| Michael Portillo
TV Reviews. Buy Great British Railway Journeys Dvd Sets/Book Search For Movie/TV Review Advertise On This Page 2010 - present. Documentary. UK. Colour. Each Episode: 30 mins. Great British Railway Journeys is top of the easy listening charts of early evening terrestrial TV viewing. It's the Downton Abbey for trainspotters; the 'Autumnwatch' for local historians; it's Lovejoy without Ian MacShane. And I thoroughly enjoy it...more He invariably disembarks at picturesque places and is usually greeted by a local historian to go through something that happened way back when. Each 30-minute episode consists of 2 days with Portillo splitting the programme by resting in a picturesque/pretty/expensive hotel or inn. And that's it. It works but the formula has always worked. The BBC have got it down to a fine art: gorgeous countryside, beautiful buildings, informative commentary, genial host, well-shot...that's all you need to make popular BBC viewing. There's nothing wrong with that. Why complicate it? If you're expecting Portillo to stand in front of the Ritz and say a la Woodward & Beinstein: 'I'm going to go through the minutiae of this place and find out whether through good or evil, how the money was made...' Rather, you'll more likely to hear him say: 'Mmmh, this looks an agreeable place to stay and I'm delighted to say I'm staying in the same room as the one Moby Dick shared with Gregory Peck'. Equally compelling is what I would describe as the 'otherness' of Michael Portillo. He's been a politician all his life and it's not natural for him conversing with us mere mortals. There's an awkwardness, at times, in the conversations which makes for intersting TV. He might share a first name with Palin but he's not as naturally genial as him. Doesn't matter as it gives him a very slight air of distance, aloofness, which how ever affable he tries to be he can't quite shake off. The result is that he's a bit enigmatic, always watchable, a character the TV screen needs. He does wear some rather odd combos though which adds to the aforementioned 'otherness'. I've learnt alot from this series and can safely say I've never been bored. Highlights for me have to be learning how far the Victorians got in creating the Channel Tunnel in 1882 and how they were not stopped by the geology but rather social or political reasons. Oh and there's his tour through St. Pancras railway station as it was being renovated. It's one of the great buildings in the world let alone this country, the front a cathedral to all things gothic and every step he takes, every time he cranes his head upwards, brings forth a new treasure. His enthusiasm for the Forth Bridge is infectious and engaging. It changed my mind from it being just a bridge to being something akin to a work of art standing over the Firth of Forth. As he reaches the top of the bridge you appreciate the sheer scale of the construction, the engineering feats of those who designed it and the bravery of those who built it. I would say it's the most enjoyable thing I've seen on TV for years. 5 stars out of 5. © Paul Page, Lenin, 2013 Series 1 [UK DVD] [2010] - Amazon.co.uk (Direct Link) If you would like to add to this review please e-mail here (ihuppert5@aol.com) and it will be included within 24 hours. Please specify whether you would like to be credited or not. It's great to share any knowledge such as on filming locations or any trivia - it brings the page alive. |
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