0:00:03 > 0:00:06This is the story of how we rediscovered our love affair
0:00:06 > 0:00:09with high-speed rail travel.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11And how an unpopular nationalised industry
0:00:11 > 0:00:14created the ever-popular 125 train.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19In the 1970s, British Rail was the butt of jokes
0:00:19 > 0:00:21for the nation's comedians.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25British Rail intend to maintain their standards.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27But now for the good news...
0:00:29 > 0:00:33Him! Parker! Mr Parker!
0:00:33 > 0:00:38The man that is responsible for the tragedy of this railway.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42During a period of industrial gloom and political upheaval,
0:00:42 > 0:00:46how did the unexpected triumph of the InterCity 125
0:00:46 > 0:00:51help save British Rail and give us the age of the train?
0:00:51 > 0:00:54A bit of fresh air and fun is easy, because...
0:00:54 > 0:00:57# This is the age... #
0:00:57 > 0:00:58..of the train.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04Mr Peter Parker.
0:01:04 > 0:01:09In 1976, Peter Parker became the new boss of British Rail.
0:01:09 > 0:01:10He was a high-profile businessman,
0:01:10 > 0:01:14but he was facing his toughest job yet.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16Trying to turn around an industry
0:01:16 > 0:01:17that was near rock bottom.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20Pray silence for Mr Peter Parker.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23A member of the Royal Victorian Order
0:01:23 > 0:01:25and chairman of British Railways' board.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27A distinguished guest of honour.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32APPLAUSE
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Five years for us is short time.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40Five years is longer than most governments dare to think.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45'It's not fashionable to be the kind of man who is'
0:01:45 > 0:01:47a captain of industry.
0:01:48 > 0:01:49A socialist,
0:01:49 > 0:01:51and man about the theatre
0:01:51 > 0:01:54who had been an actor.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57An authority on Blake.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59A man who spoke Japanese.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02I mean, he was a really extraordinary man.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06I wouldn't mind having a look inside, actually.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09British Rail had suffered 30 years of decline
0:02:09 > 0:02:12and Parker was assessing the business from top to bottom.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15I often think that, you know,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18industrial democracy's got a lot to do with the standards
0:02:18 > 0:02:20in the lavatory as well as appearances in the boardroom.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22- What do you think about it? - Worth every penny!
0:02:22 > 0:02:24LAUGHTER
0:02:24 > 0:02:27From Birmingham to Bristol, Liverpool or Leeds,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29buy a ticket, take a train, and travel where you please.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31To Manchester or Glasgow...
0:02:31 > 0:02:35Parker was in charge of a rail system struggling to promote itself
0:02:35 > 0:02:37to customers in a new age of travel.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40The message wasn't always getting through.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42So take a seat on the midday train,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44and be in time for the start of the game.
0:02:46 > 0:02:47Good morning!
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Good evening. When they came to me
0:02:50 > 0:02:53and asked me to say some kind words about British Rail,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57frankly, I told BR to be off. LAUGHTER
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Then they offered me 1,000 quid.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01I said, "I'm not a man who can be bought."
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Then they offered me 2,000 quid.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Good evening. LAUGHTER
0:03:06 > 0:03:08Everybody loved their cars. Me too.
0:03:08 > 0:03:09And the train at last
0:03:09 > 0:03:10seemed to be fading.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Beeching had just axed everything.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15And it was really the pit
0:03:15 > 0:03:16for the poor old train.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21Parker had more than the railways to worry about.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25The new chairman was in charge of 55 ships, 29 hotels,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28and more than 200 restaurants and cafes.
0:03:28 > 0:03:29- Derek!- Good morning.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31The bags are here.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34He was at the head of 250,000 employees.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36For years, British Rail had complained
0:03:36 > 0:03:39about inadequate government investment.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42But to its critics, it was overstaffed, out of date,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45and a waste of public money.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Now, you do your bit, and we'll do our bit,
0:03:48 > 0:03:51and we'll try to lose £100 million of your money every year.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55For Parker, there wasn't much to smile about.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58He had to modernise at a time of cutbacks.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01Too many trains were late, and too many looked old-fashioned.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05It's a bit of an early stage, really,
0:04:05 > 0:04:07to say what I can see ahead.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08My feeling of it is I've got
0:04:08 > 0:04:10a view of the Himalayas.
0:04:10 > 0:04:11I've just got to that point
0:04:11 > 0:04:13where the peaks stand out very clearly.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15I haven't scaled any yet.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17But I can see, I think, more and more what the problems are.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20There was just too much short-termism.
0:04:20 > 0:04:21His message all along,
0:04:21 > 0:04:24his understanding was that railways were very long-term.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26When you invest something in a railway,
0:04:26 > 0:04:28and when you build a new train like the high-speed train,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31you're looking at something that's got a life of 35, 40 years,
0:04:31 > 0:04:33maybe longer with refurbishments.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36But politicians were never looking further than five years ahead.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Peter Parker knew he had to change the way
0:04:40 > 0:04:43we thought about the railways.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46He'd have to take on the doubters and that included the unions.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48I'm pleased...
0:04:48 > 0:04:51SHOUTS FROM AUDIENCE
0:04:51 > 0:04:55That's the man you should ask! Him!
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Parker! Mr Parker!
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Parker had to reduce the complaints, get more customers,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04make more money, and keep his workers happy.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07It wasn't going to be easy.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09British Rail in the late 70s, early 80s,
0:05:09 > 0:05:13was really set up not much different from Victorian lines.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15So it's very, very difficult for the railways.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17They were in an almost impossible position.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20It was a perfect storm of things going against them.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24The man that is responsible
0:05:24 > 0:05:28for the tragedy of this railway!
0:05:28 > 0:05:30If he comes and starts charming,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33or endeavouring to charm us out of the trees,
0:05:33 > 0:05:34then I'm afraid that would be the wrong way
0:05:34 > 0:05:37to do industrial relations on British Railways Board.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39It wasn't particularly well run,
0:05:39 > 0:05:40I think, at that point.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42From the consumer's point of view.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46Engineering wise, I mean, it was a very safe railway.
0:05:46 > 0:05:52But, I mean, the consumer did tend to get left out of it a bit.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55We had the most appalling unions at the time,
0:05:55 > 0:05:56and they just objected to everything.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58We're down to earth people.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00We see things as they are,
0:06:00 > 0:06:04and we want to give a service to the public of this country.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06And I don't think we want to be charmed into doing it.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08You stop complaining...
0:06:08 > 0:06:12Sometimes, the criticism went beyond a joke.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16..and simply do what you're told whenever you see this sign.
0:06:16 > 0:06:17There we are.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE
0:06:24 > 0:06:26I think British Rail will always be a butt.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28It's like mother-in-laws.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30It doesn't matter if it does well, or does badly.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32It's either the trains are too full
0:06:32 > 0:06:36and you can't get a seat, and therefore it's rubbish.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38Or it's stone empty and, you know,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41"Why can't they run a proper business?"
0:06:41 > 0:06:43Never once have I understood a railway announcement.
0:06:43 > 0:06:44For instance...
0:06:44 > 0:06:46The train now standing at platform
0:06:46 > 0:06:49four in a four forty-five four four fet...
0:06:49 > 0:06:54LAUGHTER
0:06:54 > 0:06:57I think people have a dual attitude to railways.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59It's "Bloody railways! Bloody British Rail!"
0:06:59 > 0:07:00Commuters, for instance,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03don't REALLY want to go to work on the train each day.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04It's a distressed purchase.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08If you provide a perfect journey for a commuter, he doesn't notice it.
