Great British Railway Journeys
Encyclopedia
Great British Railway Journeys is a BBC
travel documentary television series presented by Michael Portillo
. The series premiered on 4 January 2010 on BBC Two
, running for 20 half-hour episodes.
Travelling around Great Britain
by train, Portillo uses a copy of Victorian cartographer George Bradshaw
's Railway Companion to compare and contrast modern Britain with that of around 1840. Portillo takes four long journeys: Liverpool
to Scarborough; Preston to Kirkcaldy
; Swindon
to Penzance
; and Buxton
to London
. A second series began on Monday 3 January 2011, the first week of which covered Portillo's journey from Brighton
to the Norfolk
town of Cromer
.
Portillo confirmed, while he was a guest at Ecobuild 2011, that there would be a third series of the programme. This is further confirmed by users on Twitter, who have witnessed him at various railway stations with camera crews, during the summer of 2011, and is likely to air in early 2012.
was a cartographer who in 1840 became the first person to produce a comprehensive timetable and travel guide of the railway system in Great Britain
, which at the time although extensive, still comprised a series of fragmented and competing railway companies and lines each publishing their own literature.
The series follows Portillo as he takes four long journeys covering different parts of Great Britain
, using Bradshaw's guide to visit recommended points of interest, comparing and contrasting the Britain of 2010 with that documented by Bradshaw. The four journeys were originally broadcast in 20 half hour episodes on BBC Two
on weekdays at 6.30pm on BBC Two
. With each journey being broadcast in consecutive weeks, the series' original run was from 4 to 29 January 2010.
In the first series, the first journey is from coast to coast across Northern England
, travelling from Liverpool
on the west coast to Scarborough on the east coast, taking in the historic Liverpool and Manchester Railway
. The second journey covers North West England
and Scotland
. Portillo travels from Preston, northwards into Scotland
, ending in his mother's birthplace, Kirkcaldy
in Fife
, taking in the historic Settle-Carlisle Line and the Forth Railway Bridge. The third journey covers Southern England
, travelling from London
down to the South West
. The journey follows the route of the historic Great Western Railway
from its London terminus of Paddington all the way to Penzance
on the south western tip of Great Britain. The fourth and final journey covers a north-south axis through central England, from the Midlands
down to London
. Starting at Buxton
in Derbyshire
, Portillo travels via Birmingham
and Coventry
to St Pancras station
in London, and then via the London Underground
to Big Ben.
The series' second run was from 3 January to 4 February 2011 and featured five journeys "Brighton to Cromer", "Ledbury to Holyhead", "Newcastle to Melton Mowbray", "London Bridge to Hastings" and "Ayr to Skye"
The series' third run will begin broadcasting from 2 January 2012.
Portillo also presented an episode of the earlier Great Railway Journeys
, a similar BBC Two travel documentary.
on 7th February, 2011, under licence from the BBC and the production company, Talkback Thames.
in January 2011.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
travel documentary television series presented by Michael Portillo
Michael Portillo
Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo is a British journalist, broadcaster, and former Conservative Party politician and Cabinet Minister...
. The series premiered on 4 January 2010 on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, running for 20 half-hour episodes.
Travelling around Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
by train, Portillo uses a copy of Victorian cartographer George Bradshaw
George Bradshaw
George Bradshaw was an English cartographer, printer and publisher. He is best known for developing the most successful and longest published series of combined railway timetables.-Biography:...
's Railway Companion to compare and contrast modern Britain with that of around 1840. Portillo takes four long journeys: Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to Scarborough; Preston to Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. The town lies on a shallow bay on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth; SSE of Glenrothes, ENE of Dunfermline, WSW of Dundee and NNE of Edinburgh...
; Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
to Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
; and Buxton
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. A second series began on Monday 3 January 2011, the first week of which covered Portillo's journey from Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
to the Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
town of Cromer
Cromer
Cromer is a coastal town and civil parish in north Norfolk, England. The local government authority is North Norfolk District Council, whose headquarters is in Holt Road in the town. The town is situated 23 miles north of the county town, Norwich, and is 4 miles east of Sheringham...
.
