Michael Portillo travels along the railway networks of Great Britain and Ireland, referring to a Victorian guidebook written by George Bradshaw as he describes how the destinations have changed.

Michael Portillo makes various railway journeys across the UK, using a 150-year-old Bradshaw's Guide (a collection of railway timetables and a guidebook). He looks at the history, culture and industry of the towns that he passes through, and the way that things have changed since Bradshaw wrote his Guide.—Anonymous