Portillo's Hidden History of Britain

Season 2

Former British Secretary of State for Defence Michael Portillo visits abandoned, iconic locations around the UK that were at the centre of relatively unknown historical events but which are not open to the public.

Where to Watch Season 2

5 Episodes

Plastic Surgery Pioneers: Cambridge Military Hospital
E1
Episode 1Plastic Surgery Pioneers: Cambridge Military HospitalThe series returns as Michael visits the former Cambridge Military Hospital in the garrison town of Aldershot, Hampshire to learn of the far-reaching legacy of the medical innovations that took place there.
Local Heroes: Manchester Fire Station
E2
Episode 2Local Heroes: Manchester Fire StationIn Manchester, Michael ventures inside the London Road Fire Station, which was decommissioned in 1986 after 80 years' service.
Countdown to WW3
E3
Episode 3Countdown to WW3Michael Portillo visits a top-secret Cold War stronghold, just a mile from the Cambridge campus where he spent his university years. The bunker, formerly known as RSG-4, was built in 1953 to house 300 local government officials from Cambridgeshire in the event of a nuclear attack. The former politician is also given access to the decommissioned Soviet nuclear submarine U-475 Black Widow - currently moored at Strood on the River Medway - revealing how close the world came to a full-scale nuclear war.
The Palace of Dreams
E4
Episode 4The Palace of DreamsMichael visits the abandoned shell of the New Victoria in Bradford, once one of the most impressive entertainment complexes in Britain with a 3,000 seat cinema, grand ballroom and state-of-the-art technology that even 'washed' the air.
Seaside Escape
E5
Episode 5Seaside EscapeMichael Portillo explores the history of the British seaside resort. He gets up close and personal with the ghostly skeleton of Brighton's West pier, which has become one of the UK's most well known ruins. He meets Jo Berry, daughter of Conservative MP Sir Anthony Berry who was killed by an IRA bomb at Brighton's Grand Hotel.