Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways

Watch Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways

  • 2012
  • 1 Season
  • 7.5  (204)

Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways is a fascinating travel documentary series that follows the well-known British broadcaster and former host of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' Chris Tarrant as he embarks on an adventurous trip around the world, exploring some of the most formidable railway tracks in remote areas of the planet.

In this impressive and exciting documentation series, Tarrant takes his audience on a journey across five continents, discovering new cultures, customs, and traditions while exploring the impressive railway networks of each country. From the icy landscapes of Scandinavia to the rolling hills of South America, Tarrant visits and traverses some of the most awe-inspiring, challenging, and remote train routes in the world.

Throughout the series, Tarrant accompanies local railway workers, track layers, and drivers, learning about their daily routines, their struggles to maintain the tracks, the unique history that shaped their railways, and the cultural significance of their country’s rail network. His explorations take him to some of the most spectacular locations on earth and enable him to take in stunning scenery from the train's windows with an immersive perspective.

Tarrant himself brings a relatable, humorous touch to the program's narration, talking to locals and experts along the way to learn about the cultures and traditions of each area he visits. He interacts with the people who work on the railways, who often rely on the trains to transport their goods and produce to markets and trading centers, offering audiences an up-close perspective on the human element that drives each rail network.

The series is divided into six one-hour episodes, each of which covers the journey of a particular railway route. In episode one, Tarrant starts with a journey across India, exploring the crowded urban centers and rural countryside with their unique, bustling markets and colorful festivals. Episode two takes Tarrant on a trip to Scandinavia, where he discovers that the extensive railway network and freezing temperatures make it a challenging and spectacular journey.

In episode three, Tarrant sets out to explore the Swiss Alps, a picturesque mountainous region, which is home to the Glacier-Express, one of the world's most luxurious trains. Episode four features his journey down the coast of South America, exploring the historical railway of Ecuador, the railways of Peru and Bolivia, and Argentina's impressive Patagonian Railways.

Episode five finds Tarrant in Australia, where he follows the legendary Ghan Railway line, traversing the spine of the vast Australian continent. Finally, in episode six, Tarrant travels to African countries, including Namibia and Tanzania, and discovers how trains are essential to their economies by transporting minerals and other resources.

Overall, Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways is an exhilarating and immersive travel series that combines adventure, history, carious culture, and interesting engineering. The host's charismatic personality and the rich, captivating track backgrounds make for highly entertaining viewing, and viewers are sure to feel transported to each destination as they follow on each rail journey. Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways promises to capture the landscape, make history come alive, and show the daily life of ordinary people who depend on access to the world’s harsh regions that can only be achieved by rail.

Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways
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Seasons
India's Monsoon Railway
3. India's Monsoon Railway
December 12, 2012
This week Chris Tarrant is travelling on the Konkan railway which runs down the west coast of India connecting the port cities of Mumbai and Mangalore. Although the British Empire built 40,000 miles of track across this vast sub-continent between, they stayed clear of this narrow, boggy strip of land as it was such a treacherous and difficult environment in which to build a railway. As a result Western India remained undeveloped until over 100 years later when a brave Indian engineer took on the daunting task. Known as 'The People's Railway' it opened in January 1998, finally connecting the remote villages along the route to the outside world.
Australia's Outback Railway
2. Australia's Outback Railway
December 12, 2012
In this episode, Chris Tarrant crosses the Australian Outback, to find out the truth about an amazing railway. The 2,000 mile-long Adelaide to Darwin Railway is commonly known as 'The Ghan Line'. It's named after the luxury passenger service that runs on it and the name 'Ghan' is said to derive from the Afghan-run camel trains that ferried people and goods across the Outback in the 19th Century.
Congo's Jungle Railway
1. Congo's Jungle Railway
December 12, 2012
Chris Tarrant is in West Africa to experience one of the greatest surviving African railways of the colonial era. Built by French colonists at a cost of tens of thousands of African lives, this railway connects the capital, Brazzaville, far inland on the Congo River, to the coast 310 miles away. It has remained a vital lifeline for both people and freight in a country with few roads and thousands of square of miles of impenetrable jungle
Description
  • Premiere Date
    December 12, 2012
  • IMDB Rating
    7.5  (204)