Catch up TV

Series 9: The World's Oldest Railway



At 300 years old, Tanfield, in the north east of England, is the oldest railway in the world. Thanks to the tireless efforts of volunteer rail enthusiasts, what could have been a forgotten relic has instead become a thriving monument to the region’s industrial past and a showcase of the impact the region once had on the world. \n\nNow the railway community who saved it is preparing for a fitting celebration. They’re working against the clock to complete specially restored engines, pass down heritage skills to the younger generations and create a moment in history with their biggest event yet.\n\nWe meet young train enthusiasts Sophie, Dave and Tom as they keep the railway going, alongside Peter and Bob who restored the railway in the 1970s.\n\nWith six steam engines and the oldest locomotive in the UK visiting the railway, along with 500 visitors, it’s a logistical challenge. There are just a few weeks to go until the big event. Will the restoration projects be finished in time?

Source: BBC 2

Most recent episodes of Our Lives

Our Lives

Our Lives - Series 9: The World's Oldest Railway

Series 9: The World's Oldest Railway

At 300 years old, Tanfield, in the north east of England, is the oldest railway in the world. Thanks to the tireless efforts of volunteer rail enthusiasts, what could have been ...

15-07-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Our Lives

Our Lives - Series 9: The Social Knitwork

Series 9: The Social Knitwork

For a long time, knitting was seen as something only grannies did. But young fashion designer Hope Macaulay is reviving this traditional craft for the modern age. Her chunky han ...

14-07-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Our Lives

Our Lives - Series 8: The Boy Who Can Fly

Series 8: The Boy Who Can Fly

An exhilarating journey, featuring potentially dangerous activities that shouldn’t be attempted, where one very daring young Scotsman defies conventional expectations. And ...

14-11-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Our Lives

Our Lives - Series 8: 9. Secrets Of The Lost Mines

Series 8: 9. Secrets Of The Lost Mines

Two unlikely friends explore the abandoned metal mines hidden in the hills of mid Wales.\n \nWales is known for its industrial past, with coal from the south and north east fuel ...

07-11-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Our Lives

Our Lives - Series 8: 11. Pets Saving Lives

Series 8: 11. Pets Saving Lives

Someone is reported missing every 90 seconds in the UK, and across the country there are hundreds of volunteer search and rescue groups on hand to support the emergency services ...

31-10-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Our Lives

Our Lives - Series 8: 12. The Lakes: Our Life On The Edge

Series 8: 12. The Lakes: Our Life On The Edge

Like most couples, Anna and Mat are just trying to figure life out. Unlike most couples, they’ve decided the best way to do this is a 100-mile climbing adventure in the La ...

24-10-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Our Lives

Our Lives - Series 8: 8. The Secret Lives Of Lighthouse Keepers

Series 8: 8. The Secret Lives Of Lighthouse Keepers

A rare look into the working world of the teams who are responsible for keeping the lights on in 208 lighthouses round the coast of Scotland and the Isle of Man. \n\nEstablishe ...

17-10-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Our Lives

Our Lives - Series 8: 7. The Omagh Hum

Series 8: 7. The Omagh Hum

The story of a hum that has been keeping the people of Omagh awake for months. \n\nWith the town exhausted and exasperated, local journalist Emmet McElhatton wants to get to the ...

02-10-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Our Lives

Our Lives - Series 8: 6. Our Yorkshire Stately Home

Series 8: 6. Our Yorkshire Stately Home

One of England's grandest stately homes, Wentworth Woodhouse, was going to rack and ruin when it was saved for local people in a former mining community. This inspiring document ...

24-09-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Our Lives

Our Lives - Series 8: Homing Instinct

Series 8: Homing Instinct

Noone quite understands exactly how a pigeon finds its way home, having been driven hundreds of miles in the back of a lorry to be released and race back to its loft. But acro ...

17-09-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Most popular episodes of Our Lives

Our Lives

Our Lives - Series 9: The Social Knitwork

Series 9: The Social Knitwork

For a long time, knitting was seen as something only grannies did. But young fashion designer Hope Macaulay is reviving this traditional craft for the modern age. Her chunky han ...

14-07-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Our Lives

Our Lives - Series 7: 1. Art Behind Bars

Series 7: 1. Art Behind Bars

How art saves lives, told through the eyes of former prisoner Stephen Greer and current inmates at Magilligan Prison in Northern Ireland.\n\nStephen Greer served many years in p ...

01-09-2023

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Our Lives

Our Lives - Series 8: 12. The Lakes: Our Life On The Edge

Series 8: 12. The Lakes: Our Life On The Edge

Like most couples, Anna and Mat are just trying to figure life out. Unlike most couples, they’ve decided the best way to do this is a 100-mile climbing adventure in the La ...

24-10-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Our Lives

Our Lives - Series 5: Lambing Life

Series 5: Lambing Life

Young sheep farmer Chloe Hallam faces the most dramatic weeks of the farming calendar. Working day and night, she juggles delivering over 1,000 new lambs with running her beauty ...

28-09-2021

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Our Lives

Our Lives - Series 8: Homing Instinct

Series 8: Homing Instinct

Noone quite understands exactly how a pigeon finds its way home, having been driven hundreds of miles in the back of a lorry to be released and race back to its loft. But acro ...

17-09-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Our Lives

Our Lives - Series 8: 5. Dinohunters

Series 8: 5. Dinohunters

Anyone can be a fossil hunter. Amateur enthusiasts and professional palaeontologists are joining forces, unearthing secrets from a time when dinosaurs walked the land. What they ...

16-09-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Our Lives

Our Lives - Series 8: 6. Our Yorkshire Stately Home

Series 8: 6. Our Yorkshire Stately Home

One of England's grandest stately homes, Wentworth Woodhouse, was going to rack and ruin when it was saved for local people in a former mining community. This inspiring document ...

24-09-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Our Lives

Our Lives - Series 8: 7. The Omagh Hum

Series 8: 7. The Omagh Hum

The story of a hum that has been keeping the people of Omagh awake for months. \n\nWith the town exhausted and exasperated, local journalist Emmet McElhatton wants to get to the ...

02-10-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Our Lives

Our Lives - Series 8: 10. The Journey To Scotland's Remotest Pub

Series 8: 10. The Journey To Scotland's Remotest Pub

Documentary that tells the story of the inspiring, thriving, Scottish village of Inverie on the Knoydart peninsula. Twenty-five years ago, the local community pulled together to ...

11-09-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Our Lives

Our Lives - Series 6: Darts Dreams

Series 6: Darts Dreams

Chloe O'Brien is an 18-year-old from Perthshire, and darts is her life. She was a serial winner as a junior, but can she cope with the highs and lows of life in the adult ranks? ...

21-06-2022

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

© 2025 - Catchupplayer.co.uk