World's Most Scenic Railway Journeys - Scotland: A Magical Journey Through the Highlands

About this Broadcast

Scotland: A Magical Journey Through the Highlands
Season 2, Episode 1

Bill Nighy narrates the stories of epic train journeys through stunning scenery and natural beauty, beginning with a trip from Inverness to Edinburgh. Not long after setting out, the route passes Culloden, the site of the last pitched battle on British soil. It then enters the Cairngorms National Park, home to some of Europe's finest landscapes as well as valleys steeped in Gaelic folklore. The park's station at Aviemore is home to the Strathspey Railway, where Victorian steam locomotives come to life. There is then a climb to the highest point on Britain's railway network before the train winds its way through Fife. Eventually the route crosses the Forth Bridge before arriving in Scottish capital Edinburgh, admired for its architecture and annual arts festival. Narrated by Bill Nighy

HD subtitles

Education/Science/Factual Topics Foreign Countries/Expeditions Nature/Animals/Environment

Cast & Crew

Bill Nighy (Narrator)

Clare Fisher (Series producer)

Tom Porter (Executive producer)

More Information

Did You Know..

Bill Nighy (Narrator)

Born: December 12, 1949 in Caterham, Surrey

Best Known For: Love Actually and State of Play.

Early-life: Born William Francis Nighy on December 12, 1949, in Caterham, Surrey. His mother was a psychiatric nurse, his father a car mechanic. He has two older siblings and claims he probably would have followed in his dad's footsteps had he not discovered literature in his teens. Although not academically gifted at school, he ran away to Paris to write a novel. After failing to put pen to paper, he returned to the UK to become a journalist, but realised he wasn't cut out for it. On the advice of a girlfriend, he went to drama school.

Career: Nighy honed his craft at Liverpool's Everyman Theatre in the 1970s. He made his TV debut in 1980 in sitcom Agony. His first film, Eye of the Needle, came a year later. He has juggled acclaimed stage appearances with TV and film work. His role as a randy lecturer in 1991's The Men's Room made him a heart-throb, but he didn't become familiar to audiences until a string of hits beginning with 1998's Still Crazy, followed by Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, State of Play, and Love Actually. He also starred in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels, Stormbreaker and Underworld: Evolution. Other projects include Valkyrie, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, The Boat That Rocked, G-Force, Wild Target. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and playwright David Hare's Worricker trilogy.

Quote: 'I watched Love Actually and it was good fun but I thought, 'God you're old, you're knackered-looking, you look terrible' - because I do and I am.'

Trivia: Nighy suffers from the condition Dupuytren's contracture, which causes the ring and little finger of each hand to be permanently bent towards the palms. His daughter Mary is an actress.

Clare Fisher (Series producer)

Tom Porter (Executive producer)

Before / After

The Yorkshire Vet
4:30 pm

Great British Ships
6:00 pm