Great British Railway Journeys Season 7 (2016) (BBC) {web rip}

Great British Railway Journeys is a documentary television series on BBC Two hosted by Michael Portillo, where he travels around the United Kingdom, with a primary emphasis on Great Britain. This season features 20 episodes total, 30 minutes each. A higher quality version may also be made available, for those who prefer that.

EPISODE 1
"Carlisle to Penrith" 4 January 2016
Joining the cracker packers of Carlisle on the factory floor, Michael Portillo investigates the Victorian appetite for the custard cream on his new journey through north west Britain. Braving a descent into the only operational slate mine in England, Michael discovers a miniature railway that once hauled slate to the surface. Following in the footsteps of Victorian miners on their way to work, he steps out gingerly on to what is now Britain's only Via Ferrata – a tightrope challenge 300 feet (91 m) above the Borrowdale Valley.

EPISODE 2
"Windermere to Carnforth" 5 January 2016
Portillo continues his journey through the Lake District where he discovers a magical world of talking rabbits, ducks, hedgehogs and mice, who have entertained children for more than 100 years. At the village home of author and illustrator Beatrix Potter, he learns about her legacy and her fears about the railways. Fuelled by a Victorian energy bar, Michael presses on to Brantwood, home of the Victorian art critic John Ruskin. He finishes with a "Brief Encounter" at Carnforth.

EPISODE 3
"Preston to Swinton" 6 January 2016
Portillo reads the riot act in Preston, where he discovers four mill workers were shot dead by soldiers at a protest in 1842. In Darwen, he makes a splash in pink as he traces developments in 19th-century interior design from wallpaper to paint. He explores the Victorian industrial landscape of Salford, populated by little matchstick figures, as revealed in the paintings of L. S. Lowry. He finishes this leg of his journey on Kersal Moor, where he twists his tongue around the Lancashire dialect and discovers the poetry of Edwin Waugh.

EPISODE 4
"St Helens to Knutsford" 7 January 2016
Steered by his Bradshaw's guide, Michael begins this leg of his journey in Merseyside, where he feels the heat of modern glass-making in St Helens. He discovers how the techniques invented in the Victorian era to construct buildings such as the Crystal Palace have evolved and are powering a new architectural revolution.


EPISODE 5
"Ashley to Alton" 8 January 2016
On the last leg of his journey through north west England, Portillo makes a clean sweep in Ashley, where, in Victorian times, the new middle classes set up home in suburban villas with multiple chimneys, swept by children. In Macclesfield, Michael finds the end of the Silk Route and tries his hand at screen printing. After stoking the fire on the steam-powered Churnet Valley Railway, Michael alights at Froghall for Alton Towers, to trace the 19th-century origins of the modern theme park.



EPISODE 6
"Dover to Lewes" 11 January 2016
Michael Portillo embarks on a new railway journey along the south coast of England. Beginning in the port of Dover, he takes a plunge into the English Channel, inspired by the example set by a brave 19th-century sea captain. A miniature steam train one third the size of a conventional locomotive conveys him from Romney Marsh to Dungeness, and in Eastbourne, he learns how the 7th Duke of Devonshire managed to market the town's attractions to the refined upper-crust of Victorian London. The first leg of his trip concludes in eccentric style at the Glyndebourne opera festival on the South Downs.



EPISODE 7
"Newhaven to Worthing" 12 January 2016
Michael Portillo travels from Newhaven to Worthing, examining the nation's hidden defences, and taking in two magnificent engineering achievements - the Ouse Valley Viaduct and the Clayton Tunnel. High on top of a favourite Victorian beauty spot he learns how trains carried hordes of day-trippers to fly kites, and finds a novel way to pick tomatoes in Worthing.




EPISODE 8
"Littlehampton to Beaulieu" 13 January 2016
Michael Portillo arrives in Littlehampton, where he discovers how Victorian engineers dug deep to defend the town's residents from cholera and learns how their drills still access clean water around the world. At Gosport, he experiences first-hand the lethal firepower unleashed on the French and learns how the Victorians were engaged in a furious arms race against them. At the family home of Florence Nightingale in the New Forest, Michael finds out what motivated the Lady of the Lamp, before seizing the chance to drive the first motor car at Beaulieu.




EPISODE 9
"Lymington Town to Exmouth" 14 January 2016
Armed with his Bradshaw's Handbook, Michael Portillo arrives in the sailing haven of Lymington where he makes a lifesaving discovery. Exploring Dorchester's literary landscape, he finds out how the coming of the railways inspired the work of the region's greatest writer - Thomas Hardy. Weaving his way to Axminster, Michael tries his hand at carpet making. His last stop is Exmouth, home to Francis Danby, a forgotten Victorian landscape artist.



