Robson Green: How the North Was Built ITV, TUE 9TH JUL 9pm - 10pm
Repeat: Today 10pm According to the actor, singer, angler and miner’s son, the North is “rugged, it’s untamed”. Robson Green uses the word rugged a lot as he strides around in the snow for this two-part potted industrial history: “I love the landscape, the cities and, of course, the people.”
Naturally he mines rich seams of cliché – he goes down a pit, meets racing-pigeon fanciers and attends a brass band concert. You won’t have any trouble keeping up with his observations, from the advent of the steam engine, which “made Britain top dog on the world stage”, to the northern climate, where “weather comes in all forms imaginable”.
1/2. The Northumberland-born actor presents a two-part documentary celebrating the North of England's contribution to the Industrial Revolution. In the first edition, he tells the story of coal - an industry that shaped him and his family - and finds out how the cotton-mill workers of Lancashire created the profits that helped to develop Manchester. He then explores advances in transport as canals and railways linked cities, factories and ports, allowing larger numbers of working people easy access to the seaside for well-earned breaks.
Presenter
Robson Green www.radiotimes.com
