Britain’s First Photo Album traces the extraordinary achievement of the pioneering Victorian photographer Francis Frith and his team. Frith embarked upon a colossal project to photograph as much of Great Britain as possible during the second half of the 19th century. In this series John Sergeant sets out to follow in Francis Frith’s footsteps to find out more about ‘Britain’s First Photo Album’ and celebrate our shared past.
Episode 1
This round-Britain trip begins in London, where John Sergeant will meet the first ever lady Chelsea Pensioner, find out about the real Eliza Doolittles who inspired My Fair Lady and descend deep under Tower Bridge to witness Victorian engineering at its most impressive.
Episode 2
John Sergeant travels along the North Kent coast from Gravesend to Broadstairs and finds out how much it has changed since Frith was there over a century ago; he also takes his own modern-day photographs. He hitches a ride on a Thames sailing barge, finding out what people used to do in their leisure time in the 19th century, and drops in on the new owners of Charles Dickens's favourite holiday home.
Episode 3
Using the old photographs as his guide, John Sergeant will be visiting the remains of Frith's home in Reigate and travelling south to investigate the smugglers' haunts of medieval Rye, before finding out where the riflemen of the Victorian British army learnt their skills.
Episode 4
In this episode John Sargeant's journey begins on the Isle of Wight, where he will be visiting one of the oldest theme parks in the world, sampling the wares of a Hampshire brewing town and using early photographs to prove that Stonehenge has not stood as we know it for quite as long as we might imagine.
Episode 5
John Sergeant travels to Dorset in the south-west of England to find out how much has changed since Francis Frith took photos of the county, visiting an ancient watermill in Lyme Regis and Exeter Guildhall's dungeons. He also learns about the techniques required to farm with horses.
Episode 6
John Sergeant travels from Newport to Gloucester as he continues his exploration of the stories behind the pictures taken by Victorian photographer Francis Frith, who undertook a project to record as much of the UK as possible during the 19th century. He learns about the restoration of Monmouthshire's canals, explores the caves under the Forest of Dean, and discovers how Britain's first state schools came into being.
Episode 7
John Sergeant meets members of a Liverpool photographic society that traces its roots back to Victorian photographer Francis Frith. He also visits one of the world's first shopping malls in Bolton, and discovers how Blackpool grew into one of Britain's favourite holiday destinations.
Episode 8
John Sergeant continues his journey in the footsteps of Victorian photographer Francis Frith. He visits a remarkable steamship in the western Highlands that has been transporting passengers for more than a century, observes the restoration work carried out at Stirling Castle and tries his hand at traditional Scottish baking.
Episode 9
John Sergeant's journey continues along the north-east coast of England and begins in Hartlepool, Co Durham, where he searches for a missing rock formation. He then heads to North Yorkshire, visiting Saltburn-by-the-Sea and ending his trip in Whitby, where he meets the descendants of a family photographed by Francis Frith.
Episode 10
John Sergeant travels to Derbyshire, where he visits Francis Frith's home town of Chesterfield and ascends the famous twisted spire. He also explores a medieval country house near Bakewell and enjoys a flutter at the races in Nottingham.
