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BBC Radio 4

NEW in Understand - Derailed: The Story of HS2

Over 10 episodes, Kate Lamble starts from the beginning, and uncovers the real inside story behind the journey of HS2. From the railwaymen who dreamed it up, through the political crises and politicians who shaped it, the fight to halt it and the mistakes that came to define it.

High Speed Two is the remarkably matter of fact name for Europe's largest infrastructure project. The rail project that started life in 2009 promised to join up London and Birmingham, before splitting into two legs towards Manchester and Leeds. It was a straight line that would send trains whizzing at over 200 miles an hour through the British countryside, with a new train leaving London every few minutes. A massive enterprise that would ease the critical pressure on the West Coast Mainline, and become the envy of the world - a watch word for innovation and ambition.
 
16 years on, and that dream is in tatters. The two Northern legs have been cancelled, costs have spiralled into dizzying territory and it remains uncertain if and when any trains will ever be running. Environmental groups are furious, with complaints that construction has devastated woodlands and habitats. So too, are local communities, with small villages and family farms bearing the brunt of a programme of compulsory purchases and countryside transformed into building sites.
 
As Prime Ministers and whole political eras came and went, HS2 stuck around as a great dilemma. But each round of scandal and protest was gradually chipping away until it became a shorthand for waste, inefficiency and short-sightedness. 
 
So - what went wrong?
 
Kate hears from the people closest to the big decisions and the big impacts, from villages along the line to the levers of power inside HS2 and even Downing Street itself. And as she follows the twists and turns of HS2's tortured path, she explores the reality of why we struggle to build a better future.
 
Understand from BBC Radio 4 - unravelling the complexities of the biggest stories and subjects that really matter right now.

Understand

Kate Lamble investigates the extraordinary inside story of Britain's most ambitious and controversial rail project. Listen first on BBC Sounds from Monday 14 July 2025

Derailed: The Story of HS2: Trailer

Kate meets Andrew McNaughton, the man who, in 2009, was given the task of sitting down with a blank piece of paper and designing a new high speed rail line. Ministers across the political aisle were aware of the desperate need for a capacity boost on the creaking West Coast Mainline; and looking for a jolt of optimism in the wake of the financial crash. It was the first new line north of London in over 70 years, and Andrew was venturing out into uncharted territory; he set out to design a futureproof, ambitious solution that would be the envy of the world. 
 
Presenter: Kate Lamble
Producer: Robert Nicholson
Executive Producer: Will Yates
Sound Design and Mix: Arlie Adlington
 
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

Derailed: The Story of HS2: 1. The Railwayman

As the designs for HS2 took shape, the new team behind it set out to prove its value to Ministers and MPs. But as Kate hears, long term flaws were being baked into the project, with an economic justification that centred on outdated assumptions. And, as the designers sought to make the justification, they adjusted the design - making it more expensive. The focus on speed was exciting - but it also distracted from the line’s real purpose. The initial vision was becoming more muddled by the minute.
 
Presenter: Kate Lamble
Producer: Robert Nicholson
Executive Producer: Will Yates
Sound Design and Mix: Arlie Adlington
 
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

Derailed: The Story of HS2: 2. Mutually assured exaggeration

As specific plans for HS2 were announced, protestors quickly sprang into action, forming campaigning groups and arguing for the line to be fundamentally re-thought. They saw HS2 as an industrial eyesore rammed through the heart of some of Britain’s most beautiful countryside. Communities all along the proposed line were staring down the barrel of massive disruption, from the compulsory purchase of family homes and farms, to the ruination of local ecosystems. A movement was forming, and beginning to define the project in the public eye.

Presenter: Kate Lamble
Producer: Robert Nicholson
Executive Producer: Will Yates
Sound Design and Mix: Arlie Adlington
 
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

Derailed: The Story of HS2: 3. That can’t be right

To deal with the growing opposition, the government resolved to commit to HS2 by way of a hybrid bill, which would open up opportunities for local communities to object to the route. The original design became mired in hundreds of expensive mitigations, compromises and compensations. Cheaper above ground sections were replaced by costly tunnels. Cuttings and sound barriers began to line huge parts of the route. The project was progressing, but it would have to pay the piper before long.
 
Presenter: Kate Lamble
Producer: Robert Nicholson
Executive Producer: Will Yates
Sound Design and Mix: Arlie Adlington
 
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

Derailed: The Story of HS2: 4. Well Done Geoffrey

As HS2 began the process of lining up land along its route for purchase, individuals within the team became deeply concerned. They feared that HS2 was wildly underestimating the eventual costs associated with acquiring the land, as well as the shortage of available specialists and the risks of unfairness to those forced to sell. And, they worried that HS2 was being too slow to reckon with the true price tag as it focused on getting political approval to move forward. 

