Robson tells the story of coal, and it's one that falls a little closer to home, given that generations of his family worked in the pits. He also learns about the production of cotton which helped to develop Manchester, and hears about the introduction of railways, a revolution in transport which would change the face of the landscape.

Robson Green focuses on the industries of steel and shipbuilding, finds out how football became the sport of the north and of how pubs were at the centre of these new communities.