[BBC TV]The Tube: An Underground History

[michael769]

Thursday 16th May 9PM BBC2 (Friday 17th May in Scotland)

It's 150 years sincethe first train left Paddington to travel four miles underneath London. With the tube now serving three million passengers every day, comedian Julian Barratt looks at how the network has changed over the decades.

 

[anthony263]

Sounds like this program wil be good.

Shame its not the annoucement of when series two of the tube is being broadcast.

 

[ydnA]

From http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01sjtzw

In 2013 London Underground is 150 years old. The world's first underground railway is spending its anniversary year celebrating its own history. They're sending a steam train back underground, and there's a Royal visit to prepare for. On the tube, history is everywhere - it's down every tunnel, in every tunnel, in every sign and design, and in the lives of the unsung people who built it and run it today.

Following on from BBC2's The Tube series, this programme tells the story of the underground through the eyes of the people who work for it. Farringdon station supervisor Iain MacPherson reveals why his station - the original terminus - was constructed in the 1860s, and recalls the dark days of Kings Cross in the 1980s. Piccadilly line driver Dylan Glenister explains why every Edwardian station on his line has its own unique tiling pattern and how, in the 1930s, the construction of new stations expanded the borders of London. And there's Head of Design and Heritage, Mike Ashworth, whose predecessor pioneered the art of branding in the 1920s and Customer Service Assistant Steve Parkinson, who was part of a wave of new recruits from the Caribbean from the 50s.

With privileged access to disused stations and rare archive footage, this is the tube's hidden history, revealing why it was first built and how it has shaped London ever since.

So hopefully this might be the new series!
A

 

[Daniel]

From http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01sjtzw

So hopefully this might be the new series!
A

Nope! Well, sortof. But nope!

I'm sure some of the LU staff had mentioned on this forum -

There will be a one off special this year celebrating the 150th anniversary of the London Underground.

This will be followed by a second series of 'The Tube', after 'The Buses' version.

 

[anthony263]

I didnt know we were having a buses documentary.

Seems public transport has become cool for the BBC this last year

 

[SS4]

Looks interesting, I shall set it to record

 

[TransportUK]

Looking forward to this too.

Seems public transport has become cool for the BBC this last year

Definitely agree with you there.

 

[anthony263]

TFL have put a video promoting this episode on their youtube channel during the last 2 hours:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZgNJzh36FE

 

[Tibbs]

Does anyone know where I can get the first series of The Tube from?

I looked on iPlayer and it doesn't seem to be there anymore. I missed it first time around.

Thanks!

 

[SS4]

Does anyone know where I can get the first series of The Tube from?

I looked on iPlayer and it doesn't seem to be there anymore. I missed it first time around.

Thanks!

It's on Youtube although obviously i cannot speak for the quality of video (I saved mine from original broadcast - each one is roughly 4GB lol)

youtube

 

[anthony263]

Does anyone know where I can get the first series of The Tube from?

I looked on iPlayer and it doesn't seem to be there anymore. I missed it first time around.

Thanks!

The episodes on youtube are actually extremely good quality

 

[Darandio]

Just a quick heads up for anyone who has either forgotten or is looking for something to watch tonight, it's on in an hour or so.

 

[Tibbs]

It's on Youtube although obviously i cannot speak for the quality of video (I saved mine from original broadcast - each one is roughly 4GB lol)

youtube

Brilliant, thanks.

I have a day off tomorrow and now something to do!

 

[TransportUK]

So what did we all think? There was some good footage of the steam loco on the Metropolitan Line. Also, I must say that TfL's HQ at 55 Broadway looks very swish indeed.

 

[anthony263]

It was actually quiet good although it didnt seem as good as the episodes in series 1 maybe because this episode was featuring on the tubes history.

That said it is well worth a watch and I look forward to the 6 episodes of series 2 being broadcast later this summer.

 

[Dstock7080]

Also, I must say that TfL's HQ at 55 Broadway looks very swish indeed.

. . . . while it lasts !
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/tubes-historic-hq-to-be-turned-into-highprice-flats-8617323.html

 

[Mojo]

So what did we all think? There was some good footage of the steam loco on the Metropolitan Line. Also, I must say that TfL's HQ at 55 Broadway looks very swish indeed.

TfL's Head office is at Windsor House on Victoria Street. 55 Broadway is London Underground's Head office. Departments and teams are being slowly moved out of Broadway, as the above contributor says because it is being sold off.

Having worked in 55 Broadway myself in the past it has indeed been a pleasure and is truly a great building to work in, but some problems exist in that perhaps it might not be totally suitable for a modern office environment; for example it is extremely hot in the summer (no air con).

