

Season 2 Episode 14 - Batley To Sheffield

4.0 2 x
Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with a copy of George Bradshaw’s Victorian Railway Guidebook. In a series of five epic journeys, Portillo travels the length and breadth of the country to see how the railways changed us, and what of Bradshaw’s Britain remains. All this week, his journey follows some of the earliest rai...
29:06

Season 7 Episode 11 - Birmingham To Worcester

3.0 2 x
Every train ride begins with a whistle and Michael Portillo’s new railway journey is no exception, blasting off from Birmingham’s jewellery quarter to the sound of the Acme whistle, manufactured there since 1884. A visit to the city’s town hall reveals a magnificent organ and the location for a celebrated music festival. ...
29:04

Season 2 Episode 13 - York To Saltaire

Expired 3.0 0 x
This week, Michael Portillo’s journey follows some of the earliest railways in the UK, from Newcastle to Melton Mowbray. First, Michael takes a Turkish bath in the famous spa town of Harrogate, then explores the exemplary Victorian village of Saltaire, and rubs noses with some friendly alpacas, whose fleeces made fortunes ...
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