Great British Railway Journeys

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Great British Railway Journeys

Michael Portillo’s 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.

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Series 8
25:00
Michael Portillo journeys from Newark-on-Trent to Stockton-on-Tees, and a scandalous novel written in Thirsk leads him to a wildlife centre.
25:00
Michael Portillo explores a Swiss garden in Bedfordshire, drives a 'locomobile', and discovers the Victorian origins of the fertiliser industry.
35:00
Michael Portillo sets out on the first leg of a trip from London to Edinburgh aboard the Flying Scotsman, beginning at King's Cross as he heads for York.
Series 7
25:00
Michael Portillo's final leg begins in Egham, Surrey, where he visits a steam fair before making his way to Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire for a spot of rowing.
25:00
Michael Portillo travels from Hampton Court to Teddington, viewing the world's longest grapevine and hearing about the birth of the Victorian era.
25:00
Michael Portillo travels from Woking to Walton-on-Thames, uncovering the story of Britain's first purpose-built crematorium.
35:00
Michael Portillo travels from East Grinstead to Guildford, including a visit to Leith Hill Place to explore the compositions of Ralph Vaughan Williams.
25:00
Michael Portillo sets out from Ashford on a trip to Henley-on-Thames, lending a hand at a train maintenance plant that is home to High Speed 1 rolling stock.
Series 14
30:00
From Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, Michael Portillo visits Coleford in the Forest of Dean, Slimbridge in Gloucestershire, and Bristol Temple Meads.
30:00
Michael Portillo explores the Britain of his youth, starting at Preston's Fulwood Barracks and heading to Bury Bolton Street Station in Greater Manchester.
Series 7
25:00
Michael Portillo stands trial at the Bloody Assizes in Somerset, and later gets to grips with a miracle of Victorian engineering on the Somerset Levels.
25:00
Michael Portillo travels from Bristol to Glastonbury, entering a Victorian tannery and hearing how a 19th-century entrepreneur turned bird droppings into money.
35:00
Michael Portillo travels from Stroud to Bath, investigating the Victorian origins of snooker, then taking tea with the ladies at his end destination.
25:00
Michael Portillo travels from Redditch to Gloucester, beginning with a look back to Victorian times at a needle manufactory.
25:00
Michael Portillo begins the first leg of a journey from Birmingham to Dartmoor, working in a Royal Mail sorting office and learning about the origins of the BMA.
25:00
Crossing into Cornwall, Michael Portillo learns about the last bridge to be built by renowned engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
35:00
Michael Portillo travels by train from Lymington to Exmouth, discovers how the introduction of the railway inspired Thomas Hardy.
25:00
Michael Portillo journeys from Littlehampton to the New Forest, finishing at Beaulieu, where he seizes the opportunity to drive the first motor car.
25:00
Michael Portillo travels from Newhaven to Worthing, examining the nation's hidden defences and finding a novel way to pick tomatoes.
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