Rich Lives, Poor Lives with Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman | Series 2 Preview (5)

In the first episode of the Rich Lives, Poor Lives strand, Rob and Ruth travel back to the 1840s, when railway mania swept Britain and transformed the fortunes of rich and poor alike.

In each episode, they follow the stories of real people, who lived through extraordinary moments in British history - from Emperor Hadrian’s visit to Britain, to the arrival of the Spanish Armada and Railway mania in the 1840s.

They uncover gripping stories of survival, resilience, and question how wealth shaped your experience. Was it luck, grit, or the size of your bank balance that got you through?

In this episode, Rob and Ruth travel back to the 1840s when railway mania swept Britain and transformed the fortunes of rich and poor alike. Rob follows the wealthy Victorians who poured their money into the railway boom. First is businessman George Hudson, known as the ‘Railway King’, who seized on the craze to build a vast personal empire.

Rising from humble beginnings in a draper’s shop, Hudson became an MP, one of the most powerful figures in Britain, and even met Queen Victoria. But when the railways boom slows, his fortune hangs in the balance. Rob discovers how Lord Morpeth, an aristocrat who embraced the railways, allowed a new station to be built on his land and unusually opened his grand country house to ordinary people, giving them a rare glimpse of life at the top.

Meanwhile, Ruth investigates the lives of those who built and worked on the railways. Thomas Eaton was one of hundreds of thousands of navvies whose gruelling labour made the new network possible. Working in dangerous conditions, many risked injury or death, and some were left destitute when the railway bubble burst.

Ruth also uncovers the story of Mary Arguile, Britain’s first female station mistress. Born into a poor working-class family, she used the opportunities created by the railways to rise through society, eventually running Merry Lees station as part of George Hudson’s growing empire.

As railway mania reached its peak, Rob and Ruth discover how the expanding network opened up new possibilities for ordinary people, from affordable seaside trips to access to fresh food. Yet while the railways created unprecedented opportunities, the financial crash that followed threatened ruin for those who had staked everything on the boom.

Rich Lives, Poor Lives returns Tuesday 4th August at 9pm on 5.