Great British Railway Journeys
Great British Railway Journeys is a TV show on BBC4. All aboard! Armed with his trusty Bradshaw's guide, Michael Portillo explores the UK the railways made. Uncover hidden gems and fascinating communities from across the nation. The program has been available since 2022. A total of 312 episodes have been broadcast, most recently in May 2024.
Last broadcast:17/05/2024 at 13:30
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30:00
Epic rail journeys inspired by cartographer George Bradshaw. Michael Portillo visits the largest clay mine in the world near St Austell and goes pilchard fishing.
30:00
Michael Portillo travels along Brunel's Great Western Railway. Here he goes salmon fishing on the Dart estuary and spends some of Totnes's new local currency.
Series 13
30:00
Michael Portillo follows his 1930s Bradshaw’s guide to the unspoilt East Sussex port of Rye, where he learns about the loss of a generation of lifeboatmen in 1928 and explores a wartime pillbox.
Series 1
30:00
Travels by train. Ex-MP Michael Portillo samples local Cheddar strawberries, explores Cheddar Gorge and visits an extremely old pier in Weston-super-Mare.
30:00
Train travels with the ex-Tory. Michael Portillo journeys from Swindon to Penzance, sampling spa treatments in Bath and trying glassblowing in Bristol on the way.
30:00
Michael Portillo continues his epic journey from Preston to Scotland, visiting the Clyde valley orchards, the Forth Rail Bridge and the town of Kirkcaldy.
30:00
Michael Portillo hits the rails. Here the ex-MP meets wild clansmen in Carlisle, witnesses a wedding in Gretna Green and visits a secret WWI munitions factory.
Series 13
Series 1
30:00
Travels by train. Michael Portillo continues his journey to Scotland, riding a steamboat on Lake Windermere and visiting Wordsworth's home village of Grasmere.
30:00
Michael Portillo travels across Britain to see how railways changed us. Michael returns to the historic Settle-Carlisle line after helping to save it in the 1980s.
Series 15
Series 13
Series 1
30:00
An epic tour of our great nation by rail. Michael Portillo's second journey begins in Preston, where he explores the origins of the temperance movement.
30:00
Michael Portillo takes to the tracks in this engaging travelogue. Michael goes birding on the wild cliffs of Flamborough Head and learns about knitting in Filey.
Series 13
30:00
Michael Portillo discovers the origins of Harry Beck's map of the London Underground, and explores the headquarters of Churchill's war cabinet.
30:00
Michael Portillo is in London, where he tracks the River Thames from east to west. Starting in Dagenham, he ends up at the iconic Battersea Power Station.
30:00
Michael Portillo travels to Hampstead, where he learns more about the founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, before making his way to Islington.
30:00
Michael Portillo continues his travels through the capital in the heart of London's East End, making his way from Hackney Wick to Oxford Circus.
30:00
Michael Portillo continues his travels in Greater London, ending up in Kennington to learn about the childhood of Charlie Chaplin.