Full Steam Ahead

Historians Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn bring back to life the golden age of steam and explore how the Victorian railways created modern Britain.

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Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead

Series 1 | Episode 6

Hear how increased leisure time and affordable rail transport brought a new kind of freedom for working-class Victorians, and discover how London became a tourist destination.

Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead

Series 1 | Episode 5

Discover what the South Devon Railway was like before the Beeching cuts of the 1960s and hear how the railways came to the rescue when a fatal disease wiped out London's cattle.

Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead

Series 1 | Episode 4

Revisit the golden age of steam train travel. Our team of historians take the ride of a lifetime aboard arguably the most famous locomotive in the world, the Flying Scotsman.

Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead

Series 1 | Episode 3

How did the Victorian-era railways transform the British diet? Find out as our historians reveal how trains improved the quality of our meat and revolutionised beer production.

Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead

Series 1 | Episode 2

A visit to Beamish in County Durham, where our historians hear how Victorian railway companies began to develop ways of moving people, rather than goods, around the country.

Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead

Series 1 | Episode 1

Discover how the introduction of steam railways in the early 19th century changed Britain. And hear how coal transformed our day-to-day lives, from cooking to cleaning.

About the show

About Full Steam Ahead
About Full Steam Ahead

The introduction of steam railways changed Britain in a way no one could have predicted.

Features

The 5 Most Iconic Steam Engines
The 5 Most Iconic Steam Engines

Hulking and magnificent.

A Fast Track History Of Steam Locomotives
A Fast Track History Of Steam Locomotives

And the incredible pioneers who made it happen.