On September 30, 2026
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Great British Railway Journeys — Series 14
#Episode nameAir dateRuntimeRating
01
28mPreston to RawtenstallMichael Portillo sets off to rediscover the Britain of his childhood, beginning his journey at Fulwood Barracks near Preston and continuing onward to Bury Bolton Street station in Greater Manchester.Jun 19, 2023Jun 19, 202328m02
29mUrmston to New IslingtonMichael's passage across northwestern England, traveling from Preston toward Hebden Bridge, leads him into Greater Manchester, a place where he marks the fresh starts and burgeoning hope that defined the nation in the years following the Second World War.Jun 20, 2023Jun 20, 202329m03
28mOldham to WakefieldThe Metrolink tram carries Michael through Greater Manchester, bringing him to the historic cotton town of Oldham. From there, he journeys onward to Wakefield to see the powerful, postwar sculptures of Barbara Hepworth.Jun 21, 2023Jun 21, 202328m04
28mWakefield to LeedsFrom Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, Michael journeys to the National Coal Mining Museum for England at Caphouse Colliery. He stops to appreciate the soaring spire of Wakefield Cathedral and its nesting peregrine falcons before making his way down to the River Calder. Nearby, within a sprawling factory building, he discovers the headquarters of Double Two, a shirt manufacturer whose origins lie in a pioneering wartime business co-founded by an Austrian Jewish refugee.
Then, Michael travels to LJun 22, 2023Jun 22, 202328m05
28mBradford to Hebden BridgeMichael Portillo resumes his journey through postwar northern England, this time focusing on Bradford, Shipley, and Hebden Bridge. In Bradford’s Centenary Square, he meets the city’s celebrated literary figure, JB Priestley, creator of *An Inspector Calls*. A little further north, at Shipley station, Michael uncovers a surprising sight: a nature reserve flourishing within a car park, providing sanctuary for over fourteen species of butterfly and moth.Jun 24, 2023Jun 24, 202328m06
28mTilbury to BarbicanMichael Portillo journeys back to the Britain of his childhood, tracing a path from London's historic Docklands and vibrant East End to the striking, self-contained world of the Barbican—a 'city within a city'.Jun 26, 2023Jun 26, 202328m07
29mWaterloo to Regent's ParkMichael Portillo resumes his exploration of Britain's railways, revisiting the landscape of his childhood with a journey from London to Cambridge, beginning at South Bank station.Jun 27, 2023Jun 27, 202329m08
29mPaddington to OngarMichael Portillo descends into the depths to explore London's latest addition to its rail network, the Elizabeth Line. His journey takes him across the city before he continues onward, connecting with the historic Epping Ongar Heritage Railway.Jun 28, 2023Jun 28, 202329m09
29mFelixstowe to NorwichMichael Portillo’s railway journey through eastern England unfolds, beginning along the breezy seafront at Felixstowe and concluding amidst the modern expanse of the University of East Anglia's plate glass buildings.Jun 29, 2023Jun 29, 202329m10
29mBrandon to CambridgeMichael Portillo concludes his exploration of eastern England's railways, tracing a route from RAF Lakenheath towards the historic city of Cambridge.Jun 30, 2023Jun 30, 202329m11
28mDerby to HinckleyMichael Portillo retraces the landscape of his childhood with a rail voyage through postwar Britain, commencing in the industrial city of Derby and winding towards the verdant West Country via the heart of the Midlands.Jul 17, 2023Jul 17, 202328m12
28mCoventry to Leamington SpaIn Coventry, Michael remembers the devastation wrought by the Luftwaffe on the city's magnificent Gothic cathedral in November 1940, and then continued his journey to Leamington Spa to see the National Centre for Guide Dogs for the Blind.Jul 18, 2023Jul 18, 202328m13
28mLong Itchington to MoseleyMichael Portillo's rail adventure now takes him into the very heart of Warwickshire, where an unprecedented undertaking is unfolding – HS2, the most significant investment in Britain’s railway network for a century.Jul 19, 2023Jul 19, 202328m14
28mWolverhampton to CheltenhamAt the African and Caribbean Heritage Centre in Wolverhampton, Michael explores the profound effect of Enoch Powell’s infamous 1968 speech on immigration, both within the city and throughout the country.Jul 20, 2023Jul 20, 202328m15
28mTewkesbury to FiltonMichael journeyed to Eastnor’s storybook castle, nestled at the base of the Malvern Hills, then onward to the Severn Estuary and Filton, a region that became the heart of Britain’s aviation industry in the years following the war.Jul 21, 2023Jul 21, 202328m
