Some people are born to trains and some have trains thrust upon them. Fortunately, I can be included in this latter category. I have liked trains since I was a boy, although I was never a train-spotter.
My professional association with them began in 1998, shortly after I left Parliament. There was a BBC series in those days called Great Railway Journeys, which had a different presenter every week, and I was asked to host one of the shows.
My episode was largely autobiographical, focusing on my father’s involvement in the Spanish Civil War. I travelled by train around Spain and talked to my uncles, who had fought on the opposite side from my father.
