Seven
Wonders of the Industrial World is a
ground-breaking docudrama series that tells the story of how our modern world
was forged – in rivets, grease and steam; in blood, sweat and human imagination.
The great achievements celebrated in this
series reveal as much about the human spirit as they do about technological
endeavor. The slowly evolving Industrial
Revolution was the fertile ground that gave life to dreams in iron, cement,
stone and steel. The pioneers of the age were practical visionaries, seeing
beyond the immediate horizon, the safe and the known, as they cut a path to the
future. The seven stories that are revealed here are: the SS Great Eastern; the
Brooklyn Bridge;
the Bell Rock Lighthouse; the US Transcontinental Railway; the London
sewer system; the Panama Canal and the Hoover
Dam.
The Great Ship - In 1851, Isambard Kingdom Brunel (Ron Cook), dreamed of
creating the largest ship ever built. At 692 feet, it would be able to sail
without stopping to Australia
and unite the two ends of the empire.The SS Great Eastern would become one of the
crowning achievements of the Victorian age, but the project was dogged by
tragic accidents, financial ruin and fires at the docks.
Brooklyn Bridge - In the mid 19th Century, New York was growing faster than any city in
the world. A scheme was devised to unite Manhattan
and Brooklyn, spanning the East River with the
longest suspension bridge ever built. But John Roebling’s (Steven Berkoff)
ambitious dream fast turned into a nightmare – a technological feat set against
greed, corruption and a double family tragedy.
Bell Rock Lighthouse - The deadly Bell Rock Reef in Scotland had been a ship’s
graveyard for centuries.When young Robert Stevenson (Robert Cavanah) proposed
building a lighthouse on it, other engineers thought him mad. A treacherous rock,
it is almost constantly submerged and set 11 miles off-shore in hazardous seas.
Despite ridicule, greedy financiers, personal tragedy and the elements, the
lighthouse was finally erected and still shines its warning to sailors.
The Sewer King - In the hot summer of 1858, London’s decaying sewage stopped Parliament
with its ‘Great Stink’. Sanitation had not changed since medieval times. Joseph
Bazalgette’s (Mark McGann) vision was to build 1300 miles of new sewers. London had to be
completely redesigned to accomodate the vast plan, but the eventual success led
to the end of cholera epidemics.
The Panama
Canal - Conceived by Ferdinand de Lesseps (John Walters), the Panama Canal was a miracle of engineering and human
endeavour. He was beaten by jungle, swamps, rainstorms, mudslides, the death of
20,000 workers and financial ruin. American John Stevens (Jeff Harding) took
over the project and saw it through, in the process creating a new country and
the largest lock and canal system in the world. No longer would shipping have to
face the terrors of Cape Horn to get from one side of America to another.
The Line - The enthralling story of two corporate giants, pitched
against each other in a race to join the east and west coasts of America. The
surveyors and labourers had to battle floods, food shortages and even a war to complete
the epic project.
The Hoover Dam - In 1902, Arthur Powell-Davis conceived a plan to build a dam
to harness the power of the dangerous and unpredictable Colorado
River. At 727 feet, it would stand 60 storeys high with a larger
volume than the Great Pyramid at Giza.
Ruthless Frank Crowe (Jay Benedict) succeeded where he failed, but it came at a
price – lives lost, legal wranglings and major fund disputes.
“…superb … entertaining, thought-provoking, thrilling
telly.” - Observer
“Who'd have thought that retracing the steps of the world's
greatest civil engineers would make for such (ahem) rivetting viewing?” - Guardian
“Seven Wonders of the Industrial World is a groundbreaking
achievement. At last a style of drama documentary has been conceived that
attains the artistry of great drama with the faithfulness demanded of the
honest documentary. The acting is convincing and money has been spent ensuring
sets and effects worthy of a mid-budget Hollywood
film. Importantly, the dialogue given to the characters has been sourced to
their recorded pronouncements. The only appropriate response as the credits
roll at the end of Seven Wonders of the Industrial World is a burst of
applause.”- The Times
“Seven Wonders of the Industrial World, encouragingly,
manages to make scientific history accessible – without the usual patronising
idiocies or wacky presenters. Instead, we have intriguing information presented
intelligently, with the aid of some imaginative visuals.” - Scotsman
“…the fabulously impressive SFX [computer-generated special
effects] really bring to life this series of dramadocumentaries…” - Independent
“…very promising … plenty of good material here for
secondary history.” - Times
Educational Supplement
