Underplayed Gems

Great British Railway Journeys (2010)

Great British Railway Journeys poster
Genre
documentary film, travelogue
Country
United Kingdom
Length
8 seasons, 135 episodes
Rating
7.4 of 10 from 14 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this series is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A former politician travels through Britain using a vintage railway guidebook. He visits towns and cities, comparing how places looked in the 1800s to how they are today. The show is about history and change, not just trains.

informativeleisurelynostalgiccuriouswarmeducationalreflectivepleasanthistorical

What happens

Great British Railway Journeys is a 2010–present BBC documentary series presented by Michael Portillo, a former Conservative MP and Cabinet Minister who was instrumental in saving the Settle to Carlisle line from closure in 1989. The documentary was first broadcast in 2010 on BBC Two and has returned annually for a current total of 16 series. The series features Portillo travelling around the railway networks of Great Britain, Ireland, and the Isle of Man, referring to Bradshaw's Guide and comparing how the various destinations have changed since; initially, he used an 1840s copy, but in later series, he used other editions. Portillo has said that sometimes he regrets the name of the programme as it is "really about history", and that whilst he likes trains, he "wouldn't say [he was] passionate about them". Portillo has presented 8 other series with a similar format: Great Continental Railway Journeys (8 series; 2012–2025), Great American Railroad Journeys (4 series; 2016–2020), Great Indian Railway Journeys (2018), Great Alaskan Railroad Journeys and Great Canadian Railway Journeys (broadcast consecutively in January 2019), Great Australian Railway Journeys (2019), Great Asian Railway Journeys (2020), and Great Coastal Railway Journeys (3 series; 2022–2024). (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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