Episode 1

Ian Hislop casts a quizzical eye on the notorious 1963 Beeching Report, that directly led to the closure of a third of the nation's railway lines and stations, forcing many thousands of Britons out of the railway carriages and onto the roads. Ian begins his travels from Cornwall in the South-West, up to the Scottish borders in the north, interviewing both those affected by and responsible for putting into action the findings of the Beeching Report. As we now know that trains are far more energy efficient and less environmentally damaging than the motor car, was Beeching's plan was the biggest mistake of the 1960s?