Series synopsis
Great British Ships is a British documentary television series that premiered on 5 on September 20, 2018. It ended on February 17, 2020. It stars Rob Bell, Eric Grove, Paul Pattison and John Harrison.
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.
Premise
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.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Rob Bell as Narrator
- Eric Grove as Self-Professor
- Paul Pattison as Self-Historian
- John Harrison as Self-Veteran
- Andrew Baines as Self
- Helen Doe as Self-Maritime Historian
- Dave Cheer as Self-Ropemaker
- Andy Curran as Self-Conservation Manager
Supporting cast
- Joanna Thomas as Self-Curator
- Simon Potter as Self-Historian
- Jane Templeton as Self-Maritime enginneer
- Robert Rumble as Self-Assistant Curator
- Nigel Corlett as Self
- Phil Magrath as Self-Curator
- Brian Lavery as Self-Naval Historian
- Steve Bacon as Self-Royal Marines
- Nicola Grahamslaw as Self-Ship's Conservation Engineer
- Ron Yardley as Self-Vetaran
- Alex Hildred as Self
- Joanne Paul as Self
Episodes
This series spans 2 seasons with 12 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 6 | September 20, 2018 | January 19, 2019 |
| Season 2 | 6 | October 19, 2019 | February 17, 2020 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
HMS Victory: Nelson's Great Warship 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. |
September 20, 2018 |
| 2 |
The Mary Rose: Secrets From the Deep Henry VIII's great warship went down nearly 500 years ago. |
September 27, 2018 |
| 3 |
HMS Belfast: WW2's Great Survivor 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. |
December 5, 2018 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Endeavour 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. |
October 19, 2019 |
| 2 |
The Queen Mary: Britain's First Super Liner 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. |
October 26, 2019 |
| 3 |
Scott & Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure: The Discovery 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. |
November 2, 2019 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | 5 |
|---|---|
| First aired | September 20, 2018 |
| Last aired | February 17, 2020 |
| Runtime | 45 minutes |
| Status | ended |