0:07:08 > 0:07:09He takes it for granted.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12And if you have a slight delay, that gets it.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15So railways are always struggling with their image.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18But, amid the doom and gloom,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Peter Parker had worked out a new strategy.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25He was going to revive Britain's love affair with high-speed trains.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28And find new ways to reach beyond the Channel into Europe.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Parker knew there had always been a special kind of glamour
0:07:37 > 0:07:39about high-speed trains.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42The express trains of the 1930s set speed records
0:07:42 > 0:07:45and created new standards for luxury travel.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48The steam trains were romance.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52Just wonderful. Very, very fast.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55As fast as anything that moves today in this country.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57And they were beautiful things to look at.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02Long before Peter Parker arrived at British Rail,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05it was obvious Britain needed a new high-speed train.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08In 1968, Barbara Castle, the Transport Minister,
0:08:08 > 0:08:12visited British Rail's engineering works in Derby
0:08:12 > 0:08:14to give the scheme her public backing.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Railways were all trying to go faster.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20What they did was you bought a fast locomotive and train,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23and then you tweaked the infrastructure.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25You eased the curves, you moved track across,
0:08:25 > 0:08:27so they didn't have to slow for curves and so on.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29You eased junctions.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31And you went faster, but eventually, you got to the point where
0:08:31 > 0:08:34you're going as fast as you could with the trains you've got.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36And then you moved up another step.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40An ambitious new project was launched.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43The Advanced Passenger Train.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46A tilting train which could travel
0:08:46 > 0:08:49on old-fashioned curving rail tracks at 150mph.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53Now, into this came British Rail Research,
0:08:53 > 0:08:58which was a new organisation set up
0:08:58 > 0:09:00and it took on a lot of engineers from outside the industry.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02Not all from the aircraft industry, that's a myth.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04But a lot of engineers,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07and they came in and looked at existing railway engineering
0:09:07 > 0:09:09and thought, "Old-fashioned. Boring."
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Making their way across Europe,
0:09:12 > 0:09:14three pretty girls decorate our scene.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16A whole new world of travel.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18According to British Rail's publicity films,
0:09:18 > 0:09:22the 1970s were going to be a sophisticated,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25cosmopolitan era on the railways across Europe.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28A new generation of high-speed train was being built.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32At last, some of the lost glamour of the '30s might come back.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Today, the scene in a high-speed train is changed out of recognition.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38Staring out of the corridor window
0:09:38 > 0:09:41is no longer the high spot of a journey.
0:09:41 > 0:09:42For whatever your mood,
0:09:42 > 0:09:47all the right things are around to rest or exhilarate you.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53In other countries, money was being poured into electrification
0:09:53 > 0:09:55and fast new expresses.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58But in Britain, budgets were tighter.
0:09:58 > 0:09:59What was really irritating
0:09:59 > 0:10:01about being on the board of British Rail
0:10:01 > 0:10:02is that the people
0:10:02 > 0:10:03would constantly tell you
0:10:03 > 0:10:05how wonderful the bullet train was,
0:10:05 > 0:10:09with no telling you about how much it cost, how much it was subsidised,
0:10:09 > 0:10:12how much the government was so behind it, how it had taken years
0:10:12 > 0:10:14and years and years to develop,
0:10:14 > 0:10:16and how they constantly improved it.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20While British Rail was pursuing its own prestige projects,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23the APT tilting train, behind the scenes,
0:10:23 > 0:10:27a cheaper, less romantic idea was brewing.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32A high-speed diesel train which could travel at 125mph.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35The high-speed train team was headed by Terry Miller,
0:10:35 > 0:10:37a lifelong railway engineer.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Terry Miller went to British Railways' board
0:10:40 > 0:10:43and said, "Would you like a 125 mph train,
0:10:43 > 0:10:47"and you could deliver your prototype in 22 months?"
0:10:47 > 0:10:51The race was on between two teams, both working within British Rail.
0:10:51 > 0:10:56There was fierce rivalry between the EPT tilting train project,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59based at BR research,
0:10:59 > 0:11:01and Miller's engineering team.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04The conventional engineers,
0:11:04 > 0:11:08who were extremely upset, not to say, furious, about all this,
0:11:08 > 0:11:09what we now call 'dissing'
0:11:09 > 0:11:13from the Advanced Passenger Train people at BR research.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16They said, "Well, we can go fast as well."
0:11:16 > 0:11:18So, the rivalry was huge. And they came back from one meeting
0:11:18 > 0:11:22and the engineering director said,
0:11:22 > 0:11:24"They can do 150?
0:11:24 > 0:11:25"We'll show them!"
0:11:25 > 0:11:29It was creative tension.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37The tilting train could run at 150mph,
0:11:37 > 0:11:39but it was still being tested.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45Suddenly, its rival, the more conventional high speed train,
0:11:45 > 0:11:50was going to be more than a stopgap.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52Hey, Lady! Forget all that!
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Meet the swinging, mixing, mincing,
0:11:55 > 0:11:57- slicing, shredding, Kenwood Chef! - Ooh!
0:11:58 > 0:12:04In the early 1970s, one of Britain's leading designers was called in.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Kenneth Grange was at the cutting-edge of industrial design.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11He supplied to look for products which became household names.
0:12:11 > 0:12:17By now, the conventional high-speed train was almost ready,
0:12:17 > 0:12:19five years ahead of its rival, the tilting train.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22But it needed some finishing touches.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25At first, Grange was asked to sort out the paintwork on the cab,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28but he gave the train a whole new look.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30It was just a paint job.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33But decently paid, and very agreeable.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37It was a nice enough job to get. But the train wasn't very beautiful.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41That's sure. But I had time enough to play games,
0:12:41 > 0:12:47and I chose myself to have a crack at a new shape of train.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51The high-speed train was about to get its most distinctive look.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55The futuristic nosecone at the front and back.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58On the table here, I've got two models,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01and they are pretty much examples
0:13:01 > 0:13:03of where the job started, and we ended.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05There's a flat area here,
0:13:05 > 0:13:10and it was just big enough to take quite a small piece of glass,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13because they had a succession of accidents
0:13:13 > 0:13:16-more than accidents, rather wilful -
0:13:16 > 0:13:20of small boys hanging house bricks over bridges and smashing the glass.
0:13:20 > 0:13:25So the new train would have to have armour-plated glass.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Without telling British Rail, Grange used
0:13:27 > 0:13:30sophisticated aerodynamic testing
0:13:30 > 0:13:32for the first time in the design of a train
0:13:32 > 0:13:35The whole point was that we virtually exchanged
0:13:35 > 0:13:42the simple, smooth curvature here, for a much better rake here,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45so we could get more air flowing over the top,
0:13:45 > 0:13:46relative to this one.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49We used to hire space in the wind tunnel down at Imperial College,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52and gradually, with the technicians down there,
0:13:52 > 0:13:57we'd gradually, gradually improved the shape, aerodynamically.
0:13:57 > 0:14:02And so when the day came to show them my new delivery of the model,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05I took my own design along as well.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08And it's a pretty extraordinary tale on reflection,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11that they were, you know, broadminded enough
0:14:11 > 0:14:13and open-minded enough
0:14:13 > 0:14:16to take some note of what I was saying.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21But if the high-speed train doesn't get off to its high-speed launch
0:14:21 > 0:14:23as the timetables proudly announce,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25then the whole impact of the service will be lost.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29Kenneth Grange's prototype was a one-man cab
0:14:29 > 0:14:32with a small central window.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35But trouble broke out with the drivers union, ASLEF.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38For a year, they refused to test the new train.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42This proposal was put before our annual conference in June.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44The delegates attending the annual conference,
0:14:44 > 0:14:46who are actual train drivers,
0:14:46 > 0:14:48people who are driving trains day in, day out, said,
0:14:48 > 0:14:49"Not on your life."
