The Yorkshire Steam Railway – Channel 5

(Image credit: Graham Staples)

All aboard for another run of The Yorkshire Steam Railway with its passionate crew, including chief engineer Piglet and 'Fat Controller' chief Chris

All aboard for another run of The Yorkshire Steam Railway with its passionate crew, including chief engineer Piglet and 'Fat Controller' chief Chris

This charming documentary on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, and the colourful cast of characters who keep the heritage steam engines moving, returns for a second series.

For those who haven’t tuned in before, it’s like watching Thomas the Tank Engine, only for grown-ups, with Mark Addy narrating in place of Ringo Starr.

As the series opens, it’s the hottest Summer in 40 years, good for attracting tourists, but for manager Chris, the risk of his locos spitting out embers and causing fires on the moorland is threatening the operation.

Yorkshire Steam Railway — General manager Chris Price (centre) with his staff at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway engine shed

Fortunately, engineer ‘Piglet’ comes up with a plan…

Elsewhere, newly remodelled steam engine Eric Treacy is about to be unveiled to the public, but will she prove track-worthy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrBG34aoU3g

TV Times rating: ***

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.