Channel 5 - Worlds Greatest Ships: Series 2 (2019)

The British Isles have a long, rich and celebrated seafaring history stretching from the earliest times through the victories of Drake and Nelson, the voyages of discovery and the defence of the realm by vessels of all types in the present century. Much of this history is recorded in literature and in museums but reaches its most tangible form in the large number of historical ships that have been preserved and are continually restored as monuments to a proud past.
"World's Greatest Ships' returns to our screens for a 2nd series, where the popular British engineer and adventurer Rob Bell explores the inner history of ships that changed our world. Climbing onto their weathered structures and retelling stories of sailors who ventured into treacherous seas he highlights the inventions and circumstances that defined these legendary ships. History comes to life in stories of iconic ships Mayflower, Titanic, Ark Royal and more.
Rob Bell uncovers their deepest secrets – solving mysteries such as why a Whitby collier, HMS Endeavour, was chosen for Captain Cook's epic journey to Australia and learns about the Royal Navy's pioneering use of Ark Royal in World War Two, and why they abandoned their pride of the fleet. He investigates the construction of the Titanic and goes aboard the Discovery, the ship that first took Scott and Shackleton to the Antarctic.
In America Rob visits the Mayflower 2 as it's prepