A new Channel 4 documentary series, Great British Train Journeys From Above, is to celebrate 200 years of train travel, with Scotland, Yorkshire and North Wales all taking a starring role.
Narrated by Hugh Bonneville (Paddington, Downton Abbey) the spectacular series uses cutting-edge drones to showcase some of Britain’s most iconic steam train journeys, immersing viewers in an aerial adventure along their routes.
Featured in the four episodes are railways from across in Britain. In Scotland, The Jacobite Railway, better known as the “real Hogwarts Express,” charges through the Highlands to famous landmarks from both the Harry Potter movies and the Jacobite Rebellion.
In Wales, The Mountain Spirit, travels along The Ffestiniog Railway in Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, to reveal a fascinating history of Wales’ industrial revolution.
In Yorkshire, the episode takes us through the region’s iconic moorlands on The North Yorkshire Moors Railway from Whitby to Pickering. Its route was designed by railway pioneers George and Robert Stephenson, and this episode tells the story not just of this railway, but of Locomotion No. 1, the very first steam-powered passenger railway.
In keeping with this year’s Rail 200 celebrations, as well as the Yorkshire episode celebrating early railway engineers the Stephensons, another episode will feature fellow railway trailblazer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, with a trip through the rolling hills of the West Somerset Railway.
The series celebrates Britain’s pioneering efforts to transform not just travel, but industry, trade, and communication, with these revolutionary machines. It transports viewers back to the golden age of steam, and revels in the romance and the thrill of train travel.
Narrator Bonneville said: “Narrating Great British Train Journeys From Above has been a great joy, being able to offer a fresh perspective on the remarkable history that shaped this nation, and to enjoy our country’s glorious landscapes. This series is a front-row seat to the magic of steam travel, from a few hundred feet in the air.”
Series producer and director Matt Cottingham added: “The thrill of this project was directing in real time, tackling short and unpredictable filming windows to capture the steam locomotives thundering through these landscapes. Working with some of the best drone pilots in the industry, and pushing the boundaries of aerial technology, we set out to choreograph a fresh visual approach to telling historical narratives and immersing the audience in the romance of a steam train journey.”
