大象传媒

Armed with his early 20th-century Bradshaw鈥檚 Guide, Michael Portillo continues his journey from Warrington to the Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent.

In Manchester, at the magnificent Heaton Park, Michael discovers one of the first open-air concerts was held here in 1909 by an opera fan, William Grimshaw, who entertained 40,000 people to the music of opera superstar Enrico Caruso on a gramophone.

In Oldham, Michael discovers the battle fought by one of Britain鈥檚 most distinguished statesmen to be elected as the town鈥檚 member of Parliament. And he uncovers the rough tactics of the election campaign.

In Edale, in the beautiful Peak District, Michael joins ramblers in walking country. He learns that, at the time of his guide, landowners did not countenance intrusion, and he hears how a Sheffield socialist spearheaded a mass trespassing revolt to open up the countryside to working people.

Michael picks up the trail of King George V and Queen Mary, who visited the vast and Yorkshire estate of Wentworth Woodhouse in 1913. Home to one of the wealthiest dynasties in Britain, the Earls Fitzwilliam, their fortune was built on coal. He then discovers a carefully planned royal charm offensive designed to win the affection and trust of the working classes at a time of severe industrial unrest.

Michael follows the royal party鈥檚 footsteps to Lord Fitzwilliam鈥檚 mining village and colliery, where the family鈥檚 private railway line, which later connected the estate鈥檚 iron and coal works, still runs. He takes a trip and is permitted to operate the locomotive.