Great British Railway Journeys

Beginning just outside Newcastle in Jarrow, Michael uncovers the desperation which led 200 men to march 300 miles to Westminster in order to petition the Government for work. In Newcastle, Michael admires the city's iconic railway bridge.

Michael Portillo's railway journey through 1930s Britain from Newcastle to Loch Ness reaches Falkirk in Scotland.

Stopping at Dundee, Michael Portillo heads for Glamis Castle, where Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the Queen Mother, grew up.

Michael Portillo's journey ends at Loch Ness, where he joins the Deep Scan research team as they scour the deep for signs of the elusive monster.

Michael Portillo explores the West Country between the wars and discovers a Cornish fisherman, who, although he began painting only in his seventies, inspired established artists from the capital.

In the countryside surrounding Truro, Michael finds the historic estate of Trewithen, whose gardens were stocked from China by professional plant hunters commissioned by its owner.

Clutching his 1930s Bradshaw’s Guide, Michael Portillo reaches Bodmin en route to Totnes as he explores the West Country from St Ives to Salisbury Plain.

The Dartmouth Steam Railway takes Michael Portillo to the beautiful home of Agatha Christie, in the company of her great-grandson, James Prichard.

Michael Portillo crosses the county line from Devon into Somerset. He sees first-hand how willow farmers sought to overcome the challenge from the production of synthetic plastics during the 1930s.

Beginning in Canterbury in Kent, Michael treads the boards as he uncovers the political message behind a play, published in 1936, inspired by the 12th-century murder of Archbishop Thomas a Becket.

On this leg, Michael alights at Limehouse in east London for Cable Street, which became the focus of Britain's fight against fascism in the 1930s.

Michael Portillo's railway journey reaches Witham in Essex. Here he visits the factory of the world's oldest supplier of metal framed windows which became popular in the 30s.

Michael Portillo heads for Snape Maltings, a concert and arts venue, and learns how the music and life of one of Britain’s greatest composers was shaped by the sea and his Suffolk surroundings.

Michael Portillo is in Attleborough, at the headquarters of an international horse welfare organization which was established in the late 1920s, where he learns about the charity's pioneering founder.