For anyone concerned about the acute shortage of railway-themed programmes
on the telly, BBC2 (and BBC HD) features an unlikely combination of
interests in the form of a Culture Show special next Wednesday at 2200,
commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Underground.
"Going Underground: A Culture Show Special
In celebration of the 150th anniversary of London Underground, Alastair
Sooke presents a cultural history of the oldest tube network in the world.
He follows the progress of a major new artwork for all 270 stations by the
leading contemporary artist Mark Wallinger, and shows that art has played
an absolutely central role in the identity of the tube. Through posters by
some of the finest artists of the day, the system became the people's
gallery. Through architecture, and design, its typeface and its branding,
it became the image of modernity.
Alastair uncovers the story of a relatively unsung hero, Frank Pick, whose
32 years running the Underground shaped London and Londoners more than
anyone since Sir Christopher Wren.
The tube has won itself a place in our imagination, as contemporary
writers, Paul Morley, Peter York and John Lanchester testify."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01r6p9g