蜜芽传媒

Michael Portillo鈥檚 railway adventure reaches Rennes, capital of Brittany. At the Lycee Emile Zola, he hears how, in 1899, the school was used as a military court for the second trial of Alfred Dreyfus, an army captain who was twice wrongfully convicted of spying for Germany. He finds the story of racism, injustice, establishment cover-up and freedom of the press all too familiar to modern ears.

Rennes鈥檚 new generation driverless metro speeds Michael across the city to the giant Stellantis car factory, where Michael joins a quality control inspection in a car that鈥檚 hot off the production line. In the historic walled citadel of St Malo, he traces the voyages of the 16th century explorer Jacques Cartier, who claimed Canada for France.

Climbing the steps of Mont-Saint-Michel, Michael reflects on the layers of history evident in the abbey鈥檚 architecture and many uses over the centuries.