The first four series of the tv show presented by michael portillo that traces historic railway journeys across britain in the first series portillo sets out to chart how the nations love affair with the railways began travelling from liverpool to scarborough preston to kirkcaldy swindon to penzance and buxton to london amongst other journeys the second series sees the former politician take as his guide bradshaws handbook a pamphlet on the burgeoning british railway system written by 1