The British are coming!
British travel show will showcase local attractions in an epic Canadian rail excursion
Great Britain is invading Truro this summer – with a small army of TV producers headed by a former politician-turned onscreen celebrity as they take an epic rail voyage through Atlantic Canada.
British Broadcasting Corporation presenter Michael Portillo is taking viewers from Halifax up through Truro, on into New Brunswick and ending up in Quebec City for the fourth series of hit TV show Great American Railroad Journeys, this time featuring Canada. The producers are using a 19th-century Appleton’s guide to discover Atlantic Canadian history.
“I find it quite amazing that the BBC have found out and they’re coming. The British are coming – and we welcome them,” said Truro Mayor Bill Mills.
The BBC team will be shooting at the Joseph Howe Falls in Victoria Park when they come to Truro in late August.
However, Mills was keen to showcase other local attractions for Great American Railroad Journeys to film, such as Truro’s manufacturing heritage, including local garment producer Stanfield’s Limited.
Mills was quick to point out other local highlights such as First United Church, whose 101-year-old building received national recognition as a historic building of Canada.
The BBC team will also learn about the legacy of Joseph Howe, the famous Nova Scotian politician, journalist and poet.
Truro grew up around the railway that was first built in 1858. Today it is a railway hub with lines connecting Halifax, up toward New Brunswick, the Annapolis Valley and east toward Pictou County and Cape Breton.
Mills said local people still take pride in Truro’s railway history, as evidenced by model rail enthusiasts that he’s keen to see featured on Great American Railroad Journeys.
As well as the man-made wonders, Truro has many areas of natural beauty nearby, from the increasingly famous Joseph Howe Falls to its agricultural landscape and the Tidal Bore.
For those who know where to look, there are fossils to be found and rocky outcroppings that can be navigated by kayaks.
To film the local attractions, the BBC is using a director who will self-shoot on a handheld camera, together with an assistant producer, sound operator, camera assistant and Portillo, as presenter.
While filming in Truro is still some weeks away, the BBC plans to make a scouting visit here this month.