0:14:49 > 0:14:54The unions came back and had changed their mind, or some cause,
0:14:54 > 0:14:59whatever it was, and were insisting upon two men.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Which threw us into a real dilemma,
0:15:01 > 0:15:06because this single glass size was very difficult to resolve.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09You couldn't have two men looking out of the one little window.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11To only have one driver in there,
0:15:11 > 0:15:15there are instances where you need an inspector on there,
0:15:15 > 0:15:16you need room for training,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19you need a seat for somebody who is perhaps piloting
0:15:19 > 0:15:22or conducting a driver who's on a particular route
0:15:22 > 0:15:24that he hasn't been on before.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28It would have been farcical to have had
0:15:28 > 0:15:32just a central sitting seat in a HST.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37So Kenneth Grange redesigned the cab with a bigger window.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40He also decided to remove the pair of buffers at the front.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42These sets of accidents
0:15:42 > 0:15:45all eventually worked to my favour, frankly.
0:15:45 > 0:15:51The loss of the buffers was a key change in the geometry of the train.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54And that, in turn, led to the style we've got now.
0:15:54 > 0:15:59The train's unique trademark had been created.
0:15:59 > 0:16:00Its front cab.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04As it were, stylistic origins of the design,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07I think, don't owe much to other vehicles.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11They might have owed something to racing cars,
0:16:11 > 0:16:13which were not nearly as ugly as they are today.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16They were much sleeker and, in a way,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19looked like a cartoonist's drawing of a fast car.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23I think that was perhaps some starting point.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28But because of another 1970s social phenomenon,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30football hooligans,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33part of Grange's design didn't make it into the train.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37He made seats for the passenger compartment using netting,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40developed for the United States Space Program.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45But the seats weren't tough enough for match day trains.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Didn't take much wit to see that a net chair
0:16:47 > 0:16:49would be an absolute gift to them, you know?
0:16:49 > 0:16:51Strip in and, bing! You'd have no seat at all.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Not just with just holes in it, you'd have no seat at all.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57So it was stillborn, the net seat.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Most people thought the prototype train
0:17:02 > 0:17:04was a rather ugly-looking brute.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07But the final version that Kenneth Grange produced
0:17:07 > 0:17:09was absolutely magnificent.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15What had been created was an ultramodern train
0:17:15 > 0:17:18with two power cabs, one at each end.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22That meant a faster ride powered by two engines.
0:17:22 > 0:17:28The stopgap had turned from an ugly duckling into a swan.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33I think, of everything I've done, that probably is number one.
0:17:33 > 0:17:38So I'm very proud of it, yes. More than fairly, you can tell!
0:17:38 > 0:17:43With a new look and two drivers in the cab,
0:17:43 > 0:17:45the high-speed train went into service.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48I tell you, this is a family business!
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Wherever I go, I find this a family business!
0:17:50 > 0:17:54Peter Parker saw his chance to promote a new image of the railways.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57He been handed an exciting product.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59Now, it needed to be sold.
0:18:01 > 0:18:02In the late 1970s,
0:18:02 > 0:18:07a brash businessman was trying to conquer the world of advertising.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11Peter Marsh had a gift for publicity, sometimes about himself.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15In an industry of extrovert characters,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18he was one of the most colourful of the lot.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20# Sirrah, load chunky carpets
0:18:20 > 0:18:21# Sirrah, get off me barra!
0:18:21 > 0:18:24# Sirrah, load chunky carpets,
0:18:24 > 0:18:26# Sirrah, load, buy 'em! #
0:18:26 > 0:18:29Marsh was the front man for a thriving agency,
0:18:29 > 0:18:32Allen, Brady and Marsh.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35They used Hollywood star, Orson Welles to sell sherry.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40They advertised everything from chewing gum to cleaning products.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44Now Marsh was chasing one of the biggest prizes of all.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46The British Rail advertising account.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49We're really looking at one very specific ingredient here,
0:18:49 > 0:18:52and one of the most important ingredients, which is personality.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55OK, well I better leave you. Have a good trip.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Marsh had been an actor, and he knew Parker loved theatre.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01The ad man saw an opportunity.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04He invited Parker to his office.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07The British Rail chairman was about to get a surprise.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09I invited Peter to lunch,
0:19:09 > 0:19:11and when he arrived, at reception
0:19:11 > 0:19:14I'd got this terrible old tart of a receptionist.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18She was like, "Yeah? What's your name?
0:19:18 > 0:19:20"Peter...sorry?
0:19:20 > 0:19:21"Marsh? Hello...yeah,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23"Just sit down."
0:19:23 > 0:19:26Really terribly difficult.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28They were just sat in a waiting room,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31rather than being met by the directors or whatever,
0:19:31 > 0:19:32which they might have expected.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35He's sitting there, obviously, not being very pleased.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38"You see that door over there? Over your left shoulder?
0:19:38 > 0:19:40"Don't you know your left from your right? Over there.
0:19:40 > 0:19:41"Go and sit there.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44"Mr Marsh'll come and see you."
0:19:44 > 0:19:47And this waiting room was scruffy, dirty.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50There were smelly, unemptied ashtrays.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52Dirty floor, unkempt.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56It is sort of sprouting penicillin!
0:19:56 > 0:20:01These stale coffee cups and teacups
0:20:01 > 0:20:03and plastic receptacles.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06They sat there like this 15, 20 minutes,
0:20:06 > 0:20:08wondering what was going on.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12And Peter's sitting there fuming. And I time it perfectly,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15I walk up, "Hello, Peter. Sorry to keep you waiting.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17"What I've been trying to demonstrate to you
0:20:17 > 0:20:18"in these surroundings
0:20:18 > 0:20:21"and in the indifference of our receptionist there,
0:20:21 > 0:20:23"is the experience your customers
0:20:23 > 0:20:27"have of you, British Rail, every day."
0:20:27 > 0:20:30"And it is my job and intention, to show you
0:20:30 > 0:20:34"how we will overcome that problem. Shall we go and have lunch?"
0:20:34 > 0:20:39There was my blue Rolls-Royce at the door, and off we went.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42- TANNOY:- The train on Platform 4...
0:20:42 > 0:20:45This is the new Inter-City 125.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48And as you can see, a pretty futuristic-looking train.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50So are the performance figures.
0:20:50 > 0:20:55As the name implies, the top speed is 125 miles per hour.
0:20:56 > 0:21:01By now the high-speed train had a new name - the Inter-City 125.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04It was Europe's fastest regular rail service.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06And at last, British Rail was starting to get
0:21:06 > 0:21:09some positive coverage on TV.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Rail travel was never like this when I was a trainspotter.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15All carriages fully air-conditioned throughout,
0:21:15 > 0:21:17and linked with automatic doors.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22I can remember the 125 when it first began, going on it,
0:21:22 > 0:21:27and being absolutely carried away by the speed, and the comfort.
0:21:27 > 0:21:32And I suppose in this, the brand new era of high-speed rail travel,
0:21:32 > 0:21:33it just had to come...
0:21:33 > 0:21:36the high-speed loo.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38We went roaring along the track.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41It was the smoothest ride, I'd ever seen.
0:21:41 > 0:21:46Any train worth travelling on has got to have a decent bar and buffet,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48and in British Rail terms this is the last word.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50They don't come any better than this.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54They looked very glamorous, but it was the people's train.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56But as if that's not enough,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59for the very first time in British Rail history,
0:21:59 > 0:22:03you can now enjoy the delights of British Rail pizza.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05But most important of all, comfortable seating
0:22:05 > 0:22:09and absolutely nothing has been left to chance there.
0:22:09 > 0:22:10Believe it or not,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13all the seats on this train are ergonomically designed.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21This is 222 Marylebone Road.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24It used to be British Rail's corporate headquarters,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26now it's a luxury hotel.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Thank you very much!
