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Seven Wonders Of The Industrial World
From Thursday 4 September 2003 on BBC TWO
Press pack and video clip available
BBC TWO presents a ground-breaking drama documentary series which tells the story of how our modern world was forged – in rivets, grease and steam; in blood, sweat and human imagination.
Narrated by Robert Lindsay, Seven Wonders Of The Industrial World recreates the epic monuments of the industrial revolution from Brunel's extraordinary ship, the Great Eastern, the Titanic of its day that helped to bridge the two ends of the empire, to the Panama Canal which linked the Atlantic and Pacific oceans half a century later.
The seven wonders featured are: the SS Great Eastern, the Transcontinental Railway, the London Sewers, the Bell Rock Lighthouse, Brooklyn Bridge, the Panama Canal and the Hoover Dam.
The series encounters the most brilliant pioneers of the industrial age and recreates their stories of burning ambition, extravagant dreams, passion and rivalry.
Meticulous research of the original source materials, from private letters to newspaper reports of the day, reveal a wealth of fascinating facts, brought to life by leading actors including Steven Berkoff, Mark McGann and Ron Cook.
Jane Root, Controller of BBC TWO says: "BBC TWO has led the way in creating innovative and refreshing ways of telling the story of our past; this series celebrates these great industrial achievements in a fresh and imaginative way."
These are also the stories of countless unsung heroes – the craftsmen and workers without whose perseverance nothing would have been achieved.
Not to mention financiers and shareholders hanging on for the ride as fortunes – and reputations – were lost and won.
On a journey that takes viewers from the raging rapids of the Grand Canyon to the mosquito-ridden wilds of the Central American jungle, the series recreates the drama and horror of what it was like to work on these monumental structures, and highlights the workers' lot, from the man and boy rumoured to have been entombed alive in the double hull of the Great Eastern to the navvies on the Transcontinental who were shot dead by management for causing trouble.
Featuring breathtaking stunts, Seven Wonders Of The Industrial World highlights the extraordinary daring of men who risked their lives: swinging out across precipitous canyon walls, riding traveller ropes across vast rivers and experimenting with new explosives, often with horrific accidents.
The vast scale of each wonder is captured using time-slice rostra, while cutting-edge graphic techniques bring to life the evocative photographs and archives to show how the landscapes have changed.
A complimentary series, What The Industrial Revolution Did For Us, presented by architectural historian Dan Cruickshank, uncovers the scientific, technological and political changes of the 19th century.
From boiling a kettle to working in an office, this Open University series for BBC TWO looks at how much of the modern world has been shaped by the achievements of the Industrial Revolution, which transformed the lives of every man and woman in Britain today.
To celebrate Britain's industrial heritage, BBC Learning will be co-ordinating events across the country to enable viewers to find out more about the Industrial Revolution and vote for their favourite industrial wonder.
One such event, hosted by Adam Hart-Davis, takes place at Ironbridge Gorge, birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.
The event will see viewers involved in competitions, building and restoring Industrial Revolution devices and taking part in experiments.
For further information visit www.open2.net.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
Seven Wonders Of The Industrial World is accompanied by a fully comprehensive website at www.bbc.co.uk/history where users can find out more about industrial achievements.
Notes to Editors
The Seven Wonders Of The Industrial World press pack is available below, as a complete pack and in sections, in PDF format.
You may require Adobe Acrobat Software to read PDF files which can be obtained here.
Full Seven Wonders Of The Industrial World(1.04 MB)
Introduction by series producer and author Deborah Cadbury
(344 KB)
Programme synopses(473 KB)
Biographies – the pioneers(53 KB)
Biographies – the actors(77 KB)
Biographies – the production team(65 KB)
Where to find out more(64 KB)
Watch a clip - Isambard Kingdom Brunel (played by Ron Cook) talks about the building of his extraordinary ship, the Great Eastern.
For help and advice on downloading this clip see the
BBC Audio Visual help page.
Watch clip >>>
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