Five days, one railway, zero chill. 1989's most gripping live TV event wasn't fiction.
Season 1 • Episode 5
LatestBritish Rail's East Coast main line is a railway in the throes of change. From London to Edinburgh the overhead wires are going up, and the new high-speed electric trains are being tested. Today's Railwatch looks ahead to the evolving railway, and talks to the people who are working on tomorrow's technology.
For five days in February 1989 the BBC Railwatch camera team followed British Rail staff in a live to air broadcast on the occasion of the electrification of the Eastern Coast Main Line from London to York.
Production
Live 1989 broadcast tech held together by hope
Direction
Bob Wild wrangling chaos into coherent television
Practical Effects
Actual trains, actual wires, actual British weather
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This aired during British Rail's final decade before privatization, making it an accidental elegy for public rail.
Presenter Mike Smith was a Radio 1 DJ drafted in for his live TV experience—railway knowledge optional.
GB