0:22:28 > 0:22:33And this is where ad man Peter Marsh made his final pitch to Peter Parker
0:22:33 > 0:22:36for the biggest opportunity of his career -
0:22:36 > 0:22:38the British Rail advertising account.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42When we pitched for the account with Peter, there,
0:22:42 > 0:22:48we had decided a presenter was the most economic way
0:22:48 > 0:22:54of presenting a multitude of information available to you.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58Also, because we'd have to make a lot of commercials,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01we wanted the production costs to be very low.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04It was make-or-break.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Six agencies, including Marsh's biggest rival
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Saatchi & Saatchi,
0:23:09 > 0:23:10were in the running.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14Marsh had to follow his waiting room stunt with a spectacular presentation.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17But he was about to play his trump card.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Top of the Pops! Ooh!
0:23:22 > 0:23:26Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, welcome indeed to Jim'll Fix it!
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Jimmy Saville was at the peak of his fame,
0:23:28 > 0:23:33and he'd already shown his interest in the new high-speed trains.
0:23:33 > 0:23:40- I'm really jealous of you. Was it good?- Yes.- Really smashing?- Yes.- Wow!
0:23:40 > 0:23:45Mr Driver, sir. What can I say? What a thrill for this young lad.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47We auditioned for presenters.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49The way you test them on the target market -
0:23:49 > 0:23:52you have what we call a candidate statement.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55SCREAMING FANS
0:23:55 > 0:23:58Marsh's research has produced candidate statements
0:23:58 > 0:24:01from possible presenters, including Jimmy Saville and Terry Wogan
0:24:01 > 0:24:03saying they believed in British Rail.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Members of the public were asked for their reaction.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08When we got to Jimmy Saville...
0:24:08 > 0:24:11The candidate statement was the same for everybody;
0:24:11 > 0:24:16I believe in an integrated, publicly owned rail service
0:24:16 > 0:24:18that gives customer value,
0:24:18 > 0:24:24is intent on modernisation and will present real value to the customer.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27Everybody endorsed that with Jimmy Saville.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Top of the Pops!
0:24:32 > 0:24:37At first Peter Parker wasn't sure about Marsh's choice of presenter.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40He asked for more market research.
0:24:40 > 0:24:46I think he saw him as a disc jockey, popular with young people and such like.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50And perhaps didn't realise how popular he was.
0:24:50 > 0:24:55Peter Parker then brought up the presenter, Jimmy Saville.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57He said, "Peter, are you quite sure about this man?"
0:24:57 > 0:25:00And I said, "We're a bit like a doctor, Peter.
0:25:00 > 0:25:05"We don't have to love our patients, to give them the correct advice."
0:25:05 > 0:25:08And what shall we have now? Should we have the number one? We should have the number one.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12Because of the robustness of the results
0:25:12 > 0:25:16we cannot do other than recommend him without any reservation.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19British Rail said, "Would you like to come and talk to us
0:25:19 > 0:25:22about your experiences on trains and such like?"
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Obviously, there are some I can't tell you about,
0:25:25 > 0:25:27which are a pride and joy to me...
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Jimmy did claim to travel something like...
0:25:30 > 0:25:3320-odd thousand miles a year by train.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35As well as in his Rolls-Royce.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37I walked from John o'Groats to Land's End
0:25:37 > 0:25:38and I've got news for you.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42After anything like that, a train of any sort, shape or size
0:25:42 > 0:25:45and any speed is a thing of joy and pleasure to me.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49The decision was made.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51Marsh's agency was hired.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54The railways were going to be rebranded
0:25:54 > 0:25:56and Peter Marsh was celebrating what was said to be
0:25:56 > 0:26:00the biggest account move in British advertising history.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05Business men and business ladies, you don't need me to tell you
0:26:05 > 0:26:08that a long drive before a long meeting is a bit of a strain.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10So why not do what I do? Take the train.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16Soon the first advertisements were broadcast. It was a simple formula.
0:26:16 > 0:26:21A celebrity presenter and lots of shots of the brand new 125.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25I travel about 39,000 rail miles a year on business.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27Much more comfortable and less worrying than driving,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30I get to meetings relaxed and on time because...
0:26:30 > 0:26:33- WOMAN SINGS: - # This is the age... #
0:26:33 > 0:26:34JIMMY SAVILLE: Of the train!
0:26:36 > 0:26:39It was tremendously successful. Tremendously successful.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43Well, I think it was a combination of using Jimmy Saville,
0:26:43 > 0:26:47who was clearly extremely popular
0:26:47 > 0:26:51right across the class structure of the country, and age structure as well.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54Don't you deserve half price too? ALL: Yeah!
0:26:54 > 0:26:57It used modern images of the railway.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00The high-speed train would feature somewhere in most of the adverts.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Even is it was just rushing by at the end.
0:27:04 > 0:27:05I didn't like him very much.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09But I don't have to. I found him...
0:27:09 > 0:27:13When he delivered his work, he was brilliant.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16There's no place like London for doing your Christmas shopping.
0:27:16 > 0:27:17I will put up with anything.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Because when you're a professional
0:27:20 > 0:27:22you have to deal with people
0:27:22 > 0:27:24you wouldn't choose to go to the opera with.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Travel off-peak weekdays or any time most weekends,
0:27:27 > 0:27:29and you pay much less than the ordinary fare.
0:27:29 > 0:27:34The ads might have been simple, but they were carefully put together.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36You'll be amazed how many are doing
0:27:36 > 0:27:39their Christmas shopping in London. Why not join us, because...
0:27:39 > 0:27:41- WOMAN: #- This is the age...
0:27:41 > 0:27:44JIMMY SAVILLE: Of the train!
0:27:44 > 0:27:45We researched it.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48And the emotional impact was enormous.
0:27:48 > 0:27:54And it stuck in people's minds like a burr under the saddle.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57# This is the age...of the train #
0:28:00 > 0:28:03# This is the age... Of the train #
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Something like that. But it never seemed to go any further than that.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10It just was... # This is the age...of the train #
0:28:10 > 0:28:14# This...# Dear me! I need a bit of water. Cut that.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17And it used to be spoken too, sometimes. By Jimmy Saville.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19This is the age. Of the train.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21And the train would rush by.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24# This is the age...of the train #
0:28:24 > 0:28:28Speaking as a faithful, hard-working considerate husband, I say...
0:28:28 > 0:28:31Quickly, the slogan was part of everyday life.
0:28:31 > 0:28:37- But I'd have to go to work by train. - It'd be quicker! After all, this is the age of the train.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39I'm not concerned about the AGE of the train.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41I don't care how OLD it is, just will it be running?
0:28:41 > 0:28:43LAUGHTER
0:28:43 > 0:28:46They were deliberately kept simple because that's all you need.
0:28:46 > 0:28:51And people respond to messages, they don't respond to padding.
0:28:51 > 0:28:55He's got a smart suit on and he's got this enthusiasm as he addresses
0:28:55 > 0:29:00the camera, cos he certainly believes in what he's saying.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03With this railcard, senior citizens get half-price travel.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07We were very conscious that when he's on Top of the Pops,
0:29:07 > 0:29:11he deliberately cultivates a very zany image,
0:29:11 > 0:29:14not only in the clothes that he wears,
0:29:14 > 0:29:18and also that "Urh-urh-urh!" that he used to do, but also in his hair.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20Which sometimes looks awful.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24Er, but we very, very meticulously briefed him on the wardrobe,
0:29:24 > 0:29:26and approved the wardrobe
0:29:26 > 0:29:28and also on the hairstyle.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30You saw the slight problem on the motorway gantry.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33You get the hair blown about.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36But it's very long. It's a bit distracting.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38So why not do what I do? Take the train!
0:29:40 > 0:29:44For once, everyone agreed British Rail had got it right.
0:29:44 > 0:29:45In the early 1980s,
0:29:45 > 0:29:50the Age of the train was one of the best-known ad campaigns in Britain.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52But some people on the railways weren't convinced.
0:29:54 > 0:29:58Don't ask me to sing that. The thing is, I remember it.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00"This is the age of the train."
