Great British Railway Journeys S16 E01-E05 (1080p, soft English subtitles)

Great British Railway Journeys S16 E01-E05 (1080p, soft English subtitles)

All aboard! Armed with his trusty Bradshaw's guide, Michael Portillo explores the UK the railways made. Uncover hidden gems and fascinating communities from across the nation.

E01 Paddock Wood to Frant
Michael Portillo takes to the rails to explore one of Britain’s oldest surviving landscapes, the woods and pasture of the Weald in south east England. Between the chalk hills of the North and South Downs, little more than an hour’s rail journey from London, he finds the pretty 12th-century church of St Peter and St Paul in Wadhurst, where more than 30 iron memorial slabs bear witness to the Weald as once the country’s leading producer of iron. At Bedgebury Pinetum, Michael finds the largest collection of conifers in the world, with over 12,000 individual trees. One of them represents the most staggering botanical discovery of the 20th century – thought to be extinct, this tree flourished at the time of the dinosaurs. Close to Frant, Michael is drawn to a masterpiece of Georgian architecture - Finchcocks, where amateur and professional pianists come to play some of the finest pianos in the world.

E02 Hildenborough to Robertsbridge
Michael Portillo’s rail exploration of the historic wooded region of south east England, known as the Weald, continues from Tonbridge, at the heart of the area's rail network.
Touring hazelnut orchards near Hildenborough, Michael learns about the Kentish cobnut and lends a hand to crack and roast the crop. On the edge of the High Weald at All Saints' Church, Tudeley, he is moved by the tragic story behind its magnificent stained-glass windows, designed by the world-famous Belarusian-Jewish artist Marc Chagall. An exciting new railway connection is being built to link the Kent and East Sussex Heritage Railway to the main line at Robertsbridge. Michael gets the lowdown on the Rother Valley Railway project and has fun operating their restored turntable.

E03 Dorking to Lingfield
Michael Portillo’s railway tour of the Weald reaches the spectacular Surrey countryside, where he finds a surprising connection to the darker reaches of the universe.
In a sprawling Victorian mansion south of Gomshall is the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, where 200 scientists and engineers design and build space hardware. Michael gets to play with a model Rover that will explore the surface of Mars as part of a European Space Agency project. From Dorking, Michael follows in the footsteps of Victorian ramblers who used the railway to reach the countryside, guidebooks in hand. He hears about the author of one guide, who called himself Walker Miles, and discovers Rail to Ramble is again encouraging hikers to visit the Surrey Hills by rail. He joins a group of adults with a range of disabilities, who help to maintain the pathways. At Lingfield, Michael marvels at the rich wildlife native to Britain, including polecats, otters, badgers, and a European eagle owl named Ethel.

E04 Gatwick Airport to Royal Tunbridge Wells
Michael Portillo’s rail exploration of the spectacular countryside of the Weald in Surrey, Sussex and Kent continues - this time, aboard the Gatwick Express train, which connects the busy airport in the south east of England with the capital, London. Michael is amused to learn the name of the airport derives from the Old English for ‘goat farm’, and that the first railway station to serve the area was built in 1891 to transport people to a racecourse. A £250m overhaul of the airport railway station was completed in 2023 and has doubled space for its 21 million passengers annually. The next stop is one of Britain’s most popular heritage railways - the Bluebell Line, which runs through the Sussex Weald for 11 miles between East Grinstead and Sheffield Park. Michael rides on the footplate of a 1957 locomotive and meets the dedicated team of staff and volunteers, who keep the beautiful carriages in tip-top condition. From the spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells in the High Weald, Michael heads for Buckhurst Park, seat of the Sackville family, to meet the Earl and Countess De La Warr and their impressive herd of pedigree Sussex cattle.

E05 Chichester to Amberley
Michael Portillo’s railway tour of the green and pleasant landscape between the North and South Downs, known as the Weald, nears its conclusion. Near Chichester, Michael visits the Weald and Downland Living Museum, and hears how 53 historic rural buildings dating from AD950 to 1910 were rescued from dereliction or demolition to form a unique collection that showcases the rural life of the region. Michael discovers the cold comforts of a jail for market-day offenders and gets stuck into the messy business of repairing a building with wattle and daub. At the former Petworth station, Michael finds that passenger services ended in 1955, but bed and breakfast is now available - in Pullman luxury style! The grand stately home, Petworth House, which the station used to serve, was once home to a passionate collector of art and patron of artists, the 3rd Earl of Egremont. Michael is eager to see the collection and to discover his connection to JMW Turner, who stayed at the house every year between 1827 and 1837, and created over 100 works there. Michael heads south on the Arun Valley Line to Amberley to visit a magnificent Roman villa of 65 rooms, discovered in 1811 by a farmer with a brand new plough. He is amazed by the sophisticated heating systems and the beautifully intricate mosaics.

First broadcast: 7 April 2025
Duration: 30 minutes per episode
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