Portillo’s Hidden History of Britain

Michael Portillo inside Odeon New Victoria for 4/5 episode of Hidden History of Britain, being shown on Friday 30th November

As the series Portillo's Hidden History of Britain continues on Channel 5, the former politician and history buff visits Bradford's now-abandoned New Victoria cinema to uncover its secrets

The New Victoria Cinema in Bradford was once known as the ‘Palace of Dreams’.

The biggest and most luxurious of its kind outside of London, it united people of all ages and backgrounds as they came together to watch the 1930s phenomenon of talking pictures.

Michael is digging around in the now abandoned shell of the once grand 3,000-seat auditorium and the faded glory of its ballroom to see what impact such a huge building had on the local people.

Portillo's Hidden History of Britain - shows Michael dancing at the Odeon New Victoria — Michael takes to the dance floor at the Odeon New Victoria

Although it’s sad to see the state of the building today, there are, thanks to the local people of Bradford coming together once more, grand plans afoot for this elegant building.

TV Times rating: ****

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As TV Times Highlights Editor I get to hear about all the latest TV shows coming soon. Here at TVT HQ we are in the privileged position of selecting the best programmes from across all the channels and streaming platforms. Our mission is to make it easier for our readers to decide what to watch - and give them lots of choice of genres - all the latest shows, plus some nostalgic choices we call hidden gems, too. My career began with a postgraduate degree in periodical journalism (ahem, yes old school!) in 1991 and I’ve worked in TV media since 2000.