Great British Railway Journeys
Great British Railway Journeys is a TV show on BBC4. Documentary series in which Michael Portillo travels the country by train. The program has been available since 2025. A total of 275 episodes have been broadcast, most recently in January 2026.
Last episode
25:00
25:00Great British Railway Journeys
Michael Portillo embarks on the first leg of a journey from East Yorkshire to Caernarfon, beginning by travelling from Hull to Malton.
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25:00Travelling from Plymouth to the Lizard, Michael Portillo investigates the first radio signal to be sent across the Atlantic.
35:00Michael Portillo travels between Taunton and Newton Abbot, joining in with a fertility dance in Stogumber, and visiting a celebrated garden at Hestercombe.
25:00Michael Portillo arrives in Newport, where he learns about the heroism of a young boy who was awarded the Albert Medal.
25:00Michael Portillo travels from Pontyclun to Ebbw Vale in Wales, visiting the Royal Mint in Llantrisant and Cardiff Arms Park.
25:00Michael Portillo embarks on the first leg of a journey from the coalfields of South Wales to the southernmost tip of Cornwall.
35:00In Dorset, Michael Portillo visits Brownsea Island, where Robert Baden Powell began the scout movement in the early 20th century.
25:00Michael Portillo visits places of interest in West Sussex and Hampshire, including Southsea's King's Theatre.
25:00Michael Portillo travels from Croydon to Shoreham-by-Sea, hearing the story of a once-celebrated composer and visiting the oldest licensed airport in the UK.
25:00Michael Portillo explores Edwardian utopia in Letchworth, where he meets a fourth generation citizen who introduces him to the town's community spirit.
35:00Michael Portillo embarks on train journeys through Edwardian Britain, exploring the grand estates of Norfolk and a bivouac on Brownsea Island on the way.
Series 14
35:00
35:00From Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, Michael Portillo visits Coleford in the Forest of Dean, Slimbridge in Gloucestershire, and Bristol Temple Meads.
25:00Michael Portillo stops in Wolverhampton, where he finds out about the impact of Enoch Powell's 1968 speech, and also visits Cheltenham.
25:00Michael Portillo sees the work being done for the new HS2 railway in Warwickshire, and in Stratford-upon-Avon he learns about the founding of the RSC.
25:00Michael Portillo hears of the destruction of Coventry's gothic cathedral by the German Luftwaffe, and visits the factory where the London taxi is built.
35:00Michael Portillo journeys from the Midlands to the West Country, visiting Derby's famous 19th-century railway works and the Walkers crisps factory in Leicester.
25:00Michael Portillo explores RAF Lakenheath, the market town of Brandon on the border between Norfolk and Suffolk, and he ends his journey in Cambridge.
25:00Michael Portillo explores Felixstowe, which suffered catastrophic flooding in 1953, and in Norwich, he admires the Norman Cathedral.
25:00Michael Portillo ventures deep underground onto London's newest railway - the Elizabeth Line - enjoying a smooth ride from Paddington to Tottenham Court Road.
35:00Michael Portillo visits London's South Bank, where the 1951 Festival of Britain drew more than eight and a half million visitors.