UK TV programmes to watch this week : 09/05/2020

Paddington Station 24/7 - 14/05/2020 BT TV appOff the Tracks: Inside Central Station (BBC Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | Sunday 10th May 2020)

Staff and passengers of Glasgow Central Station celebrate its 140th birthday with a special party on the concourse, while supervisor Allison helps rescue a young owl.

The Architecture The Railways Built (Yesterday | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Tuesday 12th May 2020)

Tim Dunn goes behind the scenes at London’s King’s Cross station and finds out about the disused funicular railway hidden in the Avon Gorge in Bristol, blasted out of the cliff.

Paddington Station 24/7 (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 14th May 2020)

Documentary following 12 months of Paddington train station and the Western network, following the staff, engineers, drivers and signalers who keep the railway running. Cheltenham races sees thousands of extra passengers arrive – many of whom fancy an early morning tipple – while chaos ensues when a passenger chases a fraudster round the station, accusing him of selling her out-of-date football tickets. In Swindon, the control room staff hear that heavy rainfall might cause flooding and block the mainline to Cornwall – leaving them facing a big decision.

The World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm| Friday 15th May 2020)

A 500-mile journey across South Africa in a luxury hotel train, which travels between Pretoria and Durban on the coast over the course of three days. The first stop along the way is Nambiti Private Game Reserve, home to rhinos and elephants, before moving on to the country’s most famous battlefields and the Drakensberg Mountains. Passengers have a chance to explore the ancient art of the San people and visit a vineyard that produces some of South Africa’s finest wines. Narrated by Bill Nighy.

Portillo’s Empire Journey (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Friday 15th May 2020)

Michael Portillo tells the story of how a small island on the edge of Europe built the biggest empire the world has ever seen. In the first episode, Michael travels to India to uncover how the British East India Company – the world’s first multinational corporation – raised a private army to create an empire. Beginning his journey in the slums of Kolkata, he explores the ruins of the grand residence of Clive of India, who became the undisputed ruler of Bengal – amassing a vast personal fortune and making millions for shareholders in Britain.

All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.