Catch up TV
Series 9: 6. Whitland to Swansea
Dressed in the colours of the Welsh flag and with his 'new' Edwardian Bradshaw's guide in hand, Michael Portillo embarks on a railway adventure, from the coalfields of south Wales around the Bristol Channel to the southernmost tip of Cornwall. His first stop is Whitland in Carmarthenshire, where in the early 20th century, thrill-seekers gathered on Pendine Sands to indulge their need for speed. Michael joins latter day petrolheads to burn rubber on the beach in an iconic three-wheeler.\n\nIn Llanelli, Michael retraces the fateful events of a national rail strike in 1911 and is stirred by the sound of a male voice choir as they sing the town's unofficial anthem. At Loughor, he discovers a passionate preacher, who led a religious revival which gripped Edwardian Wales and had profound implications for the nation's established church.\n\nIn a suburban semi-detached house in the 'sprawling, crawling town of Swansea', Michael discovers the restored home of the poet Dylan Thomas, and the tiny bedroom in which he wrote two thirds of his published work.
Source: BBC 2
Most recent episodes of Great British Railway Journeys
Great British Railway Journeys
Series 9: 15. Criccieth To Caernarfon
With his Edwardian Bradshaw's railway guide tucked under his arm, Michael Portillo begins the last leg of his journey from Hull to Caernarfon. In picturesque Snowdonia, he ...
19-06-2020
BBC 2
Great British Railway Journeys
Series 9: 14. Liverpool To Dolgarrog
Michael Portillo's Edwardian railway guide takes him to the city of Liverpool, where King Edward VII had recently laid the foundation stone for a grand Anglican cathedral a ...
18-06-2020
BBC 2
Great British Railway Journeys
Series 9: 13. Sheffield To Nantwich
With his Edwardian railway guidebook tucked under his arm, Michael Portillo is in the steel city of Sheffield, where he discovers an enormous and beautifully preserved early 20t ...
17-06-2020
BBC 2
Great British Railway Journeys
Series 9: 12. York To Frizinghall
Armed with his Edwardian Bradshaw's guide, Michael Portillo conducts important research in an historic tea room, built by an Edwardian immigrant to the city of York. Resear ...
16-06-2020
BBC 2
Great British Railway Journeys
Series 9: 11. Hull To Malton
Michael Portillo embarks on a journey through Britain steered by his Edwardian railway handbook. He begins in the East Yorkshire port of Hull, where he heads for the docks throu ...
15-06-2020
BBC 2
Great British Railway Journeys
Series 10: 14. Piccadilly Circus To Gravesend
Michael Portillo hits the West End to explore an exotic store, which was a favourite among Edwardian ladies. At Covent Garden’s Royal Ballet School he hears how in 1909 a ...
05-04-2020
BBC 2
Great British Railway Journeys
Series 9: 10. Plymouth To The Lizard
Steered by his early 20th-century Bradshaw's railway guide, Michael Portillo boldly goes to the moon by way of the Cornish Riviera Express! On the trail of an historic achi ...
27-03-2020
BBC 2
Great British Railway Journeys
Series 9: 9. Taunton To Newton Abbot
With purple, green and yellow ribbons flying, and sporting ankle bells, Michael Portillo is led a merry dance in Stogumber - all in the name of fertility. He visits a celebrated ...
26-03-2020
BBC 2
Great British Railway Journeys
Series 9: 8. Newport To Clevedon/yatton/bristol Channel
Steered by his early 20th-century Bradshaw's guide, Michael discovers the birthplace of British aviation in Bristol and prepares an Airbus 380 for a smooth landing at Filto ...
25-03-2020
BBC 2
Great British Railway Journeys
Series 9: 7. Pontyclun To Ebbw Vale Town
Armed with his Edwardian Bradshaw's guide, Michael strikes gold at the Royal Mint in Llantrisant, where after much frisking, he gains access to the inner vaults.\n\nAt Card ...
24-03-2020
BBC 2
Most popular episodes of Great British Railway Journeys
Great British Railway Journeys
Series 5 - Manchester To Birkenhead
On the first leg of a journey from Manchester to Chesterfield, Michael Portillo finds out how Manchester gave birth to a revolutionary political movement.
11-08-2014
BBC 2
Great British Railway Journeys
Series 2 - Batley To Sheffield
Michael Portillo finds out about shoddy, a successful 19th-century recycling industry in the textile town of Batley, and meets a descendant of George Bradshaw.
10-06-2014
BBC 2
Great British Railway Journeys
Series 3 - Great Yarmouth To Beccles
Michael Portillo discovers the grave robbing history of Great Yarmouth, and tries his hand at working a Victorian swing bridge in Reedham.
30-09-2014
BBC 2
Great British Railway Journeys
Series 5 - Chippenham To Gloucester
Michael Portillo's journey to Wolverhampton continues. He visits Clifton Zoo in Bristol and finds out why Gloucester station became known for lost luggage.
15-09-2014
BBC 2
Great British Railway Journeys
Series 5 - Cheltenham To Wolverhampton
On the final leg of his journey, Michael Portillo joins battle re-enactors in Tewkesbury before reaching his destination of Wolverhampton.
16-09-2014
BBC 2
Great British Railway Journeys
Series 2 - Newcastle To Chester-le-street
Michael Portillo visits the first locomotive factory in the world opened by George Stephenson and searches for the lost pit village of Marsden.
03-06-2014
BBC 2
