HOW THE VICTORIANS BUILT BRITAIN Season 2


Episode #201- "The Railway Revolution"
Michael hops aboard an original Victorian locomotive at Tanfield Railway and discovers the role this former coal track played in the development of the national railway. He also learns about Isambard Kingdom Brunel's bid to secure Bristol's future, and his creation of the fastest engine in the world.

Episode #202- "How Britannia Ruled the Waves"
How did the Victorians build the worlds' biggest, fastest, most technologically advanced ships? In Portsmouth, Michael boards Queen Victoria's flagship HMS Warrior, revealing surprising construction secrets and the ways the ship kept the peace in international waters. Then he follows in Brunel's footsteps aboard the luxury steamer SS Great Britain.

Episode #203- "Bridging the Nation"
Michael Buerk looks at the building of bridges around the nation during the era, visiting Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol to reveal the secret construction masterpiece that lay hidden in the structure's core for more than a century. He also discovers how the Tay Bridge disaster led to huge leaps in technology and how a new metal emerged as the bridgemaker's building "block" of choice.

Episode #204- "Great British Holiday"
Michael discovers how Victorians spent their leisure time, heading to Blackpool to learn how the seaside mini-break was transformed from a perk of the wealthy to a British institution. He steps onto one of the town's famous piers uncovering how, thanks to architect and civil engineer Eugenius Birch, these humble loading platforms became entertainment hubs. Viewers learn how a rivalry between two showbusiness giants resulted in some of the area's most glorious architecture and how the advent of electricity fuelled the town's tourist industry, via its world-famous illuminations.

Episode #205- "How Britain Healed the World"
Michael Buerk discovers how bold Victorian experiments and Cathedrals of Medicine built Britain and revolutionized the medical world.

Episode #206- "Birth of Law and Order"
Michael learns how the Victorians instituted a revolution in law and order, created the first modern Police force, and built the prisons Britain still relies on to house criminals today.

Episode #207- "The Great Stink"
Michael discovers how Britain's first Super Sewer cleaned up the capital and inspired a fresh water revolution that would change the lives of millions of Victorians.

Episode #208- "Culture Revolution"
Michael discovers how the Victorians took on the world of exploration and adventure, and brought it home to Britain for everyone to share.