0:30:00 > 0:30:04It was, the adverts were good enough,
0:30:04 > 0:30:07but I don't think they delivered much for the railway.
0:30:07 > 0:30:12At the peak of the advertising campaign's success, Peter Parker
0:30:12 > 0:30:16used Jimmy Savile to help launch a new rail card for wheelchair users.
0:30:16 > 0:30:21Despite the initial doubts, the two men had established a good
0:30:21 > 0:30:24working relationship, even when things didn't go to plan.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27Today, this train couldn't take the strain.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30I think we're in.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35What do you do when a larger-than-usual wheelchair
0:30:35 > 0:30:37won't go through the standard sliding door?
0:30:37 > 0:30:39Take out another seat and try again.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44We will learn from this, things will go wrong a bit,
0:30:44 > 0:30:47we will learn from that, and I see us building from this.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52In the end, Peter Parker was so pleased with what Jimmy Savile
0:30:52 > 0:30:54had done that he gave him a gold pass.
0:30:54 > 0:30:59It meant he could travel anywhere first-class all over the system.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04Let the train take you on your business trips, because...
0:31:04 > 0:31:07# This is the age... #
0:31:07 > 0:31:08Of the train.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12The fact that we remember the advertisements, those around
0:31:12 > 0:31:15at the time remember them clearly, suggest they were powerful.
0:31:15 > 0:31:16How about this then?
0:31:16 > 0:31:19London in 58 minutes,
0:31:19 > 0:31:21London to Derby in 1 hour, 57 minutes.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24London to Sheffield, 2 hours, 29 minutes.
0:31:24 > 0:31:26That is how late some of the trains are.
0:31:26 > 0:31:30We had that slogan at the time, "this is the age of the train",
0:31:30 > 0:31:34and we used to get all of the time ribbed, 40 years old,
0:31:34 > 0:31:3850 years old, the age of the train being this decrepit thing.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41But don't take my word for it,
0:31:41 > 0:31:44let my good friend here tell you for himself.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50The InterCity 125 was a big hit with passengers,
0:31:50 > 0:31:53but they still weren't sure about one thing - the food.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57I wouldn't have caught this train, except I had
0:31:57 > 0:31:59the presence of mind to eat a British Rail pie,
0:31:59 > 0:32:01and I soon caught up with it!
0:32:01 > 0:32:04Can you get onto them and say that those must go in, even if
0:32:04 > 0:32:07it is at the expense of three, four and five.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09Prue Leith, who made her name in the restaurant business,
0:32:09 > 0:32:13was recruited by Peter Parker on to the British Rail board.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17He asked her to tackle a long-standing problem,
0:32:17 > 0:32:19the much maligned on-board catering.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21"Dear Sir, all the way up to Glasgow,
0:32:21 > 0:32:23"all they had in the buffet was a plastic knife
0:32:23 > 0:32:26"and one individual beetroot pie.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29"I couldn't even cut it. Yours, Arthur Fingus."
0:32:29 > 0:32:31That is ridiculous, nonsense.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Here is the knife, and here is the pie. Look at that.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40Everybody talks about curly sandwiches, and he said to me
0:32:40 > 0:32:44when he hired me, he said, "If nothing else,
0:32:44 > 0:32:47"get the curl out of the sandwiches."
0:32:47 > 0:32:51In fact, it was never curly sandwiches that were the problem, it was soggy sandwiches.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55I remember arguing with the caterers at the time, saying,
0:32:55 > 0:32:59"Why can't we have more interesting sandwiches?"
0:32:59 > 0:33:02They said, "This is Britain's most popular sandwich."
0:33:02 > 0:33:06I would say, "Of course it is, it is the only sandwich."
0:33:06 > 0:33:09They said, "No, no, it is the most popular sandwich,
0:33:09 > 0:33:12"because it has Britain's most popular bread,
0:33:12 > 0:33:15"which is Mother's Pride, Britain's most popular cheese,
0:33:15 > 0:33:18"Kraft Cheese Slice, and Britain's most popular butter, Anchor Butter."
0:33:18 > 0:33:21Some passengers liked the food.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24When people were moaning about British Rail sandwiches,
0:33:24 > 0:33:27I can remember when they would make the sandwiches fresh,
0:33:27 > 0:33:29and a fresh cheese and tomato sandwich,
0:33:29 > 0:33:31the cheese was not the best,
0:33:31 > 0:33:34but it was adequate, fresh tomato was all right.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38I thought the food on British Rail was actually better than it is now.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41I think the lovely thing about travelling on a train,
0:33:41 > 0:33:45frankly even a train that went much slower than the 125,
0:33:45 > 0:33:47was you would be able to go to the dining car,
0:33:47 > 0:33:51sit down and have a very good meal indeed, wonderful waiters
0:33:51 > 0:33:54who enjoyed it, and it was all very pally, nice and luxurious.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01On the railways, catering was like industrial relations.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05Trying to keep everyone happy was a problem without easy answers.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08LAUGHTER
0:34:09 > 0:34:14I never thought we got British Rail food right on the trains,
0:34:14 > 0:34:17I think we did much better on the stations.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24From then on, I was always credited with uncurling
0:34:24 > 0:34:27the British Rail sandwich, but I didn't really do that.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29But we did get decent boxes for them.
0:34:34 > 0:34:39I would just like to remember some words of St Francis of Assisi,
0:34:39 > 0:34:43which I think are particularly apt at the moment,
0:34:43 > 0:34:48where there is discord, may we bring harmony.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52At Westminster, the times were changing.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54Peter Marsh was asked for an ad man's assessment
0:34:54 > 0:34:56of the new prime minister.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58He gave a cautious verdict.
0:34:58 > 0:35:02We know there is a degree of male chauvinism in this country,
0:35:02 > 0:35:05a bit of misogynism or whatever that is,
0:35:05 > 0:35:08so I think one would have to look very carefully and say,
0:35:08 > 0:35:12how do you present her as a person so she does not put off too many men?
0:35:12 > 0:35:16When Margaret Thatcher came on the scene, I was delighted,
0:35:16 > 0:35:22but she had a deep loathing of British Rail.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24(You can knock on the door.)
0:35:24 > 0:35:26KNOCKS
0:35:26 > 0:35:28HE GASPS
0:35:30 > 0:35:33Hello, welcome. Come in.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37I think successive chairmen of British Rail would have had
0:35:37 > 0:35:39trouble with that administration.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42Come on, Jimmy, nice to see you. Wonderful. Right.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45They were very anti-railway,
0:35:45 > 0:35:50I don't think if Peter Parker had made the Earth flat, it wouldn't
0:35:50 > 0:35:53have been a success as far as the Thatcher administration is concerned.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55I think it was a bit to do with Denis,
0:35:55 > 0:35:58who was a wonderful man, that nationalisation to them
0:35:58 > 0:36:04was death of private enterprise, industry and drive.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06To her critics,
0:36:06 > 0:36:10the new prime minister seemed more comfortable in a tank than a train.
0:36:10 > 0:36:16For Peter Parker, she was a problem. He had been appointed by Labour.
0:36:16 > 0:36:17Worse still,
0:36:17 > 0:36:21Mrs Thatcher appeared to dislike travelling on the railways.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24According to reports, the Prime Minister has a particular
0:36:24 > 0:36:28dislike of British Rail. It is known she goes by car.
0:36:28 > 0:36:29She goes by air.
0:36:29 > 0:36:34She also, perhaps appropriately, is not adverse to the odd trip by Chieftain tank.
0:36:34 > 0:36:38But never ever, we are told, does she travel by train.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41I suspect she has another form of public transport,
0:36:41 > 0:36:45as she flits across the sky at night on her personal broomstick.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE
0:36:47 > 0:36:55- OK, well done.- Public transport was not high on the government's agenda.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57The Transport Minister, Norman Fowler,
0:36:57 > 0:37:01was the man in the middle between British Rail and Mrs Thatcher.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04I think she was a sceptic as far as the railways were concerned,
0:37:04 > 0:37:07it was not top of her list of pops.
