8.8/109 votesLoading...#1 - The Birth of the Machines
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 9/22/2018
Michael Buerk looks at the creation of mass manufacturing, which meant that goods could be produced at a rate that had never been seen before. In Manchester, he learns how engineer George Stephenson created the first intercity railway, so that cotton could be transported quickly and cheaply from Liverpool docks to Manchester's mills. Michael also discovers how the sewing machine - newly created in 1851 - created the rag trade, and visits what was probably the first shopping mall in the UK, the Burlington Arcade in London.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.5/1012 votesLoading...
#2 - How Britain Got Moving
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/1/2018
Michael reveals how Victorian engineers revolutionised public transport, with the inventions of the omnibus, the modern-day bicycle and the London Underground.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.4/106 votesLoading...
#3 - How Britain Healed The World
Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 8/31/2020
Michael Buerk discovers how bold Victorian experiments and Cathedrals of Medicine built Britain and revolutionised the medical world.
Director: N/A
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- 8.4/106 votesLoading...
#4 - The Birth Of Law And Order
Season 2 Episode 6 - Aired 9/7/2020
Michael Buerk discovers how the Victorians instituted a revolution in law and order, created the first modern police force and built the prisons Britain still relies on to house criminals today.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.3/1010 votesLoading...
#5 - Saving the Nation's Health
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 9/8/2018
Michael reveals how Victorians created the sewer system, providing fresh, clean water for all. The revolution began in Liverpool, which suffered the highest mortality rates in the country. But it took the Great Stink of 1858 to convince Parliament to create a sewer system for the capital.
Director: N/A
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- 8.2/1011 votesLoading...
#6 - The Railway Revolution
Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 1/4/2020
Michael Buerk returns with more stories of how Britain was transformed during the Victorian era, beginning by looking at the development of the railway network during the era. Michael hops on board an original Victorian locomotive at Tanfield Railway and discovers the role this former coal track played in the development of the national railway. He also learns about Isambard Kingdom Brunel's bid to secure Bristol's future, and his creation of the fastest engine in the world.
Director: N/A
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- 8.2/1010 votesLoading...
#7 - Britannia Rules the Waves
Season 2 Episode 2 - Aired 1/11/2020
Michael Buerk learns how the Victorians built the biggest, fastest, most technologically advanced ships in the world, which helped the nation to dominate the high seas. In Portsmouth, he boards Queen Victoria's flagship HMS Warrior to reveal surprising construction secrets and the ways the ship kept the peace in international waters, before following in Brunel's footsteps aboard his luxury steamer SS Great Britain.
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- 8.1/109 votesLoading...
#8 - Bridging The Nation
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 1/18/2020
Michael Buerk looks at the building of bridges around the nation during the era, visiting Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol to reveal the secret construction masterpiece that lay hidden in the structure's core for more than a century. He also discovers how the Tay Bridge disaster led to huge leaps in technology and how a new metal emerged as the bridge maker's building block of choice.
Director: N/A
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- 8.1/109 votesLoading...
#9 - The Great British Holiday
Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 1/25/2020
Michael Buerk discovers how the Victorians spent their leisure time, heading to Blackpool to learn how the seaside mini-break was transformed from a perk of the wealthy to a British institution. He steps onto one of the town's famous piers to learn how, thanks to architect and civil engineer Eugenius Birch, these humble loading aids became entertainment hubs. Michael also hears how a rivalry between two show business giants resulted in some of the area's most glorious architecture and how the advent of electricity fuelled the town's tourist industry, via its world-famous illuminations.
Director: N/A
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- 8.0/109 votesLoading...
#10 - The Making of the Modern Home
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 9/15/2018
Michael begins his journey by exploring the massive explosion in house-building in the early Victorian period. He reveals how Victorians introduced gas power to the home, transforming the kitchen, lighting, heating and even home entertainment.
Director: N/A
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- NaN/100 votesLoading...
#11 - The Great Stink
Season 2 Episode 7 - Aired 9/14/2020
Michael discovers how Britain's first Super Sewer cleaned up the capital and inspired a fresh water revolution that would change the lives of millions of Victorians.
Director: N/A
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- NaN/100 votesLoading...
#12 - The Culture Revolution
Season 2 Episode 8 - Aired 9/21/2020
Michael Buerk discovers how the Victorians took on the world of exploration and adventure, and brought it home to Britain for everyone to share.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of How the Victorians Built Britain
Every episode of How the Victorians Built Britain ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of How the Victorians Built Britain!
This series travels the length and breadth of Britain to find out how the Victorians built Britain. It uncovers the incredible and surprising stories behind...
Genre:Documentary
Best Episodes Summary
"The Birth of the Machines" is the best rated episode of "How the Victorians Built Britain". It scored 8.8/10 based on 9 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 9/22/2018. This episode scored 0.3 points higher than the second highest rated, "How Britain Got Moving".