Portillo's Hidden History of Britain

Michael Portillo explores abandoned locations. The officers of the London Road Fire Station stood guard over the people of Manchester for 80 years through war, civil unrest and serial killers.

A top secret Cold War stronghold and a decommissioned Soviet nuclear submarine reveal just how close we came to nuclear armageddon, and the British military's plans if it should come.

The New Victoria in Bradford was Britain's first cinema, with a 3,000-seat theatre, a decadent ballroom and state-of-the-art technology. It closed in 2000, but a new generation has reinvented the building.

Michael Portillo explores the popular destination of Brighton, where he goes in search of the hidden history of the British seaside resort. The ghostly skeleton of Brighton's West pier has become one of the UK's most well-known ruins, and is all that remains of one of the most iconic seaside attractions in British history.