Channel 4 - Walking Through History Series 2 The Way to Wigan Pier (2013)

In Walking Through History Series 2 Tony Robinson embarks on more spectacular walks through historic landscapes in search of richest stories from Britain's past. In each episode, Tony follows a bespoke route that allows him to explore the history of a particularly colourful period or event, as well as the spectacular landscape in which those events unfolded. Alongside experts he meets on the way, Tony reveals places and hidden stories that ordinary walkers and ramblers might otherwise miss. In this episode Tony Robinson walks from Liverpool to Wigan, tracing the story of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal's chaotic construction and its dramatic impact on the development of Lancashire. He begins with a towpath exploration of industrial engineering along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Stretching 127 miles and taking 46 years to complete, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal is truly one of the wonders of the industrial age. Setting off from Liverpool, he takes a three-day walk inland to Wigan, ending at the town's iconic pier as he traces the story of the waterway's construction. Along the way he visits a former jam factory and Aintree racecourse with its famous Canal Turn. The canal's 127 miles took nearly 50 years to build and its story is one of delays and despair before it finally provided the artery to growing communities. Robinson ends his journey at Wigan Pier, now a museum, and a symbol of a vanished past.

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