TV Show55%

Great British Ships

Documentary

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.

Sep 20, 20182 seasons12 episodesEndedEN

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Rob Bell

Narrator

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Martin Mares

Self-Naval Historian

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Seasons

Season 1

6 episodes

Premiered Sep 20, 2018

Season 2

6 episodes

Premiered Oct 19, 2019

Episodes

1–6 of 6

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Ep 1

HMS Victory: Nelson's Great Warship

Sep 20, 2018

45m

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.

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Ep 2

The Mary Rose: Secrets From the Deep

Sep 27, 2018

45m

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

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Ep 3

HMS Belfast: WW2's Great Survivor

Dec 5, 2018

45m

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.

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Ep 4

Secrets of SS Great Britain

Dec 12, 2018

45m

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.

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Ep 5

Cutty Sark: 150 Years of War & Speed

Jan 5, 2019

45m

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

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Ep 6

Golden Hinde: Drake's Royal Voyager

Jan 19, 2019

45m

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.