Despite this, I shall truly miss it when it goes, as it's a great piece of history.

 

[Searle]

On a slightly pedantic note, at ~52 minutes they mention the King's Cross fire spreading due to gusts from trains below. However I don't quite think that's true, I seem to remember on a Seconds to Disaster style show they discounted this.

Really enjoyed the program though

 

[TransportUK]

On a slightly pedantic note, at ~52 minutes they mention the King's Cross fire spreading due to gusts from trains below. However I don't quite think that's true, I seem to remember on a Seconds to Disaster style show they discounted this.

Yes you're right. It was actually caused by the inclined nature of the escalators combined with a flashover. It's an effect called the Trench Effect, and it was discovered for the first time by scientists when they were brought in to try to explain the fire. More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trench_effect

 

[theblackwatch]

I thought this was a decent programme. It was a shame the King's Cross fire was mentioned pretty much at the end though rather than at some other point, as that will probably have been the thing on most people's midnafter the programme finished, rather than one of the Underground's many achievements.

 

[jon0844]

I think it was the only place it could have been; it brought things more up to date and also helped show (even if not directly the reason for the extra investment) why the underground is now being given record investment to upgrade - and go for another 150 years...

 

[anthony263]

Yes you're right. It was actually caused by the inclined nature of the escalators combined with a flashover. It's an effect called the Trench Effect, and it was discovered for the first time by scientists when they were brought in to try to explain the fire. More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trench_effect

A demonstration of the trench effect was shown in the "London Underground revealed" documentary by National Geographic.

Should be on youtube

 

[theblackwatch]

I think it was the only place it could have been; it brought things more up to date and also helped show (even if not directly the reason for the extra investment) why the underground is now being given record investment to upgrade - and go for another 150 years...

I realise it needed to be towards the end, but given the event was 25+ years ago, there were plenty of other things which could have been mentioned covering the period since...for example the new Jubilee Line.

 

[LE Greys]

I realise it needed to be towards the end, but given the event was 25+ years ago, there were plenty of other things which could have been mentioned covering the period since...for example the new Jubilee Line.

Or indeed anything to do with the Jubilee Line. They mentioned 'under-investment' in that period, yet LT managed to scrape together enough for a new route from Baker Street to Charing Cross and a fleet of trains to run it. The other thing they got badly wrong was the camerawork, which was horribly shaky and badly-done. If you can't afford/carry a tripod, at least find something to lean on. It contrasted really badly with the archive film, where the camera was as steady as a rock.

However, there were some really good bits. The look inside HQ was interesting, and it was great seeing steam in the tunnels again. I missed that day, and really hope I'll get another chance. The visit to that old station on the Northern Heights was curious as well.

Also, I wish they'd shown Beck's 1964 map, where he produced something better than the one they actually used (just tried searching, can't find it). It had a 'hump' in the Circle, allowing a straight Victoria Line, and all the other lines looked less cluttered. But it was still fascinating seeing where some of the old diagrams had gone.

 

[jnjkerbin]

A good program overall. Like the Tube series but with out all the drunks and know-it-all commuters!

 

[musicking1306]

Does anybody know if there is going to be a second series of The Tube? If so when is the estimate for when it will be on?

 

[Butts]

I thoroughly enjoyed it .

Has anyone ever been to The Highgate Station built but never used that featured on the programme ?

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

I was watching the LUL programme last week on BBC2 and they showed a surface level station somewhere in the Highgate area on North London that was built as part of an extention to the Northern Line I think it was, but stopped by the start of WW2 and never completed. It's amazing that that station is still there after all this time.... I wondered what the route was was going to be and if it had anything to do with the little line that goes to Mill Hill East, which I guess was also meant to go further....I wonder if in fact these either of these extentions could easily be resurrected.?

 

[yorkie]

See http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=1370171#post1370171

originally the Northern line was planned to run to Bushey heath near watford - Mill Hill east branch to join up with the Edgware branch and continue north. the works at Aldenham should have been for the line, but after completing part of the work, the extention was abandoned. Another proposed branch was to Muswell hill & Alexandra Palace

see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_line Northern Heights paragraph

(See more threads where the Northern Heights route has cropped up by clicking this Google search link).

I thoroughly enjoyed it .

Has anyone ever been to The Highgate Station built but never used that featured on the programme ?

Are you talking about Highgate High Level?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

AFAIK, it was the Northern Heights plan, which included (as new lines):
- Finsbury Park-Highgate
- Highgate-Ally Pally
- Mill Hill East-Edgware
- Edgware-Bushey Heath

There are remains of a never used viaduct around Bushey Heath IIRC. It's amazing just what the Wars stopped being built actually.