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''Great British Railway Journeys'' is a 2010-2021

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documentary series presented by

Michael Portillo Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo (; born 26 May 1953) is a British journalist, broadcaster and former politician. His broadcast series include railway documentaries such as ''Great British Railway Journeys'' and '' Great Continental Railway Journ ...

, a former

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

MP and

Cabinet Minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, � ...

who was instrumental in saving the

Settle to Carlisle line Settle or SETTLE may refer to: Places * Settle, Kentucky, United States * Settle, North Yorkshire, a town in England ** Settle Rural District, a historical administrative district Music * Settle (band), an indie rock band from Pennsylvania * Sett ...

from closure in 1989. The documentary was first broadcast in 2010 on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

and has returned annually for a total of 13 series. The series features Portillo travelling around the railway networks of Great Britain, Ireland and the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

, referring to ''

Bradshaw's Guide ''Bradshaw's'' was a series of railway Public transport timetable, timetables and travel guide books published by W.J. Adams and later Henry Blacklock, both of London. They are named after founder George Bradshaw, who produced his first timet ...

'' and comparing how the various destinations have changed since; initially, he used an 1840s copy, but in later series he used other editions. Portillo has presented 8 other series with a similar format: '' Great Continental Railway Journeys'' (7 series; 2012–2020), ''

Great American Railroad Journeys ''Great American Railroad Journeys '' is a BBC travel documentary series presented by Michael Portillo and broadcast on BBC Two. Using an 1879 copy of Appleton's Guidebook to the railroads of the United States and Canada, Portillo travels acros ...

'' (4 series; 2016–2020), ''

Great Indian Railway Journeys ''Great Indian Railway Journeys'' is a British television documentary series presented by Michael Portillo, in which he travels on the railway networks of India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asi ...

'' (2018), ''

Great Alaskan Railroad Journeys ''Great Alaskan Railroad Journeys '' is a BBC travel documentary series presented by Michael Portillo and aired on BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide ...

'' and ''

Great Canadian Railway Journeys ''Great Canadian Railway Journeys'' is a BBC travel documentary series presented by Michael Portillo and aired on BBC Two. Using an 1899 copy of Appleton's Guidebook to the railways of the United States and Canada Canada is a country ...

'' (broadcast consecutively in January 2019), ''

Great Australian Railway Journeys ''Great Australian Railway Journeys'' is a BBC Two documentary series produced by Boundless and presented by Michael Portillo Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo (; born 26 May 1953) is a British journalist, broadcaster and former politician. Hi ...

'' (2019), ''

Great Asian Railway Journeys ''Great Asian Railway Journeys'' is a 20-part BBC travel and history documentary series produced by Boundless and presented by Michael Portillo, a former Conservative MP and Minister of State for Transport. Following the format of the highly su ...

'' (2020) and ''

Great Coastal Railway Journeys ''Great Coastal Railway Journeys'' is a BBC documentary series produced by Naked and presented by Michael Portillo, a former Conservative MP and Minister of State for Transport. Following the format of ''Great British Railway Journeys'' and r ...

'' (2022).

Synopsis

Victorian guidebooks written by

George Bradshaw George Bradshaw (29 July 1800 – 6 September 1853) was an English cartographer, printer and publisher. He developed Bradshaw's Guide, a widely sold series of combined railway guides and timetables. Biography Bradshaw was born at Windsor Brid ...

under the title ''

'' were the first comprehensive timetable and travel guides to the railway system in Great Britain, which at the time although it had grown to be extensive, still consisted of a number of fragmented and competing railway companies and lines, each publishing their own timetables. Classified by the BBC in both the travel and history genres, the series features Portillo using the guide to plan his journeys, in the process visiting points of interest picked out in the guide and comparing its content with the modern world, both the physical and cultural ones.

Format

Each series features Portillo travelling on a different route each week, with each daily episode being one short leg of the journey. The weekly journey is chosen to fit with a theme, either geographic, such as coast to coast, or historic. Filmed entirely on location, the series features a mix of Portillo delivering dialogue to camera, as well as performing ad-hoc interviews with members of the public or fellow travellers, in addition to pre-arranged interviews.

Broadcast

All episodes were originally broadcast on consecutive weekdays on

, in the 6:30 pm time slot. Some series were simulcast on

BBC HD BBC HD was a 24-hour high-definition television channel provided by the BBC. The service was initially run as a trial from 15 May 2006 until becoming a full service on 1 December 2007 before its discontinuation on 26 March 2013. It broadcast ...

before the channel's demise. Repeats have been broadcast on

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

and

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

, as well as the original channel of BBC Two. Edited versions of the episodes, reduced to about 23 minutes (excluding commercials), have been shown on the television channel Yesterday.

Episodes

Series 1 (2010)

Liverpool to Scarborough

The first journey takes Portillo from coast to coast, from Liverpool to Scarborough, beginning on the world's first passenger railway line.

Preston to Kirkcaldy

Portillo's second journey, from Preston to Scotland, is on one of the first railways to cross the border.

Swindon to Penzance

The third journey takes Portillo along the Great Western Railway from Swindon to Penzance, nicknamed 'the holiday line'.

