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Great Coastal Railway Journeys S02 complete (1280x720p HD, 50fps, soft Eng subs)
Michael Portillo embarks on railway adventures around the coasts of the British Isles.
E01 Douglas to Port Erin
Michael Portillo embarks on another railway adventure across and beyond the United Kingdom, beginning on the self-governing Isle of Man – a paradise for rail lovers. He visits the Isle's ancient parliament, the Tynwald, which is older than Westminster, is taken down the east coast on the Isle of Man Steam Railway to the Norse castle of Rushen, test-drives the smallest production car ever made in Peel, joins a working fishing boat at Port St Mary, and meets two passionate advocates of the Manx language.
E02 Liverpool to Blackpool
From the Isle of Man, Michael Portillo crosses the Irish Sea, bound for the mighty port of Liverpool and its historic waterfront. At the International Slavery Museum in Royal Albert Dock, he reflects on the city’s part in the transatlantic trade in enslaved people. He takes Merseyrail to Birkenhead, where he inspects a German U-boat before seeing the underground room where the Battle of the Atlantic was monitored and controlled. In Crosby, he encounters dozens of west-facing iron men before heading off to Blackpool, where he learns about the city's wartime experiences.
E03 Morecambe to Grange-over-Sands
Michael Portillo continues his rail journey. He looks out across the vast and beautiful Morecambe Bay and joins one of the town’s last shrimpers to learn how potted shrimp is made. At Arnside, he visits a quirky 17th-century garden at Levens Hall, helping to clip its vast topiaries into shape. Across the Arnside viaduct, Michael reaches Cartmel, with its 12th-century priory and Michelin-starred restaurant.
E04 Ulverston to Ravenglass
Michael Portillo is in Cumbria, enjoying one of the most spectacular coastal railway journeys in Britain. In Ulverston, he sets sail in a small craft with a lifelong devotee of Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons. At Barrow-in-Furness, Michael investigates the mountains of scrap left behind as iron ore was turned into ships, trains and railway tracks. From Silecroft, Michael hikes up Black Combe to join a champion endurance athlete as she navigates and runs across the fells. Pressing north, he reaches the delightful Ravenglass and Eskdale heritage railway.
E05 St Bees to Maryport
On the last leg of his railway journey around the north west coast of England, Michael meets a lifelong fan of Alfred Wainwright’s famous guidebooks and takes the first steps along his coast-to-coast path. In Whitehaven, once the third-busiest port in Britain, Michael visits a family butcher that has made traditional Cumberland sausages for a century. Heading inland to Cockermouth, he learns about William Wordsworth’s great love for the River Derwent, which flows alongside the garden of Wordsworth House. Michael finishes his journey in Maryport, where the Solway Firth marks the border between England and Scotland and where the tidal surge sweeps in big fish for those fishermen still using traditional haaf nets to catch them.
E06 Middlesbrough to Boulby
Michael Portillo’s coastal railway adventure propels him in search of the unknown universe in Boulby, North Yorkshire. Over a kilometre below the surface of the earth, in the deepest mine in Britain, Michael joins the hunt for dark matter. At Redcar, a racing legend tells Michael his incredible story. The champion jockey, who was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, describes his glittering comeback. Middlesbrough’s iconic blue Transporter Bridge offers Michael fabulous high views over the Tees estuary and the Cleveland Hills. The pride of Teessiders in their most famous landmark is clear, and Michael is fascinated by the wild natural landscape reclaimed from the industry around it. At Saltholme, Michael joins the RSPB in a hide to observe a visiting bird of prey.
E07 Whitby to Robin Hood's Bay
Michael Portillo continues his railway adventure at Whitby, where he explores the port’s shipbuilding and seafaring heritage. In Grosmont, Michael boards the first steam locomotive built in Britain since the 1960s. In the vast open landscape of the North York Moors, Michael discovers one of the most powerful military radars in the world - where tension rises as the team suspect a missile launch. Robin Hood’s Bay’s murky past as a smuggling haven leads Michael down a dark tunnel to discover how contraband gin, brandy and tea was landed and why the illicit trade flourished in the 18th century.
E08 Scarborough to Bridlington
Michael Portillo is in the seaside resort of Scarborough to explore one of the greatest royal fortresses in England, before heading to the beautiful neoclassical Rotunda Museum, one of the world’s first purpose-built museums. At Bempton Cliffs in the East Riding of Yorkshire, Michael join forces with Humberside Police in an unusual patrol vehicle. And in the lobster capital of Europe, Bridlington, he visits the Yorkshire Marine Research Centre to find out how they aim to keep stocks of the crustaceans healthy.
E09 Hornsea to Spurn Point
Michael Portillo continues his journey in the pretty seaside resort of Hornsea, famous for its distinctive pottery. In Hull, he discovers how one of Hull FC’s star players made history as Britain’s first black rugby captain. From Hull, Michael hitches a ride on a fine-looking barge heading to Goole on a network of canals. At Spurn Point, Michael hears how along this coast an ingenious 19th-century RNLI invention saved many lives. And aboard the Pride of the Humber, the biggest all-weather lifeboat in the fleet, Michael is permitted to take the helm.
E10 Grimsby to Humberston Fitties
Michael Portillo has reached Lincolnshire, where his coastal railway journey from Middlesbrough ends. In Grimsby, he investigates an important new stage in the town’s history - as a maintenance base for some of the largest wind farms in the world.
In neighbouring Cleethorpes, Michael is excited to ride on the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway, pulled by a miniature steam locomotive, and on the shores of the mighty Humber estuary, Michael meets the Humber King, who holds the record for swimming across the Humber. From Cleethorpes, Michael makes for a curious and wild stretch of coastline at Humberston. At Young’s, he learns how half of all scampi produced in the UK is made – and tries it himself.
First broadcast: May 2023
Duration: 30 minutes per episode
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