Great British Railway Journeys

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  • : 285
  • : 9
  • BBC Two
  • 18
  • Documentary Travel

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11
11x1
Newcastle to County Durham
Episode overview
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.
11x2
Kielder Forest to Edinburgh
Episode overview
Steered by his 1936 Bradshaw's Guide, Michael Portillo is in Northumbria en route to the Highlands.
11x3
Falkirk to Dundee
Episode overview
Michael Portillo's railway journey through 1930s Britain from Newcastle to Loch Ness reaches Falkirk in Scotland.
11x4
Dundee to Aberdeen
Episode overview
Stopping at Dundee, Michael Portillo heads for Glamis Castle, where Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the Queen Mother, grew up.
11x5
Elgin to Loch Ness
Episode overview
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.
11x6
St. Ives to St. Day
Episode overview
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.
11x7
Truro to St. Mawgan
Episode overview
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.
11x8
Bodmin to Totnes
Episode overview
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.
11x9
Paignton to Tiverton
Episode overview
The Dartmouth Steam Railway takes Michael Portillo to the beautiful home of Agatha Christie, in the company of her great-grandson, James Prichard.
11x10
Taunton to Salisbury Plain
Episode overview
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.
11x11
Canterbury to Alexandra Palace
Episode overview
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.
11x12
Limehouse to Rochford
Episode overview
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.
11x13
Witham to Felixstowe
Episode overview
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.
11x14
Saxmundham to Norwich
Episode overview
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.
11x15
Attleborough to Skegness
Episode overview
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.