Maps of Britain

7.0
2024

Britain is connected by miles of roads, canals, and railway. This series explores the history of how we get around this ancient island.

Production

Logo for October Films

Seasons

6 Episodes • Premiered 2024

Still image for Maps of Britain season 1 episode 1: The Motorway Map of Britain

1. The Motorway Map of Britain

A surprisingly bumpy ride through our love-hate relationship with motorways. The godmother of the road sign discusses her iconic designs. Plus, our favourite and most hated service stations.

Still image for Maps of Britain season 1 episode 2: The Canal Map of Britain

2. The Canal Map of Britain

A look at Britain's beloved canal network via a fact-filled cruise along the first superhighways of the Industrial Revolution. In the age before mechanisation, a frenzy of canal-building saw a new army of workers carve out the British landscape, digging out hundreds of miles of waterways using picks, shovels and muscle.

Still image for Maps of Britain season 1 episode 3: The Railway Map of Britain

3. The Railway Map of Britain

Charting the high and lows of Britain's railway - the invention created at the dawn of the 19th century that would change Britain and the world forever - from the Industrial Revolution to HS2.

Still image for Maps of Britain season 1 episode 4: The Sewer Map of Britain

4. The Sewer Map of Britain

Investigating the hidden secrets of the sewers, from London's current Tideway Tunnel, to the Romans' solution almost 2,000 years ago.

Still image for Maps of Britain season 1 episode 5: The Underground Map of Britain

5. The Underground Map of Britain

A fact-fuelled ride through London's tube network, mapping out the history of the world's first - and most iconic - underground railway system. Viewers discover how this 160-year-old marvel of engineering manages to carry 1.3 billion passengers a year.

Still image for Maps of Britain season 1 episode 6: The Coastal Map of Britain

6. The Coastal Map of Britain

The rise and fall of the UK's greatest ports, from the first international traders arriving on the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, through the arrival of the Romans, Elizabeth I's extension of British territory, and the huge impact of the tea trade and the Industrial Revolution

Cast

Photo of Mark Benton

Mark Benton

Self - Narrator (voice)

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