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 203 episodes have been broadcast, most recently in June 2024.
Last episode
30:00
30:00Great British Railway Journeys
An epic tour of Great Britain by rail. Michael Portillo finds out how Canterbury Cathedral was saved from ruin during WWII and goes whelk fishing in Whitstable.
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30:00Michael Portillo takes to the tracks in this first-class travelogue. Learn all about Maidstone's paper industry and how cricket became a national sport.
Series 10
Michael Portillo continues his journey through Britain’s industrial northwest, visiting Blackburn, Nelson and the renovated 19th-century Manchester Victoria station.
Series 2 30:00
30:00An epic tour of Britain by rail. Michael Portillo visits the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, walks the Thames Tunnel and explores Chatham Historic Dockyard.
30:00Michael Portillo learns how trains shaped the controversial sport of fox hunting in another journey inspired by Victorian cartographer George Bradshaw.
30:00How did rail travel shape Britain? Michael Portillo takes a Turkish bath in Harrogate, explores the Victorian model village of Saltaire and encounters some alpacas.
Series 15
Michael Portillo boards the West Highland Line to begin a railway journey across Scotland’s central belt, from the Arrochar Alps to the Loch of the Lowes.
Series 2 30:00
30:00Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with George Bradshaw's Victorian Railway Guidebook. A visit to the historic Durham Cathedral and a Dracula tour of Whitby.
Series 15
Michael goes on a tour around Heathrow Airport, taking an eerie walk around the mothballed Terminal 1 building and ending up atop the iconic 87.5 metre control tower.
Series 2 30:00
30:00Michael Portillo explores Britain by rail. Michael takes the train to the top of Mount Snowdon and discovers how the railways changed the tiny port of Holyhead.
30:00Nostalgic series in which Michael Portillo retraces George Bradshaw's travels by train. Michael combs the Conwy valley and rides a steam train to Porthmadog.
30:00Michael Portillo sets out on another trek, following the route of the Irish mail from Ledbury. Michael samples Victorian perry and encounters a Hereford bull.
Series 15
Michael Portillo reaches Havant, where the Scalextric factory was located, and Haslemere, the surprise birthplace of a musical phenomenon – the plastic recorder.
Series 2 30:00
30:00Michael Portillo hits the tracks to see how the railways have shaped Britain. Michael meets the last eel trapper on the Fens at Ely and visits the Denver Sluice.
30:00Travels by train with Michael Portillo, who here visits the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield and discovers how the railways transformed Newmarket's races.
Series 13 30:00
30:00Michael continues his journeys in greater London, beginning on its southeastern fringe in the village of Chislehurst and ending up in Kennington to learn about the childhood of Charlie Chaplin.
Series 1 30:00
30:00Michael Portillo's epic voyage reaches the buffers as he explores St Pancras, rides the world's first Tube line to Smithfield market and marvels at Big Ben.
30:00Travels by train. Michael Portillo relives the Coventry Blitz, meets an Aylesbury duck farmer and finds out how trains helped to evacuate children during WWII.
Series 15
Michael Portillo reaches England’s south coast to continue his exploration of postwar Britain, beginning on the steam-powered Swanage Railway in Dorset.
Series 13 30:00
30:00Armed with his interwar copy of Bradshaw’s Guide to the Railways, Michael reaches the Kent seaside resort of Herne Bay, where he learns about a pioneering aviatrix.