Great British Railway Journeys

Michael Portillo learns more about the country's railways, setting off from Carlisle on the first leg of a journey through north-west England.

Michael Portillo continues through the Lake District, learning about the legacy of author Beatrix Potter, and finishes with a brief encounter at Carnforth.

Michael Portillo journeys from Preston to Swinton, discovering the poetry of Edwin Waugh and twisting his tongue around the Lancashire dialect.

Michael Portillo travels from St Helens to Knutsford, learning about glass-making and how Victorian building techniques have evolved.

Michael Portillo travels from Cheshire to Staffordshire, stopping off in Macclesfield, where he finds the end of the Silk Route and tries screen printing.

Michael Portillo embarks on a railway journey along England's south coast, beginning in Dover and ending at the Glyndebourne opera festival on the South Downs.

Michael Portillo travels from Newhaven to Worthing, examining the nation's hidden defences and finding a novel way to pick tomatoes.

Michael Portillo journeys from Littlehampton to the New Forest, finishing at Beaulieu, where he seizes the opportunity to drive the first motor car.

Michael Portillo travels by train from Lymington to Exmouth, discovers how the introduction of the railway inspired Thomas Hardy.

Crossing into Cornwall, Michael Portillo learns about the last bridge to be built by renowned engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Michael Portillo begins the first leg of a journey from Birmingham to Dartmoor, working in a Royal Mail sorting office and learning about the origins of the BMA.

Michael Portillo travels from Redditch to Gloucester, beginning with a look back to Victorian times at a needle manufactory.

Michael Portillo travels from Stroud to Bath, investigating the Victorian origins of snooker, then taking tea with the ladies at his end destination.

Michael Portillo travels from Bristol to Glastonbury, entering a Victorian tannery and hearing how a 19th-century entrepreneur turned bird droppings into money.

Michael Portillo stands trial at the Bloody Assizes in Somerset, and later gets to grips with a miracle of Victorian engineering on the Somerset Levels.

Michael Portillo sets out from Ashford on a trip to Henley-on-Thames, lending a hand at a train maintenance plant that is home to High Speed 1 rolling stock.

Michael Portillo travels from East Grinstead to Guildford, including a visit to Leith Hill Place to explore the compositions of Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Michael Portillo travels from Woking to Walton-on-Thames, uncovering the story of Britain's first purpose-built crematorium.

Michael Portillo travels from Hampton Court to Teddington, viewing the world's longest grapevine and hearing about the birth of the Victorian era.

Michael Portillo's final leg begins in Egham, Surrey, where he visits a steam fair before making his way to Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire for a spot of rowing.