Description
It was 1980 and a BBC director rang me one morning after hearing me enthuse about railways on a radio chat show. “I’m looking for presenters for a new series called Great Railway Journeys Of The World”, he said. “Like where ?” I asked. “Oh”, he said, ” Across India, America, Australia, the Zambesi.. ” I interrupted him very smartly “You’re on !” I gushed, with great excitement. But he hadn’t quite finished. “Trouble is, they’ve all been taken, and there’s only one left”. “And where’s that ?” I asked. “London to Crewe”
Well it turned out to be a lot further than that – from London, via my home town and early trainspotting base, Sheffield, right up to the end of the network opposite the stunningly beautiful Isle of Skye.
In hindsight, my participation in the Great Railway Journeys turned out to be one of the best career moves I’ve made. It showed the BBC that I was not just a silly person from Monty Python but that I could present a documentary too. And seven years later, this led to them offering me Around The World In Eighty Days.
And, just for old times’ sake, I presented a second Great Railway Journey, round Ireland, from Derry to Kerry, in 1993. On the way, I celebrated my 50th birthday. And what better place to celebrate than Ireland in midsummer.
This is a Region 2 & 4 / PAL DVD. Region 2 & 4 / PAL DVDs will only play on DVD players sold in the UK, Japan, Europe (excluding Russia, Belarus and Ukraine), Greenland, South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Egypt, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Central & South America, Caribbean and Pacific Islands. International customers are welcome to purchase from us, however customers outside of Europe must ensure that their DVD player is compatible with Region 2 & 4 / PAL format before making any purchases from us. As all products are displayed on our website with their region code, TheMichaelPalin.com are unable to take responsibility for customers who are unable to play our products outside of the UK. If you are an international customer requiring a refund for discs that are not compatible with your DVD player please contact us.
