Portillo's Hidden History of Britain

Season 1

4 episodes · Apr 20, 2018

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  • S1E1

    Royal London Hospital

    Apr 20, 201860m

    Built in the East End of London 250 years ago and closed in 2013, the Royal London Hospital pioneered medical breakthroughs and healthcare for generations of people.

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  • S1E2

    Orford Ness: Defence of the Realm

    Apr 27, 201860m

    Michael Portillo unlocks the doors to four extraordinary abandoned locations. For almost a century, Orford Ness was owned by the MOD, a lens into a bygone era of secrets, spies and superpowers. When it closed in 1993, its buildings were still shrouded in secrecy.

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  • S1E3

    Shepton Mallet

    May 4, 201860m

    Michael Portillo unlocks the doors to four extraordinary abandoned locations. Since it opened 400 years ago, Shepton Mallet prison has seen thousands of prisoners, numerous executions and countless escape attempts. It has been home to gangsters, and during the Second World War a safe house for Britain's most precious historic documents such as the Magna Carta.

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  • S1E4

    Imber Village - The Wages of War

    May 11, 201860m

    In 1943, the village of Imber in Wiltshire's Salisbury Plain began to be used as a Second World War training ground. At risk from friendly fire, each household was ordered by the War Office to abandon its home for the duration of the conflict. Despite promises that the residents could return after the war, the village remains in the hands of the military, and has been since used for training against the IRA and the Taliban. Michael meets former residents and relatives to hear this story of upheaval, and talks to historians to reveal the history behind the desolation of this ancient village.

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