Buxton to London

On this journey, Portillo travels from Buxton along one of the first railway routes south to the capital, London.

Series 2 (2011)

Brighton to Cromer

The first journey takes Portillo coast-to-coast from Brighton to Cromer

Ledbury to Holyhead

On this journey, Portillo follows the route of the Irish mail from Ledbury to Holyhead.

Newcastle to Melton Mowbray

This journey follows some of the earliest railways in the country from Newcastle to Melton Mowbray.

London Bridge to Hastings

This journey starts at London Bridge and goes through Kent and along its scenic coast to Hastings.

Ayr to Skye

On this journey, Portillo journeys up the west coast of Scotland from Ayr to Skye.

Series 3 (2012)

The third series featured four journeys in Great Britain, and a fifth journey which consisted of three legs in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

and two in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

: for this latter journey, the programme was re-titled as ''Great British Railway Journeys Goes To Ireland''.

Great Yarmouth to Embankment

In these episodes, Portillo travels along the route of the Great Eastern Line, which goes from the east coast of England to the centre of the country's financial capital, London.

Windsor to Portland

Following in the footsteps of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

, Portillo uses the railways she often rode from

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original cast ...

to her country getaway on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

. His journey then continues west to Portland.

Oxford to Milford Haven

On this journey, Portillo travels west, from Oxford in the heart of England, through the

Malvern Hills The Malvern Hills are in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern. The highest summit affo ...

and into Wales, taking in the unique Victorian heritage of the South Wales coastline.

Berwick-Upon-Tweed to Snaefell

On this journey, Portillo takes in some of northern England's most dramatic scenery, from Berwick-upon-Tweed across the

Pennines The Pennines (), also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of uplands running between three regions of Northern England: North West England on the west, North East England and Yorkshire and the Humber on the east. Commo ...

to the

Lake District The Lake District, also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes, forests, and mountains (or ''fells''), and its associations with William Wordswor ...

before completing the journey on the

Goes to Ireland: Bray to Derry

On this journey, Portillo crosses the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...

to discover the rich railway history of both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, following the unfurling 19th-century expansion of the tracks from Dublin to Derry.

Series 4 (2013)

The fourth series followed the same format as the third, with four journeys in Great Britain and the last in Ireland, the latter using the same title card as in series 3.

High Wycombe to Aberystwyth

Portillo follows the tracks that fuelled the

industrial revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

, from the Chilterns to west Wales.

Portsmouth to Grimsby

The second journey sees Portillo go from port to port: from Portsmouth on the south coast to Grimsby on the east coast.

Stirling to John o' Groats

On this journey, Portillo enjoys the stunning scenery of rural and coastal Scotland, travelling from Stirling, through the industrial east coast and dramatic Highland landscapes, to the beauty of the western lochs, finally ending his journey in John o' Groats.

London Paddington to Newton Abbot

The fourth part of the series sees Portillo follow in the footsteps of the master engineer of the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel (; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was a British civil engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history," "one of the 19th-century engineering giants," and "one ...

, beginning at the line's London gateway,

Paddington station Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a Central London railway terminus and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by the Great We ...

, and ending in Newton Abbot, Devon – the scene of one of Brunel's heroic failures.

Goes to Ireland: Killarney to Galway

All this week, Portillo visits the Republic of Ireland, travelling from the rugged beauty of County Kerry, across the rural Irish Midlands, to end in the city of Galway on the Atlantic coast.

Series 5 (2014)

Manchester to Chesterfield

London Euston to Leeds

Southampton to Wolverhampton

Norwich to Chichester

Series 6 (2015)

Ayr to Edinburgh

Amersham to London Bridge

Derby to Lindisfarne

Pembroke Dock to Cambridge

Series 7 (2016)

Carlisle to Alton

Dover to Porthcurno

Birmingham to Dartmoor

Ashford to Henley-on-Thames

Series 8 (2017)

Series 9 (2018)

Series 10 (2019)

Series 11 (2020)

Series 12 (2021)

Series 13 (2021)

Books

''Great British Railway Journeys'', written by Charlie Bunce with a foreword by Michael Portillo, was published by

Collins Collins may refer to: People Surname Given name * Collins O. Bright (1917–?), Sierra Leonean diplomat * Collins Chabane (1960–2015), South African Minister of Public Service and Administration * Collins Cheboi (born 1987), Kenyan middle- ...

in January 2011. ''Great Victorian Railway Journeys'', written by Karen Farrington with a foreword by Michael Portillo, was published by Collins in January 2012. ''The Complete Great British Railway Journeys'', an amalgam of the above two books, was published by Collins in January 2015.

Notes

References

External links

* *
Series 1 and 2
at Michael Portillo's website 2010 British television series debuts 2010s British documentary television series 2010s British travel television series 2020s British documentary television series 2020s British travel television series BBC television documentaries BBC travel television series Documentary television series about railway transport Rail transport in Great Britain Television series by Fremantle (company) Television shows set in England Television shows set in London Television shows set in Northern Ireland Television shows set in Scotland Television shows set in Wales {{Great British Railway Journeys