0:37:07 > 0:37:12Mrs Thatcher probably thought trains were bad news, I'm not sure
0:37:12 > 0:37:16why I say that, but she thought lots of things were bad news.
0:37:16 > 0:37:23We had one dramatically awful lunch in opposition when I shadowed
0:37:23 > 0:37:27the Transport Minister, we went to lunch with Peter and his board.
0:37:27 > 0:37:31Someone made the great mistake of saying to Margaret Thatcher
0:37:31 > 0:37:35over lunch, "there is only one thing wrong
0:37:35 > 0:37:37"with British Rail, Mrs Thatcher,
0:37:37 > 0:37:39"and that is we don't have enough money."
0:37:39 > 0:37:46This absolutely sent her vertical, and she lectured them
0:37:46 > 0:37:49solidly about public spending, I think for the next 30 minutes.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53Peter Parker and Mrs Thatcher would never be soulmates,
0:37:53 > 0:37:56but he needed to make sure they could work together.
0:37:56 > 0:38:01Peter was one of these people who do live on the pinko,
0:38:01 > 0:38:04left-o side-o of the party-o.
0:38:04 > 0:38:10He was the sort of man that you could disagree with his politics,
0:38:10 > 0:38:15you could not disagree with his application of his philosophy of life.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19Parker persuaded Mrs Thatcher to help name
0:38:19 > 0:38:23a train in memory of her friend and colleague Airey Neave,
0:38:23 > 0:38:26but that didn't necessarily mean she was a fan of the railways.
0:38:26 > 0:38:33To name a locomotive after Airey Neave is a wonderful idea.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37She wasn't a great lover of the railways, but as in all these things,
0:38:37 > 0:38:41she was fairly pragmatic when it came to policy-making,
0:38:41 > 0:38:48so she came from a very sceptic side of the argument about railways,
0:38:48 > 0:38:54but it didn't nevertheless have this dramatic effect on policy.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58Most of Britain might be falling in love with the 125s,
0:38:58 > 0:39:02but the prime minister told British Rail she disliked the open-plan carriages.
0:39:02 > 0:39:06Generally speaking, this was very popular with the public,
0:39:06 > 0:39:10particularly women, because they felt safer in an open environment
0:39:10 > 0:39:15than enclosed compartments, but Mrs Thatcher thought the loss of privacy
0:39:15 > 0:39:17was important, which was one of the reasons she didn't travel by train.
0:39:20 > 0:39:21Under the Thatcher regime,
0:39:21 > 0:39:25Peter Parker was riding on the success of the 125.
0:39:25 > 0:39:30What is more, its long-delayed rival, the APT tilting train,
0:39:30 > 0:39:33was finally about to enter service.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36He had colleagues who thought high-speed trains
0:39:36 > 0:39:39were costing too much money.
0:39:39 > 0:39:43The point seems to be that investment is in fancy things like APTs
0:39:43 > 0:39:47and high-speed trains, and all the gloss is not initiated
0:39:47 > 0:39:51by the sheer inevitability of rotting assets.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53And ageing fleets.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55In all the nationalised industries,
0:39:55 > 0:39:57there were fears of possible privatisation.
0:39:57 > 0:40:02Parker still couldn't be sure about the future of the railways.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09It was the early 1980s, a boom time, at least for some.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11There was a new kind of commuter.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14People who could afford to travel more than 100 miles to work,
0:40:14 > 0:40:18that was good news for the InterCity 125.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23There was no question that the 125
0:40:23 > 0:40:28also produced an out-of-town commuter.
0:40:28 > 0:40:34If you can get from A to B that much faster, it reduces commuting time,
0:40:34 > 0:40:39and people might have to live in fairly remote rural areas.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42A price for a season ticket is worth it, provided the trains are fast.
0:40:44 > 0:40:49People in Peterborough, Grantham, Bristol, Birmingham,
0:40:49 > 0:40:51they came into London, commuting.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53It was easy to do. It still is.
0:40:53 > 0:40:5930 years ago, the BBC filmed advertising executive
0:40:59 > 0:41:02Barry Smith, who commuted every day from Bristol to London.
0:41:02 > 0:41:07On the new 125s, the journey took around an hour and a half.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09Now then, gentlemen. What can I get for you this morning?
0:41:09 > 0:41:13- The usual please, Brian.- Poached eggs, well-done bacon.- Crispy bacon.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17- Crispy bacon, very good, sir.- The same for me, Brian.- Very good, sir.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22Now, Barry is back with two friends who used to travel with him.
0:41:22 > 0:41:27It was a serious bonus, because that cut the journey time in those days
0:41:27 > 0:41:30by half an hour, which was a considerable time.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33Breakfast is always pleasing.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37We've got some mushrooms, potatoes, tomatoes coming round for you now.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40The British Rail breakfast was absolutely wonderful,
0:41:40 > 0:41:44the staff were wonderful serving it, and we got to know them all,
0:41:44 > 0:41:48we could have kippers, which were my favourite breakfast most of the time,
0:41:48 > 0:41:54bacon and egg, it was well cooked, and it was absolutely excellent.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01In Mrs Thatcher's Britain, there was money to be made.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03Some passengers were living the dream.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07A world you can work in.
0:42:08 > 0:42:14Even at speeds like this, you're not tied to your seat.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17For Barry and his friends, business was good.
0:42:17 > 0:42:21They travelled first class at a cost of more than £5,000 per year.
0:42:21 > 0:42:25If you're going to embark on doing this kind of journey,
0:42:25 > 0:42:28ridiculous journey as some people used to say,
0:42:28 > 0:42:31you might as well make the most of it.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35On InterCity 125, you are in a world where you are looked after
0:42:35 > 0:42:38in real comfort while someone else drives.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42You arrive fresh, feeling businesslike,
0:42:42 > 0:42:45all of which proves that for anyone going places in today's
0:42:45 > 0:42:48business world, this is the age of the train.
0:42:48 > 0:42:52The earliest I can make it is seven o'clock tonight.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55I don't get back from London until half past six.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59I think at the time, the phone, from memory, was the brick,
0:42:59 > 0:43:02unlike the modern day BlackBerry.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05You wouldn't spend a great deal of time on the phone
0:43:05 > 0:43:08because it wouldn't last that long.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14To me, being able to live in the West Country
0:43:14 > 0:43:18and enjoy the slow lifestyle of Bristol and surrounding area,
0:43:18 > 0:43:23and then going to London every day, was the ideal opportunity.
0:43:23 > 0:43:28In the 1980s, about 80 Bristol-to-London commuters
0:43:28 > 0:43:29went on the train every day.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32I think you got little bunches of people that gathered
0:43:32 > 0:43:35together like we did, and there wasn't just the three of us,
0:43:35 > 0:43:38there were other people came and went and joined our party,
0:43:38 > 0:43:42it was a party on the way home quite a lot.
0:43:42 > 0:43:46Fridays, we would probably bring a bottle of champagne along
0:43:46 > 0:43:47and have Buck's Fizz.
0:43:47 > 0:43:51It is Friday today, by the way, and I see no Buck's Fizz!
0:43:55 > 0:43:58For the first time since the 1940s,
0:43:58 > 0:44:01a feeling of confidence was back on the railways.
0:44:01 > 0:44:04To celebrate the 125, British Rail even commissioned an overture.
0:44:04 > 0:44:10CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS
0:44:15 > 0:44:20A special film was made and released as a support feature in cinemas.
0:44:20 > 0:44:22The InterCity 125 had made it onto the big screen.
0:44:25 > 0:44:29I think the great thing about the 125 is it was just right
0:44:29 > 0:44:31for this country.
