Great British Railway Journeys — Season 11
About this season
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.
Episodes (15)
1. Newcastle to County Durham
Aired 6 January 2020 • 30 min
Beginning just outside Newcastle in Jarrow, Michael uncovers the desperation which led 200 men to march 300 miles to Westminster in order to petition the Government for work. In Newcastle, Michael admires the city's iconic railway bridge.
2. Kielder Forest to Edinburgh
Aired 7 January 2020 • 30 min
Steered by his 1936 Bradshaw's Guide, Michael Portillo is in Northumbria en route to the Highlands.
3. Falkirk to Dundee
Aired 8 January 2020 • 30 min
Michael Portillo's railway journey through 1930s Britain from Newcastle to Loch Ness reaches Falkirk in Scotland.
4. Dundee to Aberdeen
Aired 9 January 2020 • 30 min
Stopping at Dundee, Michael Portillo heads for Glamis Castle, where Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the Queen Mother, grew up.
5. Elgin to Loch Ness
Aired 10 January 2020 • 30 min
Michael Portillo's journey ends at Loch Ness, where he joins the Deep Scan research team as they scour the deep for signs of the elusive monster.
6. St Ives to St Day
Aired 13 January 2020 • 30 min
Michael Portillo explores the West Country between the wars and discovers a Cornish fisherman, who, although he began painting only in his seventies, inspired established artists from the capital.
7. Truro to St Mawgan
Aired 14 January 2020 • 30 min
In the countryside surrounding Truro, Michael finds the historic estate of Trewithen, whose gardens were stocked from China by professional plant hunters commissioned by its owner.
8. Bodmin to Totnes
Aired 15 January 2020 • 30 min
Clutching his 1930s Bradshaw’s Guide, Michael Portillo reaches Bodmin en route to Totnes as he explores the West Country from St Ives to Salisbury Plain.
9. Paignton to Tiverton
Aired 16 January 2020 • 30 min
The Dartmouth Steam Railway takes Michael Portillo to the beautiful home of Agatha Christie, in the company of her great-grandson, James Prichard.
10. Taunton to Salisbury Plain
Aired 17 January 2020 • 30 min
Michael Portillo crosses the county line from Devon into Somerset. He sees first-hand how willow farmers sought to overcome the challenge from the production of synthetic plastics during the 1930s.
11. Canterbury to Alexandra Palace
Aired 20 January 2020 • 30 min
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.
12. Limehouse to Rochford
Aired 21 January 2020 • 30 min
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.
13. Witham to Felixstowe
Aired 22 January 2020 • 30 min
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.
14. Saxmundham to Norwich
Aired 23 January 2020 • 30 min
Michael Portillo heads for Snape Maltings, a concert and arts venue, and learns how the music and life of one of Britain’s greatest composers was shaped by the sea and his Suffolk surroundings.
15. Attleborough to Skegness
Aired 24 January 2020 • 30 min
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.