Presenter: Kate Lamble
Producer: Robert Nicholson
Executive Producer: Will Yates
Sound Design and Mix: Arlie Adlington

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

Derailed: The Story of HS2: 5. Worry About the Detail Later

Everything you need to know about the economy and what it means for you. This podcast will cut through the jargon to bring you clarity and ensure you finally understand all those complicated terms and phrases you hear on the news. Inflation, GDP, Interest rates, and bonds, Tim Harford and friends explain them all. We’ll ensure you understand what’s going on today, why your shopping is getting more expensive or why your pay doesn’t cover your bills. We’ll also bring you surprising histories, from the war hungry Kings who have shaped how things are counted today to the greedy merchants flooding Spain with Silver coins. So if your eyes usually glaze over when someone says ‘cutting taxes stimulates growth’, fear no more, we’ve got you covered.

Producer: Phoebe Keane
 
Researchers: Drew Hyndman and Marianna Bain
 
Editor: Clare Fordham
 
A BBC Radio Current Affairs Production for BBC Radio 4

The Economy: Trailer

What is inflation, why does it matter, and is someone to blame if it goes up? Understanding inflation will help you understand why your shopping is getting more and more expensive and why prices rarely seem to come down. Tim Harford explains why the inflation figure you see on the TV might not reflect the price rises you’re experiencing and economic historian Victoria Bateman tells us why having a boat load of silver coins isn’t always a good thing. 

Everything you need to know about the economy and what it means for you. This podcast will cut through the jargon to bring you clarity and ensure you finally understand all those complicated terms and phrases you hear on the news. Inflation, GDP, Interest rates, and bonds, Tim Harford and friends explain them all. We’ll ensure you understand what’s going on today, why your shopping is getting more expensive or why your pay doesn’t cover your bills. We’ll also bring you surprising histories, from the war-hungry kings who have shaped how things are counted today to the greedy merchants flooding Spain with silver coins. So if your eyes usually glaze over when someone says ‘cutting taxes stimulates growth’, fear no more, we’ve got you covered.

Guest: Richard Davies, Professor of Economics at Bristol University

Producer: Phoebe Keane

Researchers: Drew Hyndman and Marianna Brain

Editor: Clare Fordham

Theme music: Don’t Fret, Beats Fresh Music

A BBC Long Form Audio Production for BBC Radio 4

The Economy: 1. Inflation

Why does the interest you pay on your credit card or your mortgage rate go up and down? What’s the Bank of England got to do with it all? In this episode, Tim Harford explains why the banks need to charge you interest when you borrow money and explains why the Bank of England might put interest rates up. Economic historian Victoria Bateman tells us why the Bank of England first lent money to the government. Spoiler alert…. it was to wage war.

Everything you need to know about the economy and what it means for you. This podcast will cut through the jargon to bring you clarity and ensure you finally understand all those complicated terms and phrases you hear on the news. Inflation, GDP, Interest rates, and bonds, Tim Harford and friends explain them all. We’ll ensure you understand what’s going on today, why your shopping is getting more expensive or why your pay doesn’t cover your bills. We’ll also bring you surprising histories, from the war-hungry kings who have shaped how things are counted today to the greedy merchants flooding Spain with silver coins. So if your eyes usually glaze over when someone says ‘cutting taxes stimulates growth’, fear no more, we’ve got you covered.

Guest: Richard Davies, Professor of Economics at Bristol University

Producer: Phoebe Keane

Researchers: Drew Hyndman and Marianna Brain

Editor: Clare Fordham

Theme music: Don’t Fret, Beats Fresh Music

A BBC Long Form Audio Production for BBC Radio 4

The Economy: 2. Interest Rates and Mortgage Rates

What is economic growth, and what happens if there isn’t any? And what does that GDP figure stand for? Tim Harford explains how and why we measure everything.

If the economy stops growing, that could mean things like job cuts, so measuring what’s going on is crucial. In this episode Tim Harford explains how the economy is measured and what is missed out. Economic historian Victoria Bateman tells us why people first started to measure this in the first place. Spoiler alert…. it’s to do with war!

Everything you need to know about the economy and what it means for you. This podcast will cut through the jargon to bring you clarity and ensure you finally understand all those complicated terms and phrases you hear on the news. Inflation, GDP, Interest rates, and bonds, Tim Harford and friends explain them all. We’ll ensure you understand what’s going on today, why your shopping is getting more expensive or why your pay doesn’t cover your bills. We’ll also bring you surprising histories, from the war-hungry kings who have shaped how things are counted today to the greedy merchants flooding Spain with silver coins. So if your eyes usually glaze over when someone says ‘cutting taxes stimulates growth’, fear no more, we’ve got you covered.

Guest: Dimitri Zenghelis, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics

Producer: Phoebe Keane

Researchers: Drew Hyndman and Marianna Brain

Editor: Clare Fordham

Theme music: Don’t Fret, Beats Fresh Music

A BBC Radio Current Affairs Production for BBC Radio 4

Derailed: The Story of HS2: 2. Mutually assured exaggeration

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