What is The Victorians with Rob Rinder & Ruth Goodman?

Last year, Channel 5 introduced Rich Lives, Poor Lives, a new history documentary series where presenters Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman investigate key moments in British history from the perspective of both the rich and the poor. The first episode was The Great Plague with Rob Rinder & Ruth Goodman. The first episode of series 2 is The Victorians with Rob Rinder & Ruth Goodman, followed by episodes about the Romans and the Georgians.

When is The Victorians with Rob Rinder & Ruth Goodman on TV?

The Victorians with Rob Rinder & Ruth Goodman is airing on Channel 5 at 9pm on Tuesday 4 August 2026.

What is The Victorians with Rob Rinder & Ruth Goodman about?

The Victorians with Rob Rinder & Ruth Goodman will look at Victorian Britain at a crucial moment – the ‘railway mania’ of the 1840s. As the introduction of the railway promised to revolutionise travel in Britain, it attracted frenzied financial speculation. But the stock market bubble brought the risk of a crash, with people’s livelihoods at stake.

In the programme, Rob Rinder will find out about real-life wealthy individuals who got caught up in the railway boom, including George Hudson, a businessman known as the ‘Railway King’, and Lord Morpeth, an aristocrat who allowed a new station to be built on his land and unusually opened his grand country house to ordinary people.

Meanwhile, Ruth Goodman will look at the lives of the poor, including railway navvy Thomas Eaton and Mary Arguile, Britain’s first female station mistress.

Who is Rob Rinder?

Robert Rinder is a barrister turned TV presenter, best known as the judge in reality TV programme Judge Rinder. In 2018, he explored his family history on Who Do You Think You Are? and he has also presented history programmes including My Family, the Holocaust and Me, Britain Behind Bars and Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour.

Who is Ruth Goodman?

Ruth Goodman is a historian and TV presenter, known for presenting history programmes including Victorian Farm.