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Great American Railroad Journeys

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Great American Railroad Journeys
GenreTravel documentary
Presented byMichael Portillo
ComposerJon Wygens
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes15 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerJohn Comerford
ProducerAlison Kreps
Running time30 minutes
Production companyBoundless
Original release
NetworkBBC Two
BBC Two HD
Release1 February 2016

Great American Railroad Journeys is a BBC travel documentary series presented by Michael Portillo.[1] Using a 1879 copy of Appleton's Guidebook to the railroads of the United States and Canada,[2] Portillo travels across the United States, where along his journeys he stops at various destinations to learn how important sites, influential historical events, famous Americans, and the railroads of the 19th century, influenced the country's growth into a major superpower.

The series is shown on BBC Two at 6:30 on weekdays. The first episode of the current series was broadcast on 1 February 2016.[3][needs update]

Episodes

Series 1 (2016)

In the first (and current) series, Portillo takes two railroad journeys that span a total of 15 episodes. His first journey takes him across the US State of New York, travelling around New York City and Long Island at first, before heading to the Niagara Falls via the State's Capitol of Albany. His second journey takes him across the US States of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, from Philadelphia to Jamestown, via Washington, D.C..

New York City to Niagara Falls

No.TitleOriginal release dateProd.
code		UK[4] viewers
(millions)
1"Manhattan: Grand Central to Broadway"1 February 2016 (2016-02-01)1.011.97
The first leg of Portillo's first railroad journey begins - exploring New York City via it's Subways. Destinations visited include Grand Central, the Rockefeller Center, the Financial District, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Broadway. On this leg, he enquires about the American Industrialists of the Gilded Age and the origins of New York's skyscrapers, while also viewing the operations of Grand Central and the art pieces contributed by the "Robber Barons" of the Gilded Age.
2"Manhattan: Lower East Side to World Trade Center"2 February 2016 (2016-02-02)1.021.84
The second leg of Portillo's New York railroad journey continues in New York City. Destinations visited include the Lower East Side, the former High Line, Ellis Island (via ferry), and the new World Trade Center. On this leg, he explores the newly transformed High Line as a park and its preserved railroad history, sees how a tenement building looked like as it was to 18th century immigrants and learns what helped to change their living conditions for the better and how many came through Ellis Island in a day, while also being instructed on how to make his first whiskey cocktail. He also witnesses the inside of the future World Trade Center Transportation Hub and the influence that 9/11 had on its construction (at time of filming).
3"Brooklyn to Montauk"3 February 2016 (2016-02-03)1.031.76
The third leg of Portillo's New York railroad journey moves out onto Long Island. Destinations visited include New York's boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, the "Gold Coast" - Oheka Castle, The Hamptons - East Hampton, and Montauk - Montauk Point Light. On this leg, he listens to the story about the construction and benefits brought about by the Brooklyn Bridge, and what the East Side Access project aims to achieve and its progress, while learning what made the "Gold Coast" attractive to New York City's wealthy in the 19th and early 20th century, how the Lady's Village Improvement Society preserve East Hampton, and how important Montauk's lighthouse was to immigrants and how close it had come to being the gateway for new arrivals to America.
4"New York City to Garrison"4 February 2016 (2016-02-04)1.041.72
The fourth leg of Portillo's New York railroad journey begins in earnest for Niagara Falls - this leg focuses on the region surrounding the Hudson River. Destinations visited include Penn Station, New York, Tarrytown, Garrison, and West Point (via ferry). On this leg, he learns more about Washington Irving, Robert Leroy Parker (Butch Cassidy) and Harry Alonzo Longabaugh (The Sundance Kid), and Benedict Arnold, while also interviewing a few members of the Modern Police of Amtrak, visits Sleepy Hollow, sees a relic of the War of Independence and hears more about the American Civil War.
5"Poughkeepsie to Albany"5 February 2016 (2016-02-05)1.051.82
Michael begins in Poughkeepsie, visiting a famous all-female university, alma mater of Meryl Streep.
6"Schenectady to Rochester"8 February 2016 (2016-02-08)1.06TBA
Michael has a lightbulb moment in Schenectady learning about Thomas Edison's General Electric Company.
7"Buffalo to Niagara Falls"9 February 2016 (2016-02-09)1.07TBA
Michael braves the awesome power and drenching spray of Niagara Falls on the Maid of the Mist.

Philadelphia to Jamestown

No.TitleOriginal release dateProd.
code		UK[4] viewers
(millions)
8"Philadelphia to Atlantic City"10 February 2016 (2016-02-10)1.08TBA
Michael runs past Philadelphia's famous landmarks in homage to Rocky Balboa.
9"Lancaster to Gettysburg"11 February 2016 (2016-02-11)1.09TBA
Michael hitches a ride with the Amish in a horse-drawn buggy through rich countryside.
10"Wilmington to Havre de Grace"12 February 2016 (2016-02-12)1.10TBA
Michael reaches a milestone on his American journey: the Mason-Dixon line.
11"Baltimore to Fort McHenry"15 February 2016 (2016-02-15)1.11TBA
Michael Portillo rides the railroads of America. Here, he is in Baltimore, home of the first railroad in the United States - the Baltimore and Ohio.
12"Washington DC"16 February 2016 (2016-02-16)1.12TBA
Michael Portillo rides the railroads of the United States. In the capital, he visits the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and the offices of the Washington Post.
13"Georgetown to Mount Vernon"17 February 2016 (2016-02-17)1.13TBA
Michael Portillo continues his US adventure. Heading south to Alexandria, Virginia, he explores a former slave market. He ends this leg in Mount Vernon.
14"Manassas to Richmond"18 February 2016 (2016-02-18)1.14TBA
Michael Portillo arrives in Manassas, scene of two crucial battles during the American Civil War, and visits the Virginia State Capitol building in Richmond.
15"Petersburg to Jamestown"19 February 2016 (2016-02-19)1.15TBA
Michael Portillo rides the railroads of America. He reaches his journey's end in Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America.

Books

A book to accompany the series, written by Michael Portillo and published by Simon & Schuster UK, will be released in February 2017.[5][6]

References

  1. ^ "Michael Portillo takes to the American Railroads". FremantleMedia. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  2. ^ "TV Special (Documentary): Great American Railroad Journeys (Fremantle Productions for BBC)". DC.gov. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  3. ^ "S&S signs Portillo railway tie-ins". The Bookseller. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 19 February 2016. (User must select "BBC2" in the Channel field and then select the appropriate year, month and week to retrieve the figure for each episode)
  5. ^ "Great American Railway Journeys by Michael Portillo - Official Publisher Page". Simon & Schuster UK. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  6. ^ "Great American Railway Journeys by Michael Portillo". Waterstones. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
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