Great British Ships

Great British Ships

Visiting the ships as they stand today, Rob Bell will reveal how and why these monumental vessels were originally built. He’ll uncover a murder on board on the Cutty Sark, reveal the mystery of why the Mary Rose sank and discover how HMS Belfast helped turn the tide on D-Day. From Nelson on board HMS Victory to Sir Francis Drake on the Golden Hind, Rob will reveal how daring, genius and dazzling invention led to Britain becoming the world’s greatest sea power.

Documentary

Seasons

1. HMS Victory: Nelson's Great Warship

Air Date: 2018-09-20

HMS Victory was already 40 years old before it secured its place in history at Trafalgar. Rob discovers the extraordinary feats of engineering behind its construction, and the celebrity of its famous captain, Nelson.

2. The Mary Rose: Secrets From the Deep

Air Date: 2018-09-27

Henry VIII's great warship went down nearly 500 years ago.

3. HMS Belfast: WW2's Great Survivor

Air Date: 2018-12-05

Rob Bell delves into the fascinating history of HMS Belfast, the cruiser that played a critical role in some of the most dramatic battles of World War 2, and whose daring deeds helped defeat the Nazis.

4. Secrets of SS Great Britain

Air Date: 2018-12-12

In the final part of his documentary series, Rob Bell uncovers the extraordinary story behind what was once the longest passenger ship in the world. Designed by Victorian engineering genius Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the SS Great Britain rewrote the shipbuilding rulebook, pioneering innovations still found on almost all modern ships. Rob learns how the origins of the vast vessel lay in an off-the-cuff boast of Brunel's. Though the ship's early years were plagued by disaster, it finally met with success thanks to the Australian gold rush - and today 250,000 Australians can trace their direct ancestors to its passengers.

5. Cutty Sark: 150 Years of War & Speed

Air Date: 2019-01-05

Rob Bell explores the extraordinary tea clipper Cutty Sark, a ship that endured drunken captains and murderous crews, inspired a whiskey and survived the coming of the steam age. Rob clambers aboard to experience first-hand the beauty and superior design of the ship. He delves into her tragic past - the vagabond years of `tramping', mistreatment by her captains and desertion by her crews

6. Golden Hinde: Drake's Royal Voyager

Air Date: 2019-01-19

Rob Bell explores the extraordinary story of the Golden Hinde, the flagship of Elizabethan mariner, privateer and explorer Sir Francis Drake. Sent on a secret mission to plunder Spanish ships in the Pacific, the Golden Hinde's voyage was packed with adventure, from witchcraft and attempted mutiny to the supreme triumph of her most famous achievement, becoming the first English ship to sail around the world.

1. The Endeavour

Air Date: 2019-10-19

Engineer Rob Bell returns with more investigations into British ships that changed the world, beginning with the tale of how a humble coal hauler became one of the nation's most famous vessels. He examines the history of HMS Endeavour and looks at James Cook's two missions in charge of the Royal Navy research vessel, taking in the observation of the 1769 transit of Venus and his voyage to Australia the following year.

2. The Queen Mary: Britain's First Super Liner

Air Date: 2019-10-26

Rob Bell investigates the history of ocean liner the SS Queen Mary, finding out how the largest ship of its day could also become the fastest - achieving speeds that few large ships can match even 80 years later. On the passenger decks, he savours the art deco craftsmanship that made the vessel the much-loved `floating gentleman's club", where royalty rubbed shoulders with movie stars.

3. Scott & Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure: The Discovery

Air Date: 2019-11-02

Rob Bell boards the ship that kick started the age of polar exploration as he looks at the history of RRS Discovery, the world's first purpose-built scientific vessel. Heading to the Victorian shipbuilding capital of Dundee, Rob finds out why this was the only place in Britain that could make a ship capable of taking on the formidable ice floes of Antarctica, and tells the story of how a chance meeting in London would define the course of polar exploration.

4. The Mayflower

Air Date: 2019-11-15

The Mayflower transported the first English Puritans from Plymouth to the New World in 1620. The Pilgrims and the ship's crew crew overcame almost impossible odds to establish a colony, which ultimately gave birth to the United States of America. Taking to the waters off the New England coast, Rob Bell recounts the dramatic story of the Mayflower's 66-day crossing, as she endured high seas and monstrous storms. In Mystic,Connecticut, Rob explores a full-sized replica of the Mayflower and in Plymouth, Massachusetts, unfolds the story of the ship's arrival in the New World.

5. Titanic

Air Date: 2019-12-10

Rob Bell reveals the secrets of ill-fated liner the Titanic, whose maiden voyage became the most famous maritime disaster in history. In the Belfast shipyard where the Titanic was built, Rob explores how the city took on the daunting challenge of creating such a gigantic ship, and as the tragic story unfolds, he demonstrates why its groundbreaking safety systems ultimately failed, costing the lives of more than 1,500 people.

6. HMS Ark Royal

Air Date: 2020-02-17

Rob Bell tells the dramatic story of the Second World War aircraft carrier, which hunted down some of Nazi Germany's most feared warships.

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Rating

5.5/10

Release Date

2018-09-20

Episodes

12 (2 seasons)

Status

Ended

Cast

Rob Bell

Rob Bell

Narrator

Eric Grove

Eric Grove

Self-Professor

Paul Pattison

Paul Pattison

Self-Historian

Joanna Thomas

Joanna Thomas

Self-Curator

Simon Potter

Simon Potter

Self-Historian

Robert Rumble

Robert Rumble

Self-Assistant Curator

Nigel Corlett

Nigel Corlett

Self

Brian Lavery

Brian Lavery

Self-Naval Historian

Nicola Grahamslaw

Nicola Grahamslaw

Self-Ship's Conservation Engineer

Ron Yardley

Ron Yardley

Self-Vetaran

Martin Mares

Martin Mares

Self-Naval Historian

Toby Milligan

Toby Milligan

Self-Curator

Production Companies

Windfall Films

Windfall Films