Great British Railway Journeys - Series 8

[gavin]

Michael Portillo returns to BBC 2 and BBC 2 HD for the 8th series of Great British Railway Journeys starting in London Michael travels up the East Coast Main Line ending his journey in Scotland's Capital Edinburgh

The new series starts at 18:30 on Monday 2nd January

Week 1

London Kings Cross to York - The Flying Scotsman
Welwyn Garden City to Peterborough
Newark-on-Trent to Stockton
Darlington to Dunbar
Longniddry to Edinburgh

 

[FenMan]

Michael Portillo returns to BBC 2 and BBC 2 HD for the 8th series of Great British Railway Journeys starting in London Michael travels through up the East Coast Main Line ending his journey in Scotland's Capital Edinburgh

The new series starts at 18:30 on Monday 2nd January

Week 1

London Kings Cross to York - The Flying Scotsman
Welwyn Garden City to Peterborough
Newark-on-Trent to Stockton
Darlington to Dunbar
Longniddry to Edinburgh

I recall Mr. Portillo being quoted as saying he thought there would be enough material for three series.

 

[Kite159]

Excellent news

The man in the salmon coloured suit returns

 

[gavin]

Week 2

Blackpool to Manchester Victoria
Manchester Piccadilly to Silkstone Common
Chapeltown to Doncaster
Gainsborough to Ely
Stowmarket to Harwich

 

[marks87]

An excellent first episode. A potted history of the Flying Scotsman, while on its journey from London to York.

 

[PeterY]

Although I struggle a bit with Michael Portillo, I've just watched the first episode, this evening about The Flying Scotsman and I actually enjoyed it.

 

[Holmevalley]

One of the few of his programmes I did not enjoy, everything on it was covered ad infinitum at the time of that run to York, hope the series reverts to type from now on.

 

[R4_GRN]

Just watched this on Flying Scotsman, what about the rude anorak that pushed into camera shot when MP was chatting to the crew, pretty poor I thought obviously not a MP fan.

 

[LAX54]

I am starting to prefer Chris Tarrants rail journeys these days I must admit

 

[stanley T]

Fine to watch, but essentially travelogues, not about trains

 

[GodAtum]

At the Flying Scotsman's water stop, I saw a BTP officer jump in the cab, very lucky!

 

[markydh]

Fine to watch, but essentially travelogues, not about trains

Not this again. It has always been about where you can and used to be able to get to on the rail network, the history and points of interest on route.

 

[Surreytraveller]

Fine to watch, but essentially travelogues, not about trains

Which is what the programme is supposed to be, is it not? Most people get on a train to go somewhere, not to go on the train!

 

[Ediswan]

Not this again. It has always been about where you can and used to be able to get to on the rail network, the history and points of interest on route.

In the earlier series there was a lot more of "How the railway changed things locally". For certain, nobody used the Hertford Loop to reach Haileybury when it was the East India College. That line was not built until decades later.

So I am in the "now more a travelogue" camp. Nothing wrong with a good travelogue.

 

[Greenback]

I still enjoy these programmes, but I thought that the Flying Scotsman was a bi stale and didn't really cover anything new for me. Having said that, the majority of viewers might not know so much about the history of the locomotive.

I thought the second episode was much better. I haven't seen the third one yet.

 

[Strat-tastic]

A nice as the Flying Scotsman episode was, where was the Bradshaw link?

 

[R4_GRN]

Yes, but if you had a way of charging the ticket price to your company, claiming the expenses and VAT back would you not do the same?
Getting paid for travelling on the FS sounds ideal to me

 

[Jamesrob637]

Did anybody else notice that the BBC put Ordsall as "Orsdall" when showing the map of the new alignment?

 

[SodTheDrummer]

A nice program in general. And he travels on pacers for quite a bit of it. Admittedly not the commuter trains from bolton that i have to get where i i get intimate knowledge of peoples armpits...
But if i was in his position, i'd love to do those types of journeys, and that's what the series is about isn't it?? A bit of fantasy..

 

[Marcus Fryer]

Which station is it that features in the opening sequence for this series, where Michael boards a Southern train to Horsham?

 

[Phil.]

Ah, I asked this in a different thread. 'twould seem that it's Box Hill and Westhumble.

 

[backontrack]

In the earlier series there was a lot more of "How the railway changed things locally". For certain, nobody used the Hertford Loop to reach Haileybury when it was the East India College. That line was not built until decades later.

So I am in the "now more a travelogue" camp. Nothing wrong with a good travelogue.

He mentions Bradshaw less as well.

 

[Marcus Fryer]

Ah, I asked this in a different thread. 'twould seem that it's Box Hill and Westhumble.

Thanks - it's been nagging me the last couple of weeks!

 

[reb0118]

Seemingly he's off to Ireland this week. Wexford to Sligo.

Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

 

[Dumpton Park]

Always find Portillo's programmes quite watchable. Saw a bit of Tarrant in Argentina and turned it off as his patronising attitude to the locals (It's NOT hard to learn hello, goodbye and thankyou in ANY language of a country you're visiting. In fact, it's Spanish, so I'd like to know who'd need to learn them) turned it into sub-Clarkson nonsense.

DP

 

[Crossover]

The one which ended at Silkstone Common was interesting as the guy at the end operating the narrow guage steam loco at Wortley Top Forge was one of my teachers at school for Design Tech. I recall the workshop used to generally have bits of a steam loco he said he was building (this was back in the early 2000's) which was probably the start of the complete one that was shown on the programme

 

[Mikey C]

I've just been watching the Ireland programmes

Impressed with the IE 22000 rolling stock,attractive looking, and a nice interior.

It seems surprising to me that Tokyu can be so successful in Ireland, yet never sold anything in the UK?