Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Monday 14th April 2025)
Windermere to Sellafield. Series 16, episode 6. Michael Portillo tours the border counties of Cumbria and Dumfriesshire, starting in the Lake District National Park, where he discovers the violent geological history of volcanoes and colliding continents that shaped this landscape. He then meets trainee foresters in Ambleside, visits the heritage Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway and finishes off in Sellafield, a key site in the UK’s nuclear history.
Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Tuesday 15th April 2025)
St Bees to Grange-over-Sands. Series 16, episode 7. Michael Portillo continues his railway tour, travelling along the Cumbrian Coast Line. Outside of Egremont, he visits Florence Mine, an old iron ore mine transformed into an arts centre and producing vibrant pigments from the haematite. In Ulverston, Michael discovers the cradle of Quakerism at Swarthmoor Hall, where secret meetings were once held by Quaker founder George Fox.
Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Wednesday 16th April 2025)
Maryport to Penrith. Series 16, episode 8. Michael Portillo’s railway journey through Cumbria and Dumfriesshire heads to the hills as he follows in the footsteps of the Lakeland poets. In Keswick, he retraces the walks of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, discovering how one of his legendary routes has been used as a form of therapy. Michael also visits the ruins of Lowther Castle, once a grand gothic estate, now reborn as a garden.
Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Thursday 17th April 2025)
Aspatria to Carlisle. Series 16, episode 9. Michael Portillo travels through Cumbria from Aspatria to Carlisle, meeting a couple who swapped their old life for organic dairy farming.
Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Friday 18th April 2025)
Dumfries to Auchinleck. Series 16, episode 10. Michael concludes his journey from Cumbria to Dumfries and Galloway by crossing the Solway Firth, where he visits the last home of Scotland’s Bard Robert Burns. Further north into the Lowther Hills, Michael strikes gold in the rich geological landscape around Wanlockhead, Scotland’s highest village, and rides a charming heritage industrial railway across the stunning terrain. His journey ends at the spectacular Palladian mansion of Dumfries House, home to a world-class Chippendale furniture collection and the headquarters of the King’s Foundation.
Beyond Paradise (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 18th April 2025) ** PICK OF THE WEEK **
On the final day of the regatta, rival sailors Francine and Polly are neck and neck for the top spot. However, disaster strikes when Polly collapses and plunges into the sea, throwing the entire race into chaos. When it’s discovered that Polly’s smoothie had been tampered with, all eyes turn to Martha, the smoothie-maker, who finds herself in the spotlight as an unlikely prime suspect. She and Humphrey, already juggling the demands of work and childcare, struggle to stay composed under this new pressure.
All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119