Humax TV Tonight: Great British Railway Journeys

Great British Railway Journeys is on BBC Two tonight at 6.30pm.

Watch, record or stream it with a Humax set-top box.

Michael Portillo strikes out to explore the Britain of his youth. He’s a “boomer”, born in the decade after the end of the Second World War, and he recalls the optimism and excitement of rebuilding a nation exhausted by conflict. He’ll relive the agony and the ecstasy of British Rail and marvel at the new society and culture emerging in post war Britain.

At Preston’s Fulwood Barracks in Lancashire, Michael is called up for National Service but fails to impress the drill sergeant on the parade ground. In the regimental council chamber two veterans share their memories of post-war military action.

Michael’s next stop is an eight-mile stretch of road, which in 1958 became Britain’s first motorway: the Preston Bypass, now part of the M6. He hears how the pioneering project aimed to tackle congestion and link the north to the south. The proud owner of a vintage Mini of the same era remembers enjoying the open road.

In Blackburn, Michael investigates the town’s political heritage and its fiery red-headed MP, Barbara Castle. Michael discovers the inside story of one of Britain’s most famous female politicians from another Blackburn political heavyweight, Jack Straw, who worked for her and succeeded her at Westminster.

At Bury Bolton Street Station in Greater Manchester Michael meets the volunteers who operate the fabulously preserved East Lancashire Heritage Railway. After lending a hand in the signal box Michael boards the train to find out how Dr Beeching’s post-war railway cuts affected train services in the area.