0:44:33 > 0:44:38We have distances of up to 200 miles, basically, except for Glasgow
0:44:38 > 0:44:42and Edinburgh, which are 300 or 400 miles.
0:44:42 > 0:44:47But for most cities of this country, 125 mph is not bad.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52That still does work very well.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59Peter Snow has got a model railway track in his attic.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02He says it's for his family.
0:45:02 > 0:45:06He has got a special new train for his collection.
0:45:06 > 0:45:08I am very excited that we have managed to find on the internet
0:45:08 > 0:45:10a 125 set, an InterCity 125.
0:45:10 > 0:45:13They are actually quite rare to get hold of.
0:45:13 > 0:45:17We have here, let's try it, the 125.
0:45:17 > 0:45:19Let's hope it works.
0:45:19 > 0:45:26InterCity 125, from 1976, the triumph of British Rail. Will it run?
0:45:26 > 0:45:28Yes, it is running, hooray!
0:45:30 > 0:45:32There she is.
0:45:32 > 0:45:36Looking as lovely as she looked all those 30-odd years ago. Look at that.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41It was a way of getting very quickly from London to the North,
0:45:41 > 0:45:45and... Hello, what's happened here?
0:45:45 > 0:45:49We have a crisis, I see what's happened.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52It has for some reason come right off the line. Hang on.
0:45:54 > 0:45:55A derailment has occurred!
0:45:55 > 0:45:59Fortunately, it's only a model railway, so it doesn't really matter too much.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01The 125, I was in one the other day,
0:46:01 > 0:46:03that guy took me into the guard's van,
0:46:03 > 0:46:10and I sat there watching, the needle was at 120, 125, 127 occasionally.
0:46:10 > 0:46:15I gather it cuts off above 127. We were flashing along.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18About 10 years ago, I put it all together.
0:46:18 > 0:46:23This is the loft of our house. It is all rather lovely. It keeps me going.
0:46:23 > 0:46:26All the grandchildren love it, and even some of the children,
0:46:26 > 0:46:29the 30-year-olds quite enjoy coming up here.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32To be honest, I did it mainly for myself.
0:46:32 > 0:46:36I mustn't pretend I was doing it entirely for the grandchildren.
0:46:44 > 0:46:48In the early 1980s, British Rail had never been so popular.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51One set of engineers had been watching the 125's success
0:46:51 > 0:46:53with interest, the team working
0:46:53 > 0:46:55on the rival Advanced Passenger Train project.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58They had a frustrating wait because of technical problems,
0:46:58 > 0:47:00but now they were ready to go.
0:47:03 > 0:47:08'At Central Station in Glasgow this morning, before 7.'
0:47:08 > 0:47:11At long last, the space-age APT tilting train was
0:47:11 > 0:47:17going into service, after 13 years' work and a cost of £37 million.
0:47:17 > 0:47:19Now the InterCity 125 had a challenger,
0:47:19 > 0:47:23and the newcomer could run at 155 mph.
0:47:24 > 0:47:27The coffee stays level, but the coaches tilt
0:47:27 > 0:47:31inwards on the curves by as much as nine degrees, allowing the APT
0:47:31 > 0:47:37to take bends up to 40% faster than conventional trains.
0:47:37 > 0:47:43There is no discomfort at all, if anything, it improves the ride.
0:47:43 > 0:47:47I have been very impressed, I think it has been a very good ride,
0:47:47 > 0:47:50very comfortable, altogether,
0:47:50 > 0:47:53I think this is one of Britain's great technological achievements.
0:47:53 > 0:47:57It was too revolutionary for its own good.
0:47:57 > 0:47:59The lightweight construction was right,
0:47:59 > 0:48:04but then it started to get a bit too clever.
0:48:05 > 0:48:09The tilting train's third run from Glasgow was a very public outing.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13It was a trip packed with journalists and cameramen.
0:48:14 > 0:48:16Do you think you are going to make it to London today?
0:48:16 > 0:48:20- Of course we are.- 'The guards seemed to be confident, anyway.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23'We slid out of Glasgow on time at 7.
0:48:23 > 0:48:27'After only 8 minutes, the lights flickered and dimmed,
0:48:27 > 0:48:30'and APT coasted to a shameful halt.'
0:48:30 > 0:48:33If it weren't so serious, it would be funny.
0:48:33 > 0:48:35They took a whole party of journalists
0:48:35 > 0:48:39and trainspotters up to Glasgow and put us on this new train,
0:48:39 > 0:48:43and of course, they got absolutely terrible press.
0:48:43 > 0:48:45'The train got through the Borders,
0:48:45 > 0:48:50'the scene of her last breakdown, but there was more trouble at Preston.
0:48:50 > 0:48:53'The changeover guard didn't seem to be at all familiar
0:48:53 > 0:48:55'with the expensive new technology.'
0:48:56 > 0:48:58How does this work?
0:48:58 > 0:49:01Extraordinarily difficult, and whenever there was a problem,
0:49:01 > 0:49:04everybody, media-wise, leapt on the bandwagon.
0:49:04 > 0:49:10'At Crewe, the quintessential railway town, APT decided enough was enough.'
0:49:10 > 0:49:14It is now 11:15, the time we were due to arrive at Euston.
0:49:14 > 0:49:19Here we are at Crewe, 158 miles from London.
0:49:19 > 0:49:23We have been told because of adverse weather conditions down the line,
0:49:23 > 0:49:28the Advanced Passenger Train will be terminating its journey right here.
0:49:28 > 0:49:34Its real problem, I think, was that the tilt was too good.
0:49:34 > 0:49:38I remember feeling I was having my breakfast in the gutter,
0:49:38 > 0:49:43that the train seemed to tilt an extraordinary degree,
0:49:43 > 0:49:48it was like being in an aeroplane coming into land
0:49:48 > 0:49:50on a very tight incline.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52Certainly, a lot of people felt queasy.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54I didn't, as it happens, I travelled OK,
0:49:54 > 0:49:58but a lot of people did feel queasy,
0:49:58 > 0:50:01and it was an unusual sight to see journalists turning down a free meal.
0:50:01 > 0:50:05One particular journalist was very poorly coming back, but it didn't
0:50:05 > 0:50:08have a lot to do with the train, it had a lot to do with the fact
0:50:08 > 0:50:10that he stayed in the bars
0:50:10 > 0:50:13of the St Enoch Hotel till about 4 in the morning.
0:50:13 > 0:50:18The canard was on the press trip from London to Glasgow, all the press
0:50:18 > 0:50:21had been boozed up the night before, and that is what made them sick.
0:50:21 > 0:50:22I hadn't.
0:50:22 > 0:50:24I felt fine until it got daylight,
0:50:24 > 0:50:28and then started to feel queasy, and a lot of us did.
0:50:30 > 0:50:35For the once-glamorous tilting train, it was a fatal blow.
0:50:35 > 0:50:37The train was taken out of service
0:50:37 > 0:50:40and became an attraction at a heritage centre in Crewe.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46For the foreseeable future,
0:50:46 > 0:50:51the InterCity 125 was the only high-speed train in town.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54The BR policy is you cannot ever possibly drop your guard.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57You have to be always watching.
0:50:57 > 0:51:02We were perhaps too anxious to get this feather in our cap.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05In business, it is always clever if you can be second,
0:51:05 > 0:51:08that's the first thing.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11It is always better to be in the second wave hitting the beach.
0:51:11 > 0:51:17Almost immediately, Peter Parker was at the centre of another crisis.
0:51:17 > 0:51:22In 1982, the railways were shut down during a strike
0:51:22 > 0:51:23about flexible work rotas.
0:51:23 > 0:51:28This battle had been coming for a long time.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31Mrs Thatcher was watching, and Parker was determined to win,
0:51:31 > 0:51:33despite the cost.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36The Wednesday board will be reviewing the following week,
0:51:36 > 0:51:40but the damage is formidable now, on the commercial and financial side.
