MICHAEL Portillo’s acclaimed Great British Railway Journeys steamed into Rhyl last week.

Television presenter and former politician Portillo filmed at Rhyl Miniature Railway on Wednesday, September 9 for a future episode of the BBC documentary series.

Portillo, along with the crew, stayed at the site for about three hours and enjoyed a train ride around Marine Lake.

Justin Bell, assistant manager, said: "He [Michael Portillo] was interested in the history of the site and railway and our locos.

"I had a quick chat with him in-between shots. He seem a very nice person and was happy to pose with people for pictures and was waving at people from train.

"He did say it was a very nice ride around the lake and always seemed to have a smile on his face and quick to wave at everyone he passed.

"Filming went very well and we had such great sunny weather showing Rhyl at its best.

"They did interviews with us about the history of the Marine Lake and the funfairs and then filming on the train."

Justin is a fan of documentary series in which Portillo travels the length and breadth of the country by train.

"It is a great boost for the railway to be featured on the show as it takes us to a massive fan base," Justin added.

"The last few months have been a test of the railways volunteers to get ready and to adapt to the new ways of doing things but we have all worked together to get to where we need to be, but we have had so many passengers saying how good it is that we have got such good controls of cleaning and the flow of people around the building."

Rhyl Miniature Railway has been operating for more than 100 years.

On all peak days, the train ride is hauled by a vintage steam locomotive and uses coaches which are themselves almost one hundred years old.

Various precautions have been implemented to ensure that visitors can ride trains safely.

The episode is expected to air Spring 2021.