Michael Portillo

Michael Portillo sets off on railway journeys, gaining unique historical insights as he meets fellow passengers and local people along the way.

Armed with Appleton's General Travel Guide to the United States, published in 1879, Michael Portillo crosses the Atlantic to ride the railroads of America. Starting in Manhattan he wrestles with New York’s subway system, before heading up to the magnificent Niagara Falls, boarding a vintage steam train in Traintown USA and concluding his journey in historic Jamestown.

Much-loved British travel journalist, broadcaster, adventurer and former politician Michael Portillo takes a Pyrenean pilgrimage along the French-Spanish border. Travelling west to east from the Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean Sea, he explores this iconic mountain range plus his own family roots, while experiencing some extraordinary, and beautiful, landscapes and environments.

Journalist, broadcaster, and former member of parliament Michael Portillo unlocks the doors to some of Britain's most extraordinary abandoned locales.