Upcoming episodes, programme details and where to watch over the next seven days. All times are UK time.
Ealing Broadway to South Kensington: Michael Portillo reaches the capital on his rail journey. In Ealing, he is transformed for the silver screen by expert hair and make-up.
Piccadilly Circus to Gravesend: Michael Portillo journeys from Piccadilly Circus to Gravesend, visiting an exotic West End store that was popular among Victorian women.
East Malling to Rye: Michael Portillo travels from Warwick to Rye in East Sussex. En route he discovers how the Edwardians' attitude towards cultivation bears fruit even now.
Michael Portillo embarks on a journey across Essex. Beginning on the fringes of London, he takes the underground to the ancient woodland of Epping Forest, with its gnarled hornbeams and beeches, a legacy of centuries of pollarding. Continuing on the Central Line, Michael visits a historic London Transport signal cabin in Epping which has been preserved by railway enthusiasts. He guides an underground train into Epping station – on a simulator. At Harlow, Michael visits the house and garden of the town’s chief architect, Sir Frederick Gibberd. Michael hears about Gibberd’s plan for Harlow's new town and discovers the architect’s love of art and sculpture in the garden. At Audley End, he visits a charming miniature railway which has recently celebrated its 60th anniversary and learns of Audley End House's role as a secret wartime military school.
Michael’s exploration of Essex continues in Romford. He arrives on the London Overground’s Liberty Line to visit a state-of-the-art rail-operating centre responsible for the whole of the East Anglian rail network. He discovers how signallers and operators control the movements of over 4,000 trains a day and learns how they respond to emergencies on the tracks. At Upminster, he finds the gateway to the Chafford Gorges Nature Park, which for centuries was exploited for its natural resources. The former chalk quarries have been transformed into a rare habitat for orchids, and he hears how archaeologists have discovered Neanderthal stone tools in the chalky cliffs. Michael takes a scenic rail journey through the marshy landscape of the Dengie Peninsula to arrive at a marina on the River Blackwater. He makes a choppy crossing to visit the Ross Revenge ship, home to Radio Caroline since the 1980s.
Michael Portillo’s exploration of Essex reaches Chelmsford. At a huge construction site on the outskirts of the city he discovers Beaulieu Park, the first railway station to be built on the Great Eastern Main Line for over 100 years. Michael learns how the station is designed to alleviate congestion in Chelmsford city centre. At Chelmsford Cathedral, the headquarters of the diocese of Chelmsford, Michael meets the bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani. He discovers one of the largest and most diverse dioceses in England and hears Bishop Guli’s extraordinary personal story of escape from Iran after the Islamic revolution of 1979. Michael continues his rail journey on the Great Eastern Main Line and visits the historic riverside town of Maldon, with its pretty Thames barges. Michael learns about a medieval battle and handles a rare Viking sword. He finishes this leg of his Essex journey in the coastal village of Tollesbury, with its strong maritime heritage and marshy landscape, a haven for birds and wildlife.
Arriving in the Essex market town of Witham, Michael heads into the countryside to visit Terling Place, one of the county’s great country houses. He hears how in the late 19th century, Victorian scientist the 3rd Baron Rayleigh discovered the atmospheric gas argon here. Michael joins the Braintree branch line - aka the Flitch line - and alights at Cressing to visit two huge medieval barns that are thought to be the oldest timber-framed structures in England. At Braintree, Michael learns about the town's wool and silk industries before heading to the Warner and Sons archive, where he discovers a depository of thousands of silk patterns, including two pieces with a royal connection. At Great Bardfield, Michael traces a group of artists including Edward Bawden and Eric Ravilious, who settled in the pretty Essex village from the 1930s onwards. He meets the author of a book on the artists, who now lives in their former home.
Michael's exploration of Essex is drawing to a close. He visits Colchester, which was first mentioned in AD 77 and proudly claims to be Britain’s oldest recorded town. He learns about the rebellion in AD 60 by the warrior queen Boudica against the Romans and visits the Norman castle that was built on top of the foundations of the Temple of Claudius. At the University of Essex’s plant innovation centre, Michael meets scientists growing climate-resistant plants in a state-of-the-art laboratory, where the weather can be changed at will. Across the Chappel viaduct, one the largest in the country, Michael reaches north Essex. He is bound for the Colne Valley heritage railway and learns the history of the line which ran from Chappel and Wakes Colne to Haverhill in Suffolk. He finishes his tour of Essex by driving an old Intercity 125 high-speed train through the picturesque countryside.