0:51:40 > 0:51:46We knew that in order to make progress with these long-term plans
0:51:46 > 0:51:47for the railway,
0:51:47 > 0:51:50it needed substantial improvements in productivity.
0:51:50 > 0:51:53That became a big hurdle.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56I've already sent a letter to your office by hand.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59Sir Peter, for God's sake, can you look me in the eye?
0:51:59 > 0:52:01That's the truth, I can look you in the eye and say
0:52:01 > 0:52:04with honesty, you wasn't there, your man brought it.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06The trade unions were very powerful,
0:52:06 > 0:52:09they had six or seven years of a Labour government
0:52:09 > 0:52:12during the '70s and they had acquired an awful lot
0:52:12 > 0:52:16of power through the beer and sandwiches route at Number 10.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19We have never, by the way, had 7 to 9 rosters put before us
0:52:19 > 0:52:21until the 22nd January.
0:52:21 > 0:52:22Why'd you think that was?
0:52:25 > 0:52:28The strike was about so-called flexible rostering,
0:52:28 > 0:52:32the number of hours a train driver could work during a shift.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35What British Rail wanted to do was to have more flexibility
0:52:35 > 0:52:40in the length of time a driver would work, within the maximum amount.
0:52:40 > 0:52:41Obviously,
0:52:41 > 0:52:45the unions wanted more money for that, they were against it.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47To be blathering on in this detail,
0:52:47 > 0:52:50when all of this could be tidied up by an independent tribunal.
0:52:50 > 0:52:52It was the worst possible situation you could get,
0:52:52 > 0:52:55because it ended up with both sides arguing with each other
0:52:55 > 0:53:00and almost slagging each other off in a television studio live.
0:53:00 > 0:53:04The last thing you should ever do is get involved in negotiating
0:53:04 > 0:53:07industrial problems live on television.
0:53:10 > 0:53:15But Parker got his victory. After two weeks, the strike was abandoned.
0:53:15 > 0:53:17Mrs Thatcher's government was impressed.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20The privatisation of the whole of British Rail,
0:53:20 > 0:53:23which simply wasn't on the agenda at the moment.
0:53:23 > 0:53:27What we wanted to do was run the railways as efficiently
0:53:27 > 0:53:30and effectively as we possibly could.
0:53:30 > 0:53:34Far 'away across Europe, another train and another girl.
0:53:34 > 0:53:36'Or rather, a boy and a girl.'
0:53:38 > 0:53:41With the strike behind him, Peter Parker could return
0:53:41 > 0:53:44to his dreams of a new high-speed rail link to Europe.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47He had the backing of Norman Fowler and indeed, support
0:53:47 > 0:53:52for a Channel Tunnel had already come from an unexpected source.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55I wasn't that confident when I went to see
0:53:55 > 0:54:00Margaret at number 10 about this project, to be perfectly frank.
0:54:00 > 0:54:04I didn't think I would have her on my side, but I then explained
0:54:04 > 0:54:08to her that what I was proposing was not that the Treasury should
0:54:08 > 0:54:15put billions of pounds into it, but it should be privately financed.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18Basically, her reply to that was, if it is privately financed,
0:54:18 > 0:54:22I don't see anything against it.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27There had been a stroke of luck.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30A summit meeting between Mrs Thatcher, a Eurosceptic,
0:54:30 > 0:54:35and the new French president, Francois Mitterrand, a lifelong socialist.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38HE SPEAKS FRENCH
0:54:38 > 0:54:41They found it hard to agree on anything.
0:54:41 > 0:54:43I would like to say that we have had excellent talks
0:54:43 > 0:54:46between the president and myself.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48The one thing we could agree upon,
0:54:48 > 0:54:51because everyone of these meetings needs a communique at the end.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54The only thing we could agree on was the Channel Tunnel.
0:54:54 > 0:54:58Actually, Margaret was rather grateful for the Channel Tunnel at that point.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01It's a project that bears the Prime Minister's personal imprint.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04A massive, privately funded venture, high-tech yet driven
0:55:04 > 0:55:09by an entrepreneurial vision that might have impressed Brunel.
0:55:09 > 0:55:10it is very unfashionable to say,
0:55:10 > 0:55:14but the Thatcher years were really good for the railways.
0:55:14 > 0:55:18At the French end of the new inter-capital rail link,
0:55:18 > 0:55:21President Mitterrand unveiled a plaque in Paris's Gare du Nord,
0:55:21 > 0:55:25and set out aboard the new high-speed Eurostar passenger train.
0:55:25 > 0:55:29Under Margaret Thatcher, we saw the railways advance more, British Rail
0:55:29 > 0:55:32advance more than it had done in the previous two decades.
0:55:32 > 0:55:36Margaret Thatcher was an astonishing woman, because she started the Channel Tunnel.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39It wasn't a government operation, it was all privately run,
0:55:39 > 0:55:44privately financed, but she was the one who got it going.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46Good luck to her for doing that.
0:55:46 > 0:55:51Trains aren't thought to be all that popular with the Prime Minister.
0:55:51 > 0:55:53Perhaps surprisingly,
0:55:53 > 0:55:57Mrs Thatcher helped establish a new era of high-speed trains.
0:55:57 > 0:56:00British Rail was only privatised after she left Downing Street,
0:56:00 > 0:56:03when John Major was prime minister.
0:56:03 > 0:56:07Here we are, caught so much in the short term and the chaos,
0:56:07 > 0:56:09ragged railway.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12Peter Parker left British Rail in 1983,
0:56:12 > 0:56:15after seeing off calls for drastic cuts.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18British Rail was back on track.
0:56:18 > 0:56:20He died in 2002.
0:56:22 > 0:56:24WHISTLE BLOWS
0:56:24 > 0:56:27But his legacy lives on.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29This is still the age of the high-speed train.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34A new fast service is planned between London and Birmingham.
0:56:36 > 0:56:4140 years on, the 125 isn't just history,
0:56:41 > 0:56:43it is still a mainstay of the railways.
0:56:43 > 0:56:45It will be for many years to come.
0:56:47 > 0:56:50I like to know that it is coming from way down the track.
0:56:50 > 0:56:53The lights, the thing gradually turns into a form, and so on.
0:56:53 > 0:56:55Then I look to see how clean it is.
0:56:55 > 0:57:00Because that's mine, and they can't escape the fact that I own it.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05We owe it to the 125 for rescuing British Rail from near destruction,
0:57:05 > 0:57:09really, near collapse in the early '70s and mid-'70s.
0:57:09 > 0:57:14I think if it hadn't been for the 125, we would be in terrible trouble.
0:57:14 > 0:57:18I think it is a train whose time is still coming.
0:57:18 > 0:57:23It was originally a stopgap, with perhaps a 30-year life, but it has
0:57:23 > 0:57:27been re-engineered with new engines, the coaches have been modernised.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32The scale of the improvement in rail passengers over
0:57:32 > 0:57:36the last 10-15 years has been extraordinary, and I think
0:57:36 > 0:57:39a lot of that is due to the 125 catching the public imagination.
0:57:39 > 0:57:43More than 80 of the trains are still in service.
0:57:43 > 0:57:48Rail engineers now say the InterCity 125 is capable of running
0:57:48 > 0:57:52until 2035.
0:57:52 > 0:57:54If I'd been asked to guess how long it'd last,
0:57:54 > 0:57:56I would never have guessed as long as it has.
0:57:56 > 0:58:00I'm thrilled to bits it is still out there, holding its own,
0:58:00 > 0:58:04and it'll see a few more deliveries and a few more owners, I expect.
0:58:04 > 0:58:06I only regret not having one,
0:58:06 > 0:58:10I've got most of everything else I did, but I don't have a train.
0:58:10 > 0:58:12Getting hold of a train is a bit tricky!
0:58:37 > 0:58:41Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd