Great British Railway Journeys

I really enjoy watching this fabulous series about British Rail. Michael Portillo is the travel enthusiast who takes us on a history lesson without snobbery or bias. A new journey every episode, shows me why Britain was and is Great.

Former British Cabinet Minister Michael Portillo travels around England and southern Scotland by train comparing the towns and cities where he stops with an 1850 "Bradshaw's" railway guide. This series is a gem which will appeal to anyone with an interest in railways or in Victorian Britain.

Michael Portillo is not a professional TV presenter and this adds a touch of freshness to the series which is not normally found in such productions owing to everything being carefully planned and choreographed. Although some of his interviews with local people are planned, the most entertaining meetings are with people he chats to after chance meetings in the street, in restaurants or on trains. I look forward to a second series!

Love to watch him go to places we would like to go to, and like seeing places he goes to that we have been to. He is not a "professional" presenter, and doesn't mind making a fool of himself by joining in local dancing or singing, even if he is tone deaf and has two left feet.

This series is not really about the railway journeys but about the people and places Portillo visits. Everything about this series is just about perfect. Portillo was once considered likely to be our next prime minister but seems to have found his true vocation with this series. He has a genuine passion for gaining knowledge, understanding history and meeting people, having a natural interaction even with people from a different background or political opinion. He is intelligent, respectful, well mannered and conducts himself with dignity and integrity (probably why he never became PM!) but also is prepared to laugh at himself when he regularly gets involved.

As an early evening light entertainment show exactly the right balance is struck between the big stories about the places he visits and some quirky ones, the researchers do a great job, the show is always interesting and entertaining, maintaining an element of surprise. I actually enjoy his British shows more than his foreign trips, I've learnt so much more about my own country from this series whereas the foreign series can only be something of a snapshot.