Great British Railway Journeys Season 1

(2010) January - January | # of Episodes : 20

Ratings

7.4

Series Details

Seasons: 15

Total Episodes: 270

Creators:

Networks: BBC Two

Status: Returning Series

First Air Date: Jan 4, 2010

Recent Air Date: Apr 5, 2024

Run Time: m

In Production: Yes

Original Language: English

Age Rating: NR

Website: Link

Production Companies: Talkback Thames , Fremantle

Genres

Keywords

People Rated This

None of your friends have rated this title yet

Watch Great British Railway Journeys

Stream Sources

Episodes 8 on Amazon Prime Video

Synopsis

No Synopsis for this season yet

Main Cast

Michael Portillo

Himself - Presenter

Age : 71 | Popularity : 3%

Episodes

Episode 1

04 January 2010 - Liverpool to Eccles

Ep1: Liverpool to Eccles. Michael begins his journey on the world's first passenger railway line, learns to speak Scouse in Liverpool, finds out about the first railway fatality and explores the origins of the Eccles cake.

Episode 2

05 January 2010 - Manchester to Bury

Michael is in Manchester to find out more about George Bradshaw himself. He also gets fitted for a trilby in Denton and learns how the railways helped to create a national institution - fish and chips.

Episode 3

06 January 2010 - Todmorden to York

Michael travels back in time on the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway, finds out about the latest Roman discoveries in York and takes to the air in the Network Rail helicopter.

Episode 4

07 January 2010 - Pontefract to Bridlington

Michael searches for the last liquorice grower in Pontefract, discovers how the railways turned Hull into one of the largest white fish ports in the world and goes fishing for sea bass in Bridlington.

Episode 5

08 January 2010 - Filey to Scarborough

Michael goes bird-watching on the wild cliffs of Flamborough Head, learns to decipher traditional knitting patterns in Filey and meets one of the oldest residents of the Victorian seaside resort of Scarborough - a 4000-year-old skeleton called Gristhorpe Man.

Episode 6

11 January 2010 - Preston to Morecambe

Michael explores the origins of the temperance movement in Preston, samples the attractions of Blackpool, a resort made by the railways, and takes a walk across Morecambe Bay with the official Keeper of the Sands.

Episode 7

12 January 2010 - Settle to Garsdale

Michael returns to the historic Settle-Carlisle line to find out what has happened to it since he helped save it in the 1980s. Along the way, he explores the magnificent Ribblehead viaduct, finds out about the navvies who helped to build it and catches a steam train along the line.

Episode 8

13 January 2010 - Windermere to Kendal

Michael takes a steamboat tour of Lake Windermere, visits Wordsworth's home village of Grasmere and makes sausages with a local Herdwick sheep farmer.

Episode 9

14 January 2010 - Carlisle to Glasgow

Michael meets the wild clansmen of Carlisle, the Border Reivers, witnesses a wedding in Gretna Green and visits a secret World War One munitions factory.

Episode 10

15 January 2010 - Edinburgh to Kirkcaldy

Michael makes apple juice in the Clyde valley orchards, pays a thrilling visit to the top of the Forth Rail Bridge and relives his childhood memories in his grandparents' home town of Kirkcaldy.

Episode 11

18 January 2010 - Swindon to Bristol

Michael finds out about free holiday trains for the GWR workers in Swindon, samples the Spa in Bath, and tries his hand at glass blowing in Bristol.

Episode 12

19 January 2010 - Yatton to Weston Super Mare

Michael samples local Cheddar strawberries, explores Cheddar Gorge and the famous caves, and visits one of the oldest piers in the country at Weston Super Mare.

Episode 13

20 January 2010 - Torquay to Totnes

Michael finds out about Torquay's micro climate, goes salmon fishing on the Dart estuary and spends some of Totnes' new local currency.

Episode 14

21 January 2010 - Bugle to Mevagissey

Michael visits the largest clay mine in the world near St Austell, goes pilchard fishing in Mevagissey and finds out how the estate of Heligan shaped British gardens.

Episode 15

22 January 2010 - Truro to Penzance

Michael searches for the lost church of St Piran, explores the last working tin mine in Cornwall and harvests oysters on the Helford River.

Episode 16

25 January 2010 - Buxton to Matlock

Michael visits an architectural wonder, the Duke of Devonshire's stables in Buxton, helps to repair the ancient peat landscape of the Peak District and travels on the historic steam railway to Rowsley.

Episode 17

26 January 2010 - Cromford to Burton-on-Trent

Michael visits the oldest working factory in the world at Cromford, explores the country's first public park in Derby and finds out why Burton's beer is said to be the best.

Episode 18

27 January 2010 - Walsall to Bournville

Michael meets the queen's saddler in Walsall, learns how to cook an authentic Indian curry in Birmingham and visits Bournville, rumoured to be the best place to live in Britain.

Episode 19

28 January 2010 - Coventry to Watford

Michael relives the Coventry Blitz, meets the last pure breed Aylesbury duck farmer in Buckinghamshire and finds out how the trains helped to evacuate millions of children during World War II.

Episode 20

29 January 2010 - St Pancras to Westminster

Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with a copy of George Bradshaw's Victorian Railway Guidebook. In a series of four epic journeys, he travels the length and breadth of the country to see how the railways changed us, and what of Bradshaw's Britain remains. His journey takes him from Buxton along one of the first railway routes south to the capital, London. This time, Michael explores one of the grandest railway stations and hotels in the country: St Pancras. He rides the world's first tube line to Smithfield market and climbs up the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament to hear Big Ben chime.

Crew

Department	Role	Name
Sound	Music	Jon Wygens
Production	Executive Producer	John Comerford
Department	Role	Name

Join the discussion

Please Log in to comment