Great British Railway Journeys Season 13 Episode 7

Hackney Wick to Oxford Circus

Michael continues his travels through the capital in the heart of London’s East End. Michael explores Hackney Wick, today transformed from the time of his 1930s Bradshaw’s guide, when factories belched smoke and the Communist Party of Great Britain launched The Daily Worker. Michael hears about the newspaper’s origins and aims from the editor of its modern incarnation, The Morning Star. A bout in the ring at Repton Boxing Club has Michael floating like a butterfly - if not stinging like a bee - as he discovers one of Britain’s greatest fighters, Ted 'Kid' Lewis. Michael is captivated by the story of the Jewish refugee from the Russian pogroms, who twice became welterweight champion of the world. A night at one of the earliest railway hotels, the Great Northern, sets the scene for Michael to explore the railway revolution of the interwar years, when around 150 companies were rationalised into the 'big four', heralding a golden age of glamour, speed and style.