Great British Railway Journeys season 15 on BBC2 sees dapper dresser Michael Portillo taking a train ride through Britain’s fascinating post-war history. That means exploring the Britain of his youth, criss-crossing the country by rail and taking a nostalgic look back at everything from the birth of space exploration, to the invention of the lava lamp, and all the highs and lows of British Rail through the post-war decades!
"I’m afraid train travel has got so much worse recently, and I’m astonished by the reduction in the number of services and the increase in journey times," says former Conservative cabinet minister Michael Portillo.
"Having said that, when I was a child railway carriages used to be pretty grubby, and the British Rail sandwich was famously grim – always stale and curly at the edges!"
So here’s everything you need to know about the 15th outing of Great British Railway Journeys on BBC2…
Great British Railway Journeys season 15 release date
Great British Railway Journeys is a 15-part historical travelogue that will start on BBC2 from Monday March 18 2024 at 6.30pm, running daily from Monday to Friday across the week for three weeks.
Episodes will also become available on BBCiPlayer.
Is there a trailer for Great British Railway Journeys?
Not yet, but we’ll update here as soon as one lands, so watch this space – and look out for Michael wearing some particularly colourful jackets and trousers!
What happens and destinations in series 15 of Great British Railway Journeys?
The first five episodes take in the Southern Counties, from London Marylebone to Heathrow, via Swindon, Chippenham, Yeovil, Swanage, Portchester, Havant and Guilford. Along the way, Michael discovers the birthplace of the plastic recorder, learns about the origins of Oxfam and discovers the secrets of the hovercraft.
His second five-episode journey takes place in Scotland, from Loch Lomond to Dundee, taking in the West Highland Line, Glasgow’s Hampden Park and the Forth Road Bridge, which was constructed during the 50s and 60s. Meanwhile, Michael also rocks out with the Bay City Rollers and learns how chicken tikka masala was created for the Glaswegian palate by a chef from Lahore.
Finally, Michael travels from Merseyside to Teesside, with a five-episode leg that sees him discover the excitement of post-war space exploration at Jodrell Bank, ride a vintage Raleigh Chopper and check out the headquarters of Yorkshire Tea, before finishing his journey in a recreated 1950s street at the Beamish open air museum.
Exclusive interview: Michael Portillo talks us through Great British Railway Journeys
What can you tell us about Great British Railway Journeys season 15?
Michael Portillo told us: "Well, it’s about exploring post-war Britain and the Britain of my youth, and it involves some fascinating adventures, including possibly the most dramatic and ambitious scene we’ve ever shot! In episode two I go up in a 1954 Harvard aircraft at Yeovilton air base with two other vintage planes flying either side – and I swear the wings were virtually touching. It was extraordinarily skillful flying but pretty alarming, too!"
Was there anything you particularly enjoyed reminiscing about?
Michael says: "We went to Haslemere, Surrey, the birthplace of the plastic recorder. I had a wooden one, but it brought back memories of making dreadful noises on a recorder as a child! We also went to Beamish, the open air museum, and I’m a sucker for old buses and cars. But one has to be wary of nostalgia because the immediate post-war period was actually characterised by a lot of poverty and inequality. Even I remember what it was like to live in a house that didn't have central heating – it was freezing!
What was it like rocking out with Stuart ‘Woody’ Wood from the Bay City Rollers?
Michael says: "I think there will be danger of heart attacks across Britain when that episode goes out. You may remember their emblem was a tartan yellow scarf, well I did a lot of scarf waving because I got so carried away by the music! I was rather a stuck up kid in many of ways and I didn’t get into much of the youth rebellion stuff. I used to wear my shirts buttoned up to the top button, so I was literally ‘buttoned up.’ You have to understand that I was quite repressed. So I’m just delighted that these experiences somehow come around!"
Do you have a personal highlight from the series?
Michael says: "It was very fascinating for me to speak to Mick McGahey Jr, whose father was the leader of the Scottish miners’ union at the time of the miners’ strike 40 years ago. Of course, I was a Conservative politician in those days, so I think each of us was so completely astonished to be in each other's company. I hope that makes good television."
Were there any filming challenges?
Michael says: "I'd love to answer your question in the spirit that it’s made, but we always have extraordinary luck. We call it Portillo’s luck. For some reason when we're filming it always rains at night, but not during the day. And our trains are never canceled, which they are when I’m not filming!"
Do you have fond memories of train travel growing up?
Michael says: "Yes, because I’m so old my earliest train travel was by steam train. We used to take our holidays on the Isle of Wight and there was a steam train that ran from Ryde down to Ventnor and it made the most extraordinary panting sound, and if I ever heard it again I’d be taken straight back to my childhood. But although people get very nostalgic about steam trains, they were very dirty and you’d always arrive at your destination covered in smuts!"
As a politician, you dressed quite somberly. So what changed?
Michael says: "There's been this marvelous psychological flowering, which has occurred since I left my political career. The colorful inner man has burst forth spectacularly! Now my criteria for my outfits is simply to see whether there are any more colours on the spectrum I can get hold of. One of the things I enjoy while filming is watching the crew’s looks of horror at the combinations I put together. We’ve even got to the stage where some of our directors will actually request certain jackets and trousers. They’ll say things like, we’re filming in a brownish landscape, so your green and red outfit would be fantastic!"
Apart from your colorful clothes, do you have any packing must-haves?
Michael says: "Yes, a very new and very eccentric packing must-have is that I now take an apron with me. The reason is I found myself taking a break from filming for lunch and then all afternoon I’d have spaghetti over my shirt. I thought, this won’t do. So I now sit down to lunch with an apron on in order to have a pristine shirt for the afternoon!"
Finally, what do fans like to talk to you about when they recognize you?
Michael reveals: "Well, in the modern world nothing happens unless it’s recorded on a smartphone, so most people just want a selfie! The other day I was on a train and one of the train crew produced an autograph book, and I was astonished. I hadn't seen one of those for a while! Other than that, some people get very confused and think that I’m a railway expert when, in fact, the train is literally a vehicle to get me from one lovely history story to another!"
