The Tube: Going Underground TV series

[Rup]

Has anyone been watching The Tube: Going Underground TV series on Channel 5?

It focuses more on the engineering aspects of the Underground which for me makes it more interesting than some previous series.

 

[kwrail]

Been watching it. If you can cope with the 'Janet and John' commentary the footage is actually very good. Agree that it is more interesting for focusing on engineering and historical aspects rather than the fly on the wall human interest approach.

 

[Greenback]

Mrs Greenback is nejoying it, as she likes engineering shows. She likes the enthusiasm of the presenter, too, which probably means that she is exactly the sort of person that the programme is aimed at.

By that I mean someone with no great interest in railways themselves, but someone whow likes to see how things work, and what happens behind the scenes.

I confess I was very interested in the Battersea extension tunnels myself. The stories about Bethnal Green and Balham have been quite touching, too.

 

[Crossover]

It has been a very interesting series so far - I was expecting a similar type of programme to the previously "Kings Cross" one so got a surprise when it turned out to be focussing more on the engineering. It has got some of the family interested too

 

[matt]

It has been a very interesting series so far - I was expecting a similar type of programme to the previously "Kings Cross" one so got a surprise when it turned out to be focussing more on the engineering.

I was expecting the same so was pleasantly surprised. It has been a very interesting watch so far.

 

[Mikey C]

Yes, a good mix of history, technical stuff and "human interest"

 

[yorksrob]

It was very interesting. I like to flatter myself that I'm marginally knowledgeable on railway affairs, however the giant train hoover was a revelation.

The enthusiastic presenter is extremely easy on the eye !

 

[Mikey C]

It was very interesting. I like to flatter myself that I'm marginally knowledgeable on railway affairs, however the giant train hoover was a revelation.

The enthusiastic presenter is extremely easy on the eye !

I'll let others pass judgement on your second point ()

Yes, that train hoover was really interesting, the amount of crap that came off that Central Line carriage was quite disturbing!

 

[yorksrob]

I'll let others pass judgement on your second point ()

Yes, that train hoover was really interesting, the amount of crap that came off that Central Line carriage was quite disturbing!

Having dabbled in some carriage restoration myself, you get a very big dust cloud when you whack a carriage cushion that hasn't been cleaned for twenty odd years !

 

[Class172]

Having dabbled in some carriage restoration myself, you get a very big dust cloud when you whack a carriage cushion that hasn't been cleaned for twenty odd years !

Giving the seat cushion a good whack on the former Central Trains 150s would give the same effect!

 

[DelW]

I've found it very interesting too, particularly some of the little known items like the never-completed station under Hampstead Heath. Nice to see understandable descriptions of the engineering involved, rather than focusing on argumentative passengers and the like, as some earlier series have. It also seems to have avoided the portentous mock jeopardy of too many Ch 5 documentaries (" ... If all these signalling systems fail, then trains could crash into each other and HUNDREDS of people could be killed ..." - err, yes, that's why we DO have those signalling systems).

So far a good series, and I hope Ch 5 will continue and cover each line in time.

 

[londonbridge]

So far a good series, and I hope Ch 5 will continue and cover each line in time.

According to my tv guide there are only four episodes....

 

[Bromley boy]

Echoing the above, it's great to see something focussing more on engineering, less on human interest, than most programs of the genre.

So many program makers these days seem to assume viewers lack the attention span or intelligence to understand anything beyond the most basic facts and information. This series is a welcome departure from this.

Even more surprising to find a relatively high quality program on C5.

 

[43074]

I stumbled on this last week and have since caught up on the first episode - they've been great so far, I like the chronological way in which the programmes are presented, and the mix of engineering, history and a little on the operation of the lines which makes them very interesting to watch. The enthusiasm of the presenter is great too!

According to my tv guide there are only four episodes....

Hopefully they'll do a second series, it seems to have gone down very well on social media etc.

 

[Crossover]

The presenter, Rob Bell, also presented "Britain's Greatest Bridges" that was aired on Ch 5 towards the end of last year - another excellent series which covered the Forth Bridge in one episode. It looks like he has presented a few things now and he seems to have a real enthusiasm for it

The train hoover was very interesting to see!

 

[Mikey C]

Interesting to see the engineering work in the tunnel between Baker Street and Finchley Road being carried out.

With the continuous S8 stock now operating, the undulations on the track are really obvious as you can see the next carriage bouncing up and down!

 

[Kite159]

Quite a good little series and feature this week on the Piccadilly line

 

[Mikey C]

The Piccadilly Line control room was fascinating!