EPISODE 10
"Plymouth to Porthcurno" 15 January 2016
In Plymouth, Michael Portillo finds out about the Royal Navy's fighting spirit and mixes his own blend of ruin. Crossing into Cornwall, Michael learns about the last bridge to be built by one of his heroes, the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. By Tre, Pol and Pen, he comes to know Cornishmen and how to prepare the perfect pasty. His journey ends in a small village which in Victorian times became a hub of global communications.




EPISODE 11
"Birmingham to Worcester" 18 January 2016 F2460
Every train ride begins with a whistle and Michael Portillo's new railway journey is no exception, blasting off from Birmingham's jewellery quarter to the sound of the Acme whistle, manufactured there since 1884. A visit to the city's town hall reveals a magnificent organ and the location for a celebrated music festival. Travelling south to Kidderminster, Michael reports for duty at the Post Office, where he sorts the letters and discovers more about the great postal innovator Sir Rowland Hill, before heading out to deliver the Royal Mail. 19th-century quack doctors and their bogus remedies are exposed in Worcester, where Michael discovers the origins of the British Medical Association.



EPISODE 12
"Redditch to Gloucester" 19 January 2016 F2461
Michael Portillo travels from Redditch to Gloucester, beginning with a look back to Victorian times at a needle manufactory. He also learns how to make Gloucester cheese and joins the Gloucester Choral Society in a rendition of Jerusalem.



EPISODE 13
"Stroud to Bath" 20 January 2016 F2462
Michael Portillo journeys from Stroud to Bath, investigating the Victorian origins of snooker, before ploughing a crooked furrow at the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester. At his final destination in Bath, he takes tea with the ladies, and also discovers a scandalous novel written by an eccentric recluse, who was once the wealthiest man in England.



EPISODE 14
"Bristol to Glastonbury" 21 January 2016 F2463
Michael Portillo travels from Bristol to Glastonbury, entering the foul-smelling world of a Victorian tannery and hearing how a 19th-century entrepreneur made his fortune thanks to mountains of bird droppings, using his wealth to build churches and one of the most luxurious country houses in Britain. When he reaches his destination, Michael heads for the mystical Glastonbury Abbey, where Victorian tourists flocked to hear tales of King Arthur and the Holy Grail.



EPISODE 15
"Bridgwater to Dartmoor" 22 January 2016 F2464
Referring to his trusty Bradshaw's Guidebook, Michael Portillo stands trial at the Bloody Assizes in Taunton, Somerset, and feels the full force of the law. He also gets to grips with a miracle of Victorian engineering on the Somerset Levels at Westonzoyland, and on Dartmoor embarks on a mid-19th century treasure hunt still popular today.


EPISODE 16
"Ashford to Sevenoaks" 25 January 2016
Michael Portillo sets out from Ashord in Kent on the first leg of a trip to Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, lending a hand at a state-of-the-art train maintenance plant that is home to High Speed 1 rolling stock. A visit to the home of a historic make-up brand reveals the foundations of the Victorian cosmetics industry, before he ends his journey at Knole House in Sevenoaks at Knole House, seat of the Sackville-West family.



EPISODE 17
"East Grinstead to Guildford" 26 January 2016
Michael Portillo travels from East Grinstead to Guildford, with his trip including a visit to Leith Hill Place to explore the compositions of Ralph Vaughan Williams. He also dons a boiler suit and takes to the footplate of a locomotive on the Bluebell Railway, Britain's first passenger-carrying heritage line, and witnesses the power of dynamite first hand.



EPISODE 18
"Woking to Walton-on-Thames" 27 January 2016
Michael Portillo travels from Woking to Walton-on-Thames, uncovering the story of Britain's first purpose-built crematorium and visiting Brooklands, the birthplace of motor racing, along the way. As his journey draws to a close, he goes camping and finds out about the unlikely origins of a leisure pursuit that is going strong today.


EPISODE 19
"Hampton Court to Teddington" 28 January 2016
Michael Portillo starts his latest tour as Hampton Court Palace, where he is treated to a private tour of the Great Vine - the world's longest grapevine - before moving on to stately Claremont House, where tragic circumstances led directly to the birth of the Victorian era. He then moves up the line to Wimbledon and the site of a historic duelling event before ending his journey in Teddington, where he hears the story of a reformer whose work revolutionised the care for those with living disabilities.


EPISODE 20
"Egham to Henley-on-Thames" 29 January 2016
Michael Portillo begins the final leg in Egham, Surrey, where a historic steam fair offers the original White Knuckle Ride. Across town lies the Royal Holloway College, now part of the University of London, where the ex-politician discovers the institution's philanthropic roots. Moving into Berkshire, Portillo drops in at a factory manufacturing a famous sleep-inducing beverage with historic roots. Michael's journey ends at Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, where he learns that rowing in an eight is a challenging business.