Series 16
20 episodes · Apr 7, 2025
Documentary series in which Michael Portillo travels the country by train.
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S16E1Paddock Wood to Frant
Apr 7, 202529mMichael 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.
S16E2Hildenborough to Robertsbridge
Apr 8, 202528mMichael 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.
S16E3Dorking to Lingfield
Apr 9, 202528mMichael 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.
S16E4Gatwick Airport to Royal Tunbridge Wells
Apr 10, 202528mMichael Portillo’s rail exploration of the spectacular countryside of the Weald in Surrey, Sussex and Kent continues - this time, aboard the Gatwick Express train.
S16E5Chichester to Amberley
Apr 11, 202529mMichael Portillo’s railway tour of the green and pleasant landscape between the North and South Downs, known as the Weald, nears its conclusion.
S16E6Windermere to Sellafield
Apr 14, 202529mMichael Portillo begins a railway tour of the spectacular border counties of Cumbria and Dumfriesshire, starting in the stunning Lake District National Park.
S16E7St Bees to Grange-over-Sands
Apr 15, 202528mMichael Portillo’s railway tour continues as he travels along the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line. He visits an iron ore mine turned into an arts centre and discovers the cradle of Quakerism.
S16E8Maryport to Penrith
Apr 16, 202529mMichael Portillo’s railway journey through Cumbria and Dumfriesshire heads to the hills as he follows in the footsteps of the Lakeland poets.
S16E9Aspatria to Carlisle
Apr 17, 202529mMichael Portillo’s railway journey through Cumbria and Dumfriesshire takes him to the rolling countryside around Aspatria to meet a couple who swapped their old life for organic dairy farming.
S16E10Dumfries to Auchinleck
Apr 18, 202529mMichael concludes his journey from Cumbria to Dumfriesshire by crossing the Solway Firth into Scotland, where he visits the beautifully preserved last home of Scotland’s greatest poet, Robert Burns.
S16E11Shrewsbury to Telford
Apr 21, 202528mMichael Portillo re-enacts the Battle of Shrewsbury and explores the town's beautiful gothic cathedral, while also riding the Telford Steam Railway’s flagship locomotive.
S16E12Ironbridge to Coseley
Apr 22, 202528mMichael Portillo is in Ironbridge Gorge on the River Severn, a hotbed of 18th-century innovation which features the world's first coke blast iron furnace.
S16E13Dudley to West Bromwich
Apr 23, 202529mMichael Portillo boards a barge on the Dudley Canal, discovers an ancient seabed and explores racial tension in 1960s Smethwick.
S16E14Birmingham New Street to Wednesbury
Apr 24, 202529mArriving in Birmingham, Michael Portillo heads to Curzon Street for a tour of the HS2 terminus still under construction. In the Newtown area, he visits the oldest private manufacturing firm in the UK.
S16E15Solihull to Birmingham International
Apr 25, 202528mOn the final leg of his Midlands tour, Michael Portillo travels to Solihull, the home of iconic British brand Land Rover. Later, he visits the childhood neighbourhood of JRR Tolkien.
S16E16Loughton to Audley End
Apr 28, 202529mMichael Portillo embarks on a journey across Essex. He heads to the ancient woodland of Epping Forest and learns of Audley End House's role as a secret wartime military school.
S16E17Romford to the Blackwater Estuary
Apr 29, 202529mMichael’s exploration of Essex continues in Romford, where he visits a state-of-the-art rail operating centre. On the River Blackwater, he visits the Ross Revenge, home of Radio Caroline.
S16E18Chelmsford to Tollesbury
Apr 30, 202529mMichael’s exploration of Essex reaches Chelmsford, where the city's bishop relates her story of escape from Iran after the Islamic revolution of 1979.
S16E19Witham to Saffron Walden
May 1, 202529mArriving in the Essex market town of Witham, Michael heads into the countryside to visit one of the county’s great country houses, Terling Place.
S16E20Colchester to Chappel and Wakes Colne
May 2, 202528mMichael's exploration of Essex is drawing to a close. He visits Colchester, which was first mentioned in AD77 and proudly claims to be Britain’s oldest recorded town.