Great British Railway Journeys - Season 13 - Eps 7: Hackney Wick to Oxford Circus
Michael continues his travels through the capital in the heart of London’s East End. Michael explores Hackney Wick, today transformed from the time of his 1930s Bradshaw’s guide, when factories belched smoke and the Communist Party of Great Britain launched The Daily Worker. Michael hears about the newspaper’s origins and aims from the editor of its modern incarnation, The Morning Star. A bout in the ring at Repton Boxing Club has Michael floating like a butterfly - if not stinging like a bee - as he discovers one of Britain’s greatest fighters, Ted 'Kid' Lewis. Michael is captivated by the story of the Jewish refugee from the Russian pogroms, who twice became welterweight champion of the world. A night at one of the earliest railway hotels, the Great Northern, sets the scene for Michael to explore the railway revolution of the interwar years, when around 150 companies were rationalised into the 'big four', heralding a golden age of glamour, speed and style.
About Great British Railway Journeys
Title: Great British Railway Journeys
First Air Date: 2010-01-04
Last Air Date: 2025-04-09
Status: Returning Series
Rating: 7.3/10 (from 11 votes)
Language: EN
Seasons: 17
Total Episodes: 280
Network: BBC Two
Genres: Documentary
Production Companies: Talkback Thames, Fremantle UK
Synopsis
Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with a copy of George Bradshaw's Victorian Railway Guidebook. Portillo travels the length and breadth of the country to see how the railways changed us, and what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.
Cast
Michael Portillo
Self - Presenter
