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 March 2026.
Last episode
25:00
25:00Great British Railway Journeys
Michael Portillo reaches the capital on his rail journey. In Ealing, he is transformed for the silver screen by expert hair and make-up.
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25:00Michael Portillo picks up his journey from Warwick to Rye. In Reading, he traces the origins of education for workers. In Cliveden he explores an Italianate mansion.
35:00Michael Portillo sets off on the first leg of a journey from the Midlands to Rye in East Sussex, beginning by travelling from Warwick to Radley in Oxfordshire.
25:00Michael Portillo visits the University of Glasgow's Officer Training Corps, then heads to Helensburgh, finding a group of artists known as the Glasgow Boys.
25:00Michael Portillo journeys from Glasgow to Cumbrae, learning about a forgotten Scottish expedition to the Antarctic.
25:00Michael Portillo journeys from Northern Ireland across the water to Scotland. Leaving from the seaport of Larne, he reaches Stranraer and the Mull of Galloway.
35:00On a journey from Belfast to Portrush, Michael Portillo investigates the work of author and Narnia creator CS Lewis, and visits the Royal Portrush Golf Club.
25:00Michael Portillo sets off on the first leg of a journey across Northern Ireland to Argyll and Bute, beginning by travelling from Newry to Portadown.
25:00Armed with his Bradshaw's guide, Michael Portillo reaches Birmingham and learns how a radical reformer would make his mark on the 'city of a thousand trades'.
25:00Michael Portillo travels from Maltby to Hinckley, trying to understand the appeal of Marmite, before a look around the Triumph motorcycle factory.
35:00Michael Portillo visits Heaton Park in Manchester, where one of the first open air concerts was held in 1909, before travelling on to the town of Oldham.
25:00Michael Portillo catches a glimpse of Edwardian life on celluloid and marvels at how factory workers and schoolchildren alike were drawn to seek fame on film.
25:00Michael Portillo sets off on a trip through Britain's industrial heartlands in the footsteps of George V, beginning by travelling from Warrington to Preston.
Series 9
25:00
25:00In Snowdonia, Michael Portillo braves the fastest zip line in the world - 1,500 feet across a quarry - as he begins the last leg of his journey to Caernarfon.
35:00Michael Portillo travels between Liverpool and Wales, finding a miniature tank engine made by Frank Hornby and visiting the ruins of Gwrych Castle.
25:00Michael Portillo travels to the steel city of Sheffield where he discovers an early 20th century steam engine, before heading to Nantwich.
25:00Michael Portillo conducts important research in an historic York tea room, discovers Leeds' textile heritage, and investigates Bradford's musical heritage.
25:00Michael Portillo embarks on the first leg of a journey from East Yorkshire to Caernarfon, beginning by travelling from Hull to Malton.
35:00Travelling from Plymouth to the Lizard, Michael Portillo investigates the first radio signal to be sent across the Atlantic.
25:00Michael Portillo travels between Taunton and Newton Abbot, joining in with a fertility dance in Stogumber, and visiting a celebrated garden at Hestercombe.