The BEST episodes of Great British Railway Journeys
Every episode of Great British Railway Journeys ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Great British Railway Journeys!
Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with a copy of George Bradshaw's Railway Guidebook. Portillo travels the length and breadth of the country to see how the railways have changed it, and what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.
#1 - Tewkesbury to Filton
Season 14 - Episode 15 - Aired 7/21/2023
Michael visits the fairytale castle of Eastnor, at the foot of the Malvern Hills, before heading to the Severn Estuary and Filton, the centre of Britain's postwar aviation industry.
#2 - Newbridge to Roscrea
Season 4 - Episode 24 - Aired 2/7/2013
Michael Portillo takes to the tracks once again using his Bradshaw's 'Handbook for Tourists in Great Britain and Ireland' from the Victorian era. Portillo is on a railway journey through 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. In this episode, Michael visits the Irish National Stud, discovers how harsh life was for the Irish poor and uncovers an astronomical feat of Victorian engineering.
#4 - Canterbury to Alexandra Palace
Season 11 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/20/2020
Beginning in Canterbury in Kent, Michael treads the boards as he uncovers the political message behind a play, published in 1936, inspired by the 12th-century murder of Archbishop Thomas a Becket.
#5 - Deal to Margate
Season 13 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/20/2021
Michael heads to the splendid Walmer Castle, home during the 1920s to a Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Lord Beauchamp, whose openly homosexual lifestyle led to his exile from the country.
#6 - Brandon to Cambridge
Season 14 - Episode 10 - Aired 6/30/2023
At RAF Lakenheath, Michael Portillo discovers a slice of America dropped into the British countryside. In the market town of Brandon on the border between Norfolk and Suffolk, he visits Quorn Foods to find how a seemingly modern meat substitute emerged out of a post-war food crisis. Michael ends his journey in Cambridge, where he studied during the 1970s.
#7 - Swanwick to Brownsea Island
Season 9 - Episode 5 - Aired 1/5/2018
Michael Portillo builds a bivouac with a group of scouts and learns about war horses.
#8 - Dundee to Aberdeen
Season 4 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/22/2013
Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with his copy of Bradshaw's Victorian railway guidebook, he travels the length and breadth of the British Isles to see what of Bradshaw's World remains. Michael is exploring 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. Michael learns how Queen Victoria used to hide from her subjects, discovers how factory workers went deaf and goes out with a bang in Aberdeenshire.
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#9 - Kingston upon Hull to Malton, North Yorkshire
Season 9 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/15/2018
#11 - Plymouth to The Lizard
Season 9 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/12/2018
Michael Portillo boldly goes to the moon by the way of the Cornish Rivera Express!
#13 - Newport to Clevedon/Yatton/Bristol Channel
Season 9 - Episode 8 - Aired 1/10/2018
Michael Portillo prepares the Airbus 380 for a smooth landing at Fliton.
#14 - Criccieth to Caernarfon
Season 9 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/19/2018
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 braves the fastest zip line in the world - stretching 1,500 feet across a vast slate quarry. He uncovers a bitter industrial dispute between quarrymen and the owner of the pit, Lord Penrhyn, which divided the community at the beginning of the 20th century.Riding north Wales's splendid heritage railways, Michael visits the home of British mountaineering, Pen y Gwryd, to hear how an Edwardian journalist and poet created a climbing community, which grew to include men who would conquer Everest in the 1950s. Michael meets the grandson of one of his political heroes, the Edwardian Prime Minister David Lloyd George, at his birthplace in Criccieth. At the impressive 13th-century fortress of Caernarfon, built by English King Edward I, Michael discovers the early 20th-century history behind the ceremony now traditional at the royal investiture of a Prince of Wales.
#15 - Elgin to Loch Ness
Season 11 - Episode 5 - Aired 1/10/2020
Michael Portillo's journey ends at Loch Ness, where he joins the Deep Scan research team as they scour the deep for signs of the elusive monster.
#16 - Taunton to Salisbury Plain
Season 11 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/17/2020
Michael Portillo crosses the county line from Devon into Somerset. He sees first-hand how willow farmers sought to overcome the challenge from the production of synthetic plastics during the 1930s.
#17 - Witham to Felixstowe
Season 11 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/22/2020
Michael Portillo's railway journey reaches Witham in Essex. Here he visits the factory of the world's oldest supplier of metal framed windows which became popular in the 30s.
#18 - Farnborough to Winchester
Season 12 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/30/2021
Michael is heading for Farnborough, Hampshire, famous today for its airshow and home to what was then the Royal Aircraft Establishment.
#19 - Potters Bar to Cardington
Season 12 - Episode 8 - Aired 5/5/2021
Michael's Bradshaw travels resume in leafy Hertfordshire, where he attempts a canoe slalom course, visits the estate of Dame Barbara Cartland and hears the shocking story of the R101 airship.
#21 - Paddington to Ongar
Season 14 - Episode 8 - Aired 6/28/2023
Michael Portillo ventures deep underground onto London's newest railway - the Elizabeth Line - enjoying a smooth ride from Paddington to Tottenham Court Road. Emerging into the sunshine in Bedford Square, Michael recalls the choking smogs which plagued the capital during the 1950s. He learns how smoke-free zones were introduced to tackle the problem and, high above the capital at the top of the BT Tower, discovers how the capital's air quality is monitored today.
#22 - Derby to Hinckley
Season 14 - Episode 11 - Aired 7/17/2023
Michael Portillo explores the postwar Britain of his youth on a railway journey from the Midlands to the West Country, beginning in the city of Derby.
#23 - Coventry to Leamington Spa
Season 14 - Episode 12 - Aired 7/18/2023
In Coventry, Michael recalls the destruction by the Luftwaffe of the city’s Gothic cathedral in November 1940, before heading to Leamington Spa to visit the Guide Dogs for the Blind National Centre.
#24 - Dagenham to Battersea
Season 13 - Episode 9 - Aired 5/27/2021
Armed with his 1930s Bradshaw’s guide, Michael is in London, where he tracks the River Thames from east to west. Starting in Dagenham, he ends up at the iconic Battersea Power Station.
#25 - Darsham to Felixstowe
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/3/2012
Michael Portillo follows the Victorians' fascination with Britain's own Atlantis to Dunwich and discovers the history of the Port of Felixstowe.