Episodes
Great Canadian Railway Journeys: Halifax (BBC Two Monday 18 September 2023)
Great Canadian Railway Journeys: Halifax airs Monday 18 September 2023 on BBC Two.
What is this episode about
Michael Portillo embarks on a new adventure on the ocean line tracks, this time through the maritime provinces of Canada on his way to Quebec City. Michael, armed with his 1899 Appleton’s Guide to Canada, sets out from the Atlantic port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he finds a British hilltop citadel from the 18th century that was occupied by the 78th Highland Regiment at the time of the guide’s publication.
Michael has joined the men who portray these Scottish soldiers in modern-day reenactments. Michael, who is wearing a kilt and sporran, is forced to learn the drill at the hands of the young Sergeant Major. To learn more about what goes into making a cutting-edge Arctic Patrol Vessel, Michael follows his Appleton’s to a massive Victorian dry dock that is still in use by shipbuilders for the Royal Canadian Navy. He hears that in 1917, a massive explosion in Halifax Harbour killed 2,000 people and left 25,000 homeless, and that this event forged a unique connection between Halifax and Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
African Canadians who once lived in a community split in half by the railway share their story of fighting for justice with Michael. While paddling his kayak down the Shubenacadie Canal, Michael comes across something he’s never seen before: a “marine railway.” Michael is one of fifteen ‘warriors’ who board a war canoe on Banook Lake and head towards the water’s edge in anticipation of an upcoming battle.
Series 1 Episode 1 of 15
When can we see the episode
Great Canadian Railway Journeys: Halifax airs Monday 18 September 2023 at 3:30pm on BBC Two
Featured Image Credit: BBC Two
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