Iconic Orient Express route to be explored on More4

Iconic Orient Express route to be explored in new Rumpus Media and High Rock Media co-production pre-sold to Channel 4

Four-part series, The Orient Express: A Golden Era of Travel, calls into More4 in September

Channel 4 has pre-bought a new four-part series, co-produced by Rumpus Media and High Rock Media, exploring the route of the iconic Orient Express luxury train service at the height of its fame. 

The Orient Express: A Golden Era of Travel – a 4 x 60’ series set to launch on More4 in September – will take viewers on the epic 1,700-mile journey from London to Istanbul. The series will travel along the route and stop at key cities and towns including Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest and Sofia – exploring how they each played an exciting role in passengers’ journeys on the Orient Express.  

In its golden era, the train was a second home for celebrities, politicians, monarchs and spies – as well as a notable inspiration for author, Agatha Christie – and the series will explore the history of the route and chart how Europe has changed since the Orient Express launched in 1883. As well as the glory days of the past, the series examines how war and political upheaval shaped and impacted the cross-country train service that connected countries across the continent for decades.  

Comparing then and now, The Orient Express: A Golden Era of Travel will also feature the inaugural run of Golden Eagle's luxury train service from Paris to Istanbul – highlighting how the lavish rail travel pioneered by the Orient Express in the 19th and 20th centuries continues to this day. 

The series is co-produced by Rumpus Media (Johnny Vegas: Art, ADHD and Me) and High Rock Media (The Big Pound Shop Swap with Denise Van Outen), who previously co-produced 2024’s Abandoned Railways From Above together for Channel 4. The Executive Producer is Fintan Maguire. Rumpus Media is part of the STV Studios family of labels. 

The Orient Express: A Golden Era of Travel will air in the US on PBS, which is also handling international distribution – excluding Australia, where the series will air on SBS. The deal was brokered by Marmalade Sky TV’s Jimmy Humphrey, who acts as consulting producer. 

Josephine Brassey, Acting Managing Director at Rumpus Media, said: “The original Orient Express may now be a symbol of a bygone era, but through continued representation in the arts – not least in one of the most-loved detective stories of all time – the train service remains an enduring source of wonder and intrigue. Combining stunning aerial footage and illuminating historical insight, this series gives viewers a first-class ticket on an iconic journey that was once the pinnacle of luxury travel.” 

Fintan Maguire, MD and Creative Director at High Rock Media, said: “This series captures the Orient Express journey in the glory days, when passengers could start in London and fan out across Europe on an adventure of a lifetime. Packed with great archive and enlightening interviews as we retrace the journey today, the series gives viewers a brilliant sense of what Europe was like for Orient Express travellers, as well as how things are now – with plenty of surprises along the way.”