Great Railway Journeys

Series 1: Great Railway Journeys of the World (1980) Episode summary for Series 1: Series 2: Great Railway Journeys (1994) Episode summary for Series 2: Series 3: Great Railway Journeys (1996) Episode summary for Series 3: This series relied on narrators rather than presenters who appeared on camera. In some cases, the narrator did not partake in the train journey, and read the writing of that episode's producer. ==Great British Railway Journeys==

From January 2010, BBC Two broadcast Great British Railway Journeys, a documentary with a similar idea to Great Railway Journeys but a different format. Journeys are mainly focused on Great Britain, but occasionally venturing onto railways in Ireland under the title Great British Railway Journeys Goes to Ireland. The programmes are presented by the ex-politician and broadcaster Michael Portillo. The first series detailed four railway journeys following an 1840 Bradshaw's Guide, split into a run of 20 separate episodes. A second series followed a year later. By 2025, 16 series had been made, totalling 290 episodes. ==Great Continental Railway Journeys==

From 2012, BBC Two also broadcast series of Great Continental Railway Journeys, documentaries with the same idea as Great British Railway Journeys, also presented by Portillo. It follows railway journeys in mainland Europe, following a 1913 Bradshaw's guide to European rail travel. Other similar series followed: Great American Railway Journeys in 2016; Great Indian Railway Journeys in 2018; Great Alaskan Railroad Journeys, Great Canadian Railway Journeys, and Great Australian Railway Journeys in 2019; and Great Asian Railway Journeys in 2020. ==Media==

Although there have been no complete series of Great Railway Journeys released on DVD, Michael Palin's 1980 and 1994 programmes are available individually (BBCDVD1626) and as part of a box set of his collected travel documentaries, The Michael Palin Collection (BBCDVD2214). All seven of the 1980 Series 1 programs, including Palin's "Confessions of a Train Spotter", were released in 1986 in cooperation with the BBC on VHS tapes by Pentrex, a California railroad video company. They are now long out-of-print, but occasionally are offered from online sellers. The six episodes of 1994's Series 2 were also released on VHS. Often available in a six-pack of programmes, though also out-of-print, they are commonly found for purchase online. In 2020, the BBC made series 2 available on the BBC iPlayer, followed by most episodes of series 4 in 2024. Books have been published to accompany the first three series, with a chapter by each of the presenters on their particular journey: • Frayn, M. et al. (1981), Great Railway Journeys of the World, BBC Books, hardcover, • Anderson, C. et al. (1994), Great Railway Journeys, BBC Books, hardcover, • Allen, B. et al. (1996), More Great Railway Journeys, BBC Books, hardcover, A similar book was also published on Great Little Railways: • Chamberlin, E.R. et al. (1984) Great Little Railways, BBC Books, hardcover, ==References==