Michael Palin's Great Railway Journeys - BBC Series [1993]

Confessions of a train spotter (1980) is a wonderful program which I have watched many times since recording it in 1980 . However some numpty decided to save a few bob by replacing the Beatles track And I Love Her with the kind of club singer trash Vic Reeves would have spurned . The program is still wonderful but the original Beatles track was so appropriate somehow and , if you saw it previously , is partially spoilt by this incredible subsitution .Thankfully Ian Lynn's original music is still there thank goodness . What the BBC thought they were doing I just dont know .I expected to get the original soundtrack when I bought this DVD not one with a horrible musical substution . The BBC archive on the other hand shows the original soundtrack including the Beatles music ! Picture quality on the Youtube version is nearly as good as this DVD so go figure .If the BBC wake up from their slumber one day I for one would happily pay decent money for the original . But as it is the BBC .........

Loved it, got out me anorak cleaned down me spotters guide and absorbed the atmosphere. To be fair you need to love large articles of engineering history to appreciate this, however the actual people and places made this far more watchable than the engines alone. i am not a railway buff by any stretch of the imagination but i do admire the way Michael Palin presents his travelogues, with that in mind if that's interest - buy it, if not, well this is only an opinion.

I watched this when it first came out in around 1980. Had a copy on VHS, and the tape wore out because it had been looked at so many times. I was very pleased to find this re-issue on DVD, and enjoyed an hour or so of warm nostalgia about Michael Palin's rail trip. Even though this was filmed in the 80s, it feels much, much older (empty London streets at the start of the film, Skye ferry, now long gone...)The DVD also contains film from a rail trip in Ireland, this isn't as good, but product still gets 5 stars.

Bringing back memories of my mis-spent youth! Michael is of a course a national icon, and is the spiritual successor to Alan Whicker as travel host. Not afraid to show his interest in the subject - rare among celebrities - he clearly enjoys his travels. An emphasis on steam is understanbdable as this programme is not aimed at enthusiasts per se, but a might Deltic does make an appearance at York, and an equally impressive 071 at Limerick Junction :)

Fab dvd shows how much things have changed on the railway ...... With bonus of Micheal Palin

Always have enjoyed that documentary, I’d gotta get again on DVD, VHS Video Player had died a death.

Michael Palin's style of presentation is easy, full of fun and down to earth. BBC's Series are informative and educational. They are well researched and beautifully picturized (filmed),but the anchor (man) makes all the difference: Michael holds viewers' attention as well as lets them enjoy the scenery without overwhelming them with verbosity. Great Railway Journeys - Documentaries provide us the best opportunity to get to know the places without actually going there.

I bought this for my husband who thoroughly enjoyed this. I watched it with him as well and it was well written. It was better than some of the others he buys which are a bit long winded for me. This however was like watching a travel programme. There were lots of interesting characters that he met. If you are look for a gift for a rail enthusiast then this fits the bill.