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.

Following in the footsteps of Queen Victoria, Michael uses the railways she often rode from Windsor Castle to her country getaway on the Isle of Wight, from where his journey continues west to Portland.

Michael tastes a Victorian superfood in Alton, explores the fascinating Whitchurch silk mill, untouched for over 150 years, and tries his hand at driving a steam train on the challenging Watercress Line. Show less