Reno, Nevada, to Colfax, California
Led by his late 19th-century Appleton's guidebook, Michael Portillo sets off on a 1,000-mile American adventure to discover how the railroad conquered the wild landscapes of the West and transformed Californiainto America's wealthiest region, one which has
revolutionised the world.
Beginning in the Silver State of Nevada, Michael takes to the skies over the dramatic Sierra Nevada mountain range. At Lake Tahoe, he hears of the first white explorer, dubbed 'The Pathfinder', who learnt the lay of the foreboding land and paved the way for the first settlers to arrive. Travelling on the historic Virginia and Truckee heritage line, Michael heads for the vast deposits of silver and gold ore that built Virginia City, once dubbed the richest place on earth. At Chollar Mine he explores the short-lived mining boom and meets a pistol packin' preacher when he swings by the Silver Queen saloon.
Crossing the border into the Golden State of California, he ascends the 7,000ft granite cliffs to the Donner Pass where ambitious plans to plough a rail route through the rugged terrain were made a reality by Chinese labourers, at huge human cost. In the spirit of Western horsemanship, Michael ends this leg in Colfax and gets in the saddle for a spot of cowboy dressage.
Trailer
Recently Updated Shows
Happy's Place
Happy's Place follows Bobbie who inherits her father's restaurant and is less than thrilled to discover that she has a new business partner in the half-sister she never knew she had.
QI XL
Sandi Toksvig, Alan Davies and comedy stars swap even more funny facts on every subject under the sun. It doesn't matter if they're right, as long as they're quite interesting.
Citadel
Eight years ago, Citadel, an independent global spy agency, was destroyed by a new syndicate, Manticore. With their memories wiped, elite agents Mason Kane and Nadia Sinh barely escaped with their lives. Eight years later, Mason's former colleague, Bernard Orlick, asks for his help to prevent Manticore from establishing a new world order.
SurrealEstate
SurrealEstate revolves around real estate agent Nick Roman and an elite team of specialists who handle the cases that no one else can: haunted and possessed houses that literally scare would-be buyers away. Researching, investigating and "fixing" the things that go bump in the night, the team works to create closure — and closings — as they struggle with demons of their own.
Abbott Elementary
In this workplace comedy, a group of dedicated, passionate teachers — and a slightly tone-deaf principal — are brought together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life. Though these incredible public servants may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do — even if they don't love the school district's less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children.