Portillo confirmed, while he was a guest at Ecobuild 2011, that there would be a third series of the programme. This is further confirmed by users on Twitter, who have witnessed him at various railway stations with camera crews, during the summer of 2011, and is likely to air in early 2012.
Programme
George BradshawGeorge Bradshaw
George Bradshaw was an English cartographer, printer and publisher. He is best known for developing the most successful and longest published series of combined railway timetables.-Biography:...
was a cartographer who in 1840 became the first person to produce a comprehensive timetable and travel guide of the railway system in Great Britain
Rail transport in Great Britain
The railway system in Great Britain is the oldest in the world, with the world's first locomotive-hauled public railway opening in 1825. As of 2010, it consists of of standard gauge lines , of which are electrified. These lines range from single to double, triple, quadruple track and up to twelve...
, which at the time although extensive, still comprised a series of fragmented and competing railway companies and lines each publishing their own literature.
The series follows Portillo as he takes four long journeys covering different parts of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, using Bradshaw's guide to visit recommended points of interest, comparing and contrasting the Britain of 2010 with that documented by Bradshaw. The four journeys were originally broadcast in 20 half hour episodes on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
on weekdays at 6.30pm on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
. With each journey being broadcast in consecutive weeks, the series' original run was from 4 to 29 January 2010.
In the first series, the first journey is from coast to coast across Northern England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
, travelling from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
on the west coast to Scarborough on the east coast, taking in the historic Liverpool and Manchester Railway
Liverpool and Manchester Railway
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the world's first inter-city passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance solely by steam locomotives. The line opened on 15 September 1830 and ran between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester in North...
. The second journey covers North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Portillo travels from Preston, northwards into Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, ending in his mother's birthplace, Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. The town lies on a shallow bay on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth; SSE of Glenrothes, ENE of Dunfermline, WSW of Dundee and NNE of Edinburgh...
in Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, taking in the historic Settle-Carlisle Line and the Forth Railway Bridge. The third journey covers Southern England
Southern England
Southern England, the South and the South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region with a distinct...
, travelling from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
down to the South West
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
. The journey follows the route of the historic Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
from its London terminus of Paddington all the way to Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
on the south western tip of Great Britain. The fourth and final journey covers a north-south axis through central England, from the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
down to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Starting at Buxton
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"...
in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, Portillo travels via Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
to St Pancras station
St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
in London, and then via the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
to Big Ben.
The series' second run was from 3 January to 4 February 2011 and featured five journeys "Brighton to Cromer", "Ledbury to Holyhead", "Newcastle to Melton Mowbray", "London Bridge to Hastings" and "Ayr to Skye"
The series' third run will begin broadcasting from 2 January 2012.
Portillo also presented an episode of the earlier Great Railway Journeys
Great Railway Journeys
Great Railway Journeys, originally titled Great Railway Journeys of the World, is a recurring series of travel documentaries produced by BBC Television...
, a similar BBC Two travel documentary.
Liverpool to Scarborough
| # | Episode | Original airdate |
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Preston to Kirkcaldy
| # | Episode | Original airdate |
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Swindon to Penzance
| # | Episode | Original airdate |
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Buxton to London
| # | Episode | Original airdate |
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Brighton to Cromer
| # | Episode | Original airdate |
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Ledbury to Holyhead
| # | Episode | Original airdate |
|---|
Newcastle to Melton Mowbray
| # | Episode | Original airdate |
|---|
London Bridge to Hastings
| # | Episode | Original airdate |
|---|
Ayr to Skye
| # | Episode | Original airdate |
|---|
Series 3 (2012)
A third series is currently in production and will debut on Monday 2nd January 2012.DVD
A DVD of the first series, entitled Great British Railway Journeys - Series 1, was released by FremantleMediaFremantleMedia
FremantleMedia, Ltd. is the content and production division of Bertelsmann's RTL Group, Europe's second largest TV, radio, and production company...
on 7th February, 2011, under licence from the BBC and the production company, Talkback Thames.
Book
A book, Great British Railway Journeys, written by Charlie Bunce and with a foreword by Michael Portillo, was published by CollinsHarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
in January 2011.