The Railway: First Great Western on Channel 5

[Essexman]

I was relieved that it didn't turn into an Eddie Stobart advertorial, yet I found they were cramming in too much into very little time.

However, the documentary makers may have been told what Channel 5's audience remit is, so condensed it into bite size parts for the average viewer to understand.

The most interesting parts I found were Jody's shift on the 2045 to Swansea which made me think about those guards/train managers who work alone with the passengers on late night services and Dave the RPI at Windsor and Eton Central, although more could have been explained about how the youths resolved their ticketing issue without being PF'ed.

It appeared that they were trying to board with child tickets so they were simply sent back to buy adult ones. Hope the one who passed his ticket through the fence got caught without a ticket at the other end.

 

[Mojo]

The most interesting parts I found were Jody's shift on the 2045 to Swansea which made me think about those guards/train managers who work alone with the passengers on late night services and Dave the RPI at Windsor and Eton Central, although more could have been explained about how the youths resolved their ticketing issue without being PF'ed.

They weren't given a Penalty fare as they had not yet made a journey.

 

[bnm]

Is it not the case that if you have a broadband connection and thus the capability to watch TV as it's being broadcast, you also by law require a TV Licence? I was under the impression it was.

I'm talking about catch-up services (ITV Player, 4od, Demand 5). You can't use browser adblocking on live tv broadcast online.

Having the capability to watch or record TV online as it is broadcast does not require a licence. Just like having a TV alone doesn't require a licence. Only actually watching or recording TV as it is broadcast requires a licence.

I don't watch or record TV on any platform as it is broadcast. Therefore I have no need for a licence.

 

[ModernRailways]

A s for the FGW pacer farewell tour that was for the class 142's which were going back to Northern. FGW do still have a very small fleet of class 143's operating local routes from Exeter St Davids such as to Barnstaple.

Ah! Whenever I think Pacer I think 142. I always forget about their counterparts as they never venture up these parts.

 

[crispy1978]

Not a bad programme.

Agree with the vulnerability of Jody - the station security were next to useless in assisting.

Liked Dave the fare protection officer and his demeanor!

 

[jon0844]

I liked it too. And I didn't notice the reversed shots or the wrong lights, and even if I did, that's television. To me that was just background padding.

I did notice the change from a 180 to HST though, although it wasn't really made out to be the same service - just another service running that day.

 

[Captain Chaos]

Not a bad programme.

Agree with the vulnerability of Jody - the station security were next to useless in assisting.

Liked Dave the fare protection officer and his demeanor!

He's an Inspector. If someone can confirm (Sky didn't record for some reason!), it did say Revenue Protection Officer didn't it? He was one of the people who helped train me when I started on the railway. I still work alongside him (albeit in a different role) now. He has never been an Officer and has always been an inspector!
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Overall I thought it not too bad. It's over 12 weeks so I'd imagine that there will be much more to come. I'll give it a few episodes and reserve proper judgement till then.

 

[Qwerty133]

He's an Inspector. If someone can confirm (Sky didn't record for some reason!), it did say Revenue Protection Officer didn't it? He was one of the people who helped train me when I started on the railway. I still work alongside him (albeit in a different role) now. He has never been an Officer and has always been an inspector!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Overall I thought it not too bad. It's over 12 weeks so I'd imagine that there will be much more to come. I'll give it a few episodes and reserve proper judgement till then.

what's the difference between RPIs and RPOs?

 

[ainsworth74]

Does anyone know if/when it's being repeated on TV? I'l watch it online if it isn't but I'd rather catch it on the TV if possible.

 

[Captain Chaos]

what's the difference between RPIs and RPOs?

RPO's can issue PF's, tickets etc but are not PACE trained and cannot place anyone under caution for fare evasion or MG11'd as we tend to call it. RPI's can do this.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Biggest enthusiast-enfuriating blooper so far: The narrator describing how varied FGW's rolling stock is- over footage of a 458!

 

[work-traveller]

Anyone know if the series will include the Night Riviera service?

 

[jon0844]

Definitely shown as a RPO...

Looks like Arsene Wenger moonlighting for FGW.

 

[Temple Meads]

Biggest enthusiast-enfuriating blooper so far: The narrator describing how varied FGW's rolling stock is- over footage of a 458!

I didn't notice that!

The only one that really annoyed me was the seriously crowded service leaving Paddington, but the train leaving Paddington immediately after the dispatch of that was obviously not full and standing.

 

[Hyphen]

Having actually been stuck in the backlash of the lineside fire stuff waiting for the 20:45 Swansea (this was the Friday night, not Jody's Saturday), nothing particularly surprised me about the first bit of the documentary. Eagle eyed viewers will notice Hyphen in the background of one shot suddenly looking very elated at his mobile phone in the first half of the show.

Shame they didn't show what happened with my service - we were all announced as boarding 30 mins late onto the 20:45, but then a fault developed with the train so we were all turfed off and told to go to platform 1 for a different train (50 mins late by now). The film crew were documenting everyone pouring off platform 4 and kept filming as more people kept running from the concourse onto Pl 1 seeing (by this time) an early Swansea.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I didn't notice that!

The only one that really annoyed me was the seriously crowded service leaving Paddington, but the train leaving Paddington immediately after the dispatch of that was obviously not full and standing.

There were a few of those (and I'm only 25mins in!)...

The 458 was at 24m25s by the way.

 

[Searle]

Does anyone know if/when it's being repeated on TV? I'l watch it online if it isn't but I'd rather catch it on the TV if possible.

I don't think there are any repeats of it planned, so I'd get it up online.

I relatively enjoyed it, trying not to watch out for continuity errors, unlike some people who seem to be watching it just for them!

 

[1e10]

Seems to be getting a little better. But the start was terrible.

