Steered by his Bradshaw’s 1913 Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel, Michael Portillo embarks on an epic railway journey from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh to Kolkata in West Bengal, charting a course through India’s history from the days of The East India Company to the dawn of Indian independence. \n\nIn Lucknow, famously besieged in 1857, Michael investigates a key moment in the Indian rebellion which sparked the end of the grip of the East India Company on the nation and the beginning of direct British rule. \n\nA crash course in classical kathak dancing follows before Michael boards the sleeper train and, with his Bradshaw’s tucked under his pillow, he is borne 200 miles east to Ghazipur on the banks of the Ganges.\n\nContinuing east on the river by boat, he hears the shady story of The East India Company’s opium monopoly and visits a modern-day factory where opium is used for pharmaceuticals.
Source: BBC 2
Series 1: 4. Lucknow To Kolkata
On an epic railway journey from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh to Kolkata in West Bengal, Michael Portillo uses his Bradshaw's 1913 Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel, pu ...
10-01-2023
BBC 2
Series 1: 3. Mysuru To Chennai
Michael Portillo's Bradshaw's 1913 Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel leads him on railway journey through the modern south Indian states of Karnataka and Tamil Nad ...
09-01-2023
BBC 2
Series 1: 2. Jodhpur To Delhi
Bradshaw's 1913 Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel in hand, Michael embarks on a stunning rail journey from the Thar Desert in Rajasthan to the Indian capital, taki ...
05-01-2023
BBC 2
Series 1: 1. Amritsar To Shimla
Guided by his Bradshaw's 1913 Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel, Michael Portillo travels across India. He embarks on a classic rail journey from Amritsar to Shiml ...
04-01-2023
BBC 2
Series 1 Reversions: 6. Lucknow To Kolkata Part 2
Michael Portillo resumes his rail journey from Lucknow to Kolkata following his 1913 Bradshaw’s Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel. He visits the Buddhist mo ...
05-03-2019
BBC 2
Series 1 Reversions: 5. Lucknow To Kolkata Part 1
Steered by his Bradshaw’s 1913 Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel, Michael Portillo embarks on an epic railway journey from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh to Kolkat ...
04-03-2019
BBC 2
Series 1 Reversions: 4. Jodhpur To Delhi Part 2
Michael Portillo resumes his rail journey from the Thar Desert in Rajasthan to the Indian capital, New Delhi, his Bradshaw’s 1913 Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial ...
28-02-2019
BBC 2
Series 1 Reversions: 3. Jodhpur To Delhi Part 1
Bradshaw’s 1913 Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel in hand, Michael Portillo embarks on a stunning rail journey from the Thar Desert in Rajasthan to the India ...
27-02-2019
BBC 2
Series 1 Reversions: 2. Amritsar To Shimla Part 2
Clutching his Bradshaw’s Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel, published in 1913, Michael is en route to Shimla, the former summer seat of the British Raj.\n\nA ...
26-02-2019
BBC 2
Series 1 Reversions: 1. Amritsar To Shimla Part 1
Guided by his Bradshaw’s 1913 Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel, Michael Portillo embarks on a journey through time from the British Raj to the India of toda ...
25-02-2019
BBC 2
Series 1: 4. Lucknow To Kolkata
On an epic railway journey from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh to Kolkata in West Bengal, Michael Portillo uses his Bradshaw's 1913 Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel, pu ...
10-01-2023
BBC 2
Series 1: 1. Amritsar To Shimla
Guided by his Bradshaw's 1913 Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel, Michael Portillo travels across India. He embarks on a classic rail journey from Amritsar to Shiml ...
04-01-2023
BBC 2
Series 1 Reversions: 4. Jodhpur To Delhi Part 2
Michael Portillo resumes his rail journey from the Thar Desert in Rajasthan to the Indian capital, New Delhi, his Bradshaw’s 1913 Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial ...
28-02-2019
BBC 2
Series 1 Reversions: 1. Amritsar To Shimla Part 1
Guided by his Bradshaw’s 1913 Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel, Michael Portillo embarks on a journey through time from the British Raj to the India of toda ...
25-02-2019
BBC 2
Series 1: 2. Jodhpur To Delhi
Bradshaw's 1913 Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel in hand, Michael embarks on a stunning rail journey from the Thar Desert in Rajasthan to the Indian capital, taki ...
05-01-2023
BBC 2
Series 1 Reversions: 6. Lucknow To Kolkata Part 2
Michael Portillo resumes his rail journey from Lucknow to Kolkata following his 1913 Bradshaw’s Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel. He visits the Buddhist mo ...
05-03-2019
BBC 2
Series 1 Reversions: 2. Amritsar To Shimla Part 2
Clutching his Bradshaw’s Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel, published in 1913, Michael is en route to Shimla, the former summer seat of the British Raj.\n\nA ...
26-02-2019
BBC 2
Series 1 Reversions: 3. Jodhpur To Delhi Part 1
Bradshaw’s 1913 Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel in hand, Michael Portillo embarks on a stunning rail journey from the Thar Desert in Rajasthan to the India ...
27-02-2019
BBC 2
Series 1: 3. Mysuru To Chennai
Michael Portillo's Bradshaw's 1913 Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel leads him on railway journey through the modern south Indian states of Karnataka and Tamil Nad ...
09-01-2023
BBC 2
Series 1 Reversions: 5. Lucknow To Kolkata Part 1
Steered by his Bradshaw’s 1913 Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel, Michael Portillo embarks on an epic railway journey from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh to Kolkat ...
04-03-2019
BBC 2