Great Coastal Railway Journeys
Great Coastal Railway Journeys is a BBC documentary series produced by Naked West and presented by Michael Portillo, a former Conservative MP and Minister of State for Transport.
Following the format of Great British Railway Journeys and related series with Portillo as presenter, each episode of this series features a coastal railway journey through England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland. Series 1 was first broadcast on BBC Two in January–February 2022, series 2 in May–June 2023, and series 3 in April–May 2024.
In addition to Great British Railway Journeys, Portillo has presented seven other programmes with a similar format: Great Continental Railway Journeys, Great American Railroad Journeys, Great Indian Railway Journeys, Great Alaskan Railroad Journeys, Great Canadian Railway Journeys, Great Australian Railway Journeys, and Great Asian Railway Journeys.
Synopsis
Victorian guidebooks written by George Bradshaw under the title Bradshaw's Guide were the first comprehensive timetable and travel guides to the railway system in Great Britain, which at the time although it had grown to be extensive, still consisted of a number of fragmented and competing railway companies and lines, each publishing their own timetables.
Classified by the BBC in both the travel and history genres, the series features Portillo using the guide to plan his journeys, in the process visiting points of interest picked out in the guide and comparing its content with the modern world, both the physical and cultural ones.
Format
Each series features Portillo travelling on a different route each week, with each daily episode being one short leg of the journey. The weekly journey is a point-to-point journey to take in a variety of locations along the route. Filmed entirely on location, the series features a mix of Portillo delivering commentary to camera, conducting ad-hoc interviews with members of the public or fellow travellers, and providing pre-arranged interviews.
Broadcast
All episodes were originally broadcast on consecutive weekdays on BBC Two and simulcast on BBC Two HD.
Series 1 (2022)
Dunbar to Peterhead
The first journey takes Portillo along the east coast of Scotland, from Dunbar to Peterhead.
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In Portillo's second journey, he travels north from Inverness to the Orkney Islands.
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Portillo's third journey takes him along the coast of North East England, from Tynemouth to Berwick-upon-Tweed.
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In his fourth journey, Portillo explores the west coast of Scotland, starting in Fairlie and finishing in Lewis and Harris.
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Portillo's fifth journey takes him along Wales' southern coastline, beginning in Avonmouth and ending in Fishguard.
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Portillo's sixth journey begins in the Isle of Man and then goes along the coast from Liverpool to Maryport in Cumbria.
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Portillo's seventh journey follows the coast from Middlesbrough, Yorkshire to Humberston Fitties in Lincolnshire.
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Portillo's eighth journey begins at Lough Foyle in Northern Ireland and ends in Rosslare in the Republic of Ireland.
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Portillo's ninth journey is along England's south coast, beginning in Weymouth and ending in Seaford.
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