Great British Railway Journeys
Great British Railway Journeys is a TV show on BBC4. All aboard! Michael Portillo explores the UK the railways made. Uncover hidden gems and fascinating communities from across the nation. The program has been available since 2024. A total of 282 episodes have been broadcast, most recently in June 2025.
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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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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.
25:00Michael Portillo explores a Swiss garden in Bedfordshire, drives a 'locomobile', and discovers the Victorian origins of the fertiliser industry.
35:00Michael 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
25:00Michael 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.
25:00Michael Portillo travels from Hampton Court to Teddington, viewing the world's longest grapevine and hearing about the birth of the Victorian era.
25:00Michael Portillo travels from Woking to Walton-on-Thames, uncovering the story of Britain's first purpose-built crematorium.
35:00Michael Portillo travels from East Grinstead to Guildford, including a visit to Leith Hill Place to explore the compositions of Ralph Vaughan Williams.
25:00Michael 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
30:00From Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, Michael Portillo visits Coleford in the Forest of Dean, Slimbridge in Gloucestershire, and Bristol Temple Meads.
30:00Michael 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
25:00Michael Portillo stands trial at the Bloody Assizes in Somerset, and later gets to grips with a miracle of Victorian engineering on the Somerset Levels.
25:00Michael Portillo travels from Bristol to Glastonbury, entering a Victorian tannery and hearing how a 19th-century entrepreneur turned bird droppings into money.
35:00Michael Portillo travels from Stroud to Bath, investigating the Victorian origins of snooker, then taking tea with the ladies at his end destination.
25:00Michael Portillo travels from Redditch to Gloucester, beginning with a look back to Victorian times at a needle manufactory.
25:00Michael 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.
25:00Crossing into Cornwall, Michael Portillo learns about the last bridge to be built by renowned engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
35:00Michael Portillo travels by train from Lymington to Exmouth, discovers how the introduction of the railway inspired Thomas Hardy.
25:00Michael Portillo journeys from Littlehampton to the New Forest, finishing at Beaulieu, where he seizes the opportunity to drive the first motor car.
25:00Michael Portillo travels from Newhaven to Worthing, examining the nation's hidden defences and finding a novel way to pick tomatoes.