Trains going backwards, different trains being shown. Terrible continuity, although as I say it has definitely seemed to get a little better in the second 15 minutes!

And now they've said that FGW still use Pacers...

They do as I was lucky enough to stand on one of these a few weeks back.

I stand corrected then! I'm guessing they were just removed from a certain line which is what the farewell tour was for.


Overall view of the show was relatively poor. I think the BBC had it pretty much spot on. One week focus on revenue, one week focus on weekend travellers/engineering works etc.

There wasn't any real flow to it I didn't feel. There multiple times the train's had tail lights on in the direction of travel, or headlights but they were going backwards. Even the average person would notice that surely!?

Ermm, you'd think. Every time I'm at a train station with my sister she loves to point out to me how 'that train over there has a broken front light' whilst I hang my head in shame.

It appeared that they were trying to board with child tickets so they were simply sent back to buy adult ones. Hope the one who passed his ticket through the fence got caught without a ticket at the other end.

I think he was. The definitely pulled one of the group up for having a ticket that had already been used as given away by the 'Printed on' listing.

He's an Inspector. If someone can confirm (Sky didn't record for some reason!), it did say Revenue Protection Officer didn't it? He was one of the people who helped train me when I started on the railway. I still work alongside him (albeit in a different role) now. He has never been an Officer and has always been an inspector!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Overall I thought it not too bad. It's over 12 weeks so I'd imagine that there will be much more to come. I'll give it a few episodes and reserve proper judgement till then.

Yup, definitely said RPO.

Anyone know if the series will include the Night Riviera service?

The episode seem to flow pretty fast jumping from one subject to another which leaves me wondering what they could possibly have in-store for the remaining 11 episodes?

 

[ralphchadkirk]

It certainly had the cheesiness and dumbed-down feel that most Ch5 programmes seem to have.

 

[jon0844]

It does seem like they're going to struggle.

Well, obviously they didn't as they filled 12 programmes, but surely there's going to be a lot of repetition.

But, did people notice the adverts for rail enthusiasts? I guess Channel 5 has perhaps considered that there will be a reasonably sized audience that would gladly watch the same things (at different times and locations) over and over?

Overall, I was quite impressed that it wasn't what I expected from Channel 5. Or at least the first episode wasn't.

 

[ModernRailways]

Ermm, you'd think. Every time I'm at a train station with my sister she loves to point out to me how 'that train over there has a broken front light' whilst I hang my head in shame.

I wasn't talking about that. Most people can tell when something is travelling in the wrong direction, and the lights just back up that.

Why not have the trains going in the correct direction? It seems to me they didn't film enough of trains just passing by/departing/arriving and so have had to replay the same film just backwards and people will notice that.

The episode seem to flow pretty fast jumping from one subject to another which leaves me wondering what they could possibly have in-store for the remaining 11 episodes?

I would have thought they would do something similar to the BBC whereby they focus on one department each episode. This episode was apparently all about Paddington, but they seemed to be jumping to different areas constantly. Maybe it was because it was the first episode, and hopefully it was!

 

[Muzer]

Yup, I quite enjoyed it. I noticed the train going backwards, and some dubious statement about headcodes, and the Adelante/HST weirdness, but that's not something most people would notice - it's close enough and it satisfies its main objective - informing people about the general running of the railways, rather than getting too bogged down in specific details. It's annoying that these errors exist, yes, but they're not really worth getting worked up about if the documentary gets its intended message across - which it certainly does.

I had to fix my Flash player for this (damn Adobe and their DRM that doesn't work properly in Linux any more), and it was certainly worth it.

 

[TDK]

But, did people notice the adverts for rail enthusiasts? I guess Channel 5 has perhaps considered that there will be a reasonably sized audience that would gladly watch the same things (at different times and locations) over and over?

Isn't that the life of a rail enthusiast?

 

[Smethwickian]

No, please don't let ITV get involved.

Indeed not.

ITV only make these kind of programmes as a vehicle for a familiar celebrity face, regardless of their background, knowledge, documentary experience or understanding of any subject.

So we'd get something like Miranda Hart's Great Rail Journeys or The Chuckle Brothers On The Line or Stacey Solomon's Big Train Trip which might be very slightly entertaining to ardent fans of those personalities in some ways but would not significantly or accurately enlighten, educate or inform anyone in any way whatsoever about the way Britain's rail network runs.

 

[D365]

I've noted that there was too much 'Dave' from that time, including featured personnel - least now, we have "The Home Of Witty Banter"

Btw, this here is "The Railway" programme site, with links to recent episodes. Also "Monster Moves" S6E1 centring on the transport of the overseas A4 Pacifics which have come to NRM Museum York for the Mallard 75 "Great Gathering".

 

[Muzer]

The Chuckle Brothers On The Line

I would pay to watch that

 

[Mugby]

I thought it was interesting, but in Programme 1 we had revenue protection, rowdy passengers on late night services, incidents on the line, a look inside a control centre, night maintainance at Long Rock, daily life at Paddington. What are they going to put in the remaining eleven episodes?

 

[jon0844]

Well, they've got Glastonbury next week - but even that can't fill a whole one hour programme.

I think they'll just go back and forth between all of these places they've now 'established' and a few more, showing more people (and the familiar faces we've now been introduced to) and just covering more disruption, more revenue protection, more incidents on trains.

Basically, the same idea every week.. and I'm sure many viewers will be more than happy with that. Of course, a lot of people will drop out and not watch all 12 episodes. But that happens even for shows like X Factor!

 

[Morden Via CHX]

Jodie

 

[Butts]

Much to my amazement I actually enjoyed this Channel 5 programme.

I watched it on Virgin Media "on demand" and it actually cuts out the adverts going straight from one segment of the show to the next.