The story of how film-makers turned the conquest of Himalayan peaks into great propaganda by Imperial Britain, Nazi Germany and superpower America from the 1920s to the 1960s.
Between the 1920s and the 1960s the world's great powers sent vast military-style expeditions to conquer the peaks of the Himalayas, with Everest at their head. This was a great game played - camera in hand - by Imperial Britain, Nazi Germany and superpower America. As a result, Himalayan mountaineering's most iconic, epic and tragic moments didn't just go down in history, but were caught on film - from the deaths of Mallory and Irvine on Everest in 1924, to Everest's final conquest in 1953 by Hillary and Tensing. Using footage never before seen on British television, this is the story how of how film-makers turned the great peaks into great propaganda.
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Clips
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The epic era of mountaineering begins
Duration: 02:03
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The first ever expedition to Mount Everest
Duration: 02:01
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The conquest of Everest
Duration: 01:47
Music Played
Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes
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00:40Amon Tobin
Ruthless
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00:52Boards of Canada
Sundown
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Narrator | Hugh Bonneville |
| Producer | Steve O'Hagan |
| Director | Steve O'Hagan |
| Executive Producer | Michael Poole |
Broadcasts
- Thu 29 Jan 201521:00
- Fri 30 Jan 201502:55
- Wed 4 Feb 201522:30
- Tue 8 Sep 201522:50
- Wed 9 Sep 201502:50
- Tue 29 Mar 201620:00
- Thu 31 Mar 201600:30
- Thu 22 Sep 201621:00
- Fri 23 Sep 201603:00
- Thu 15 Jun 201722:00
- Mon 19 Jun 201703:00
- Wed 24 Jan 201800:00
- Tue 11 Sep 201800:00
- Tue 8 Jan 201900:20
- Sat 6 Mar 202119:00
- Sun 7 Mar 202102:40
- Sat 27 May 202320:30
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