New York: America's Busiest City

This brand new series for BBC Two takes viewers to the heart of one of the most thriving, complex and economically powerful metropolises in the world - the city of New York.

Presenters Ade Adepitan, Anita Rani, Ant Anstead and Dan Snow are given the ultimate access-all-areas pass to three iconic public spaces, revealing the astonishing daily systems that allow America’s biggest and busiest city to function.

In the first of three parts, each filmed ‘as live’ to capture the sense of being immersed in a world famous location, the team present from Grand Central Terminal - taking a look at behind-the-scenes operations responsible for keeping the world’s biggest railway terminal running to schedule. To get there, Anita, Ade and Ant try commuting New York-style, joining 5.5 million commuters on the iconic Staten Island ferry, the subway, the suburban railroad and citibikes.

With a privileged first glimpse of the new station beneath Grand Central, Ant heads 10 storeys down to visit the USA’s biggest ever transport project, the East Side Access. Meanwhile Anita delves into the hidden world of lost property at the terminal, where 3,000 items a month can include the unexpected and the unusual, from a collection of adult toys to seven-foot-long canoes.

Dan Snow heads to Times Square, New York’s most visited place, to discover how today’s 230 LED advertising hoardings are maintained. And Ade takes a ride in a yellow cab to discover that a taxi license can cost up to $1 million - but today this business model is under threat from taxi apps like Uber.

Its history shows that New York is constantly adapting to change – and the latest developments are continuing to future proof America’s busiest city.

Publicity contact: EK