Taunton to Salisbury Plain
Michael Portillo crosses the county line from Devon into Somerset. He sees first-hand how willow farmers sought to overcome the challenge from the production of synthetic plastics during the 1930s.
Michael Portillo crosses the county line from Devon into Somerset on his rail exploration of the West Country steered by his 1930s Bradshaw's guide.
He sees first-hand how willow farmers sought to overcome the challenge from the production of synthetic plastics during the 1930s. He hears how tourism for all budgets spread across the region, especially amongst the young, for whom youth hostels sprang up, with good wishes from none other than the prime minister of the day, Stanley Baldwin.
In the city of Bath, Michael visits the former home of a refugee emperor, whose country was invaded by the Italian dictator Mussolini, and in whose name a religious movement began, which now flourishes worldwide.
Travelling east into Wiltshire, Michael reaches the largest training area of the British Army, Salisbury Plain, where the Royal Tank Regiment, established in 1939, is on manoeuvres with its awesome Streetfighter tank.
Last on
Clips
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Pottery lesson
Duration: 01:27
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The Royal Tank Regiment
Duration: 02:02
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Michael Portillo |
Series Editor | Alison Kreps |
Production Company | Boundless West |
Director | George Boyle |
Executive Producer | John Comerford |
Broadcasts
- Fri 17 Jan 2020 18:30
- Wed 11 Mar 2020 08:00
- Fri 11 Jun 2021 18:30
- Wed 17 Nov 2021 19:00
- Thu 18 Nov 2021 01:30
- Tue 21 Mar 2023 19:00
- Wed 22 Mar 2023 00:50
- Tue 5 Dec 2023 19:00
- Wed 6 Dec 2023 00:35
- Sat 17 Aug 2024 19:00
- Sun 18 Aug 2024 03:15
Steam railway programmes on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ iPlayer
A collection of programmes from the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ archives on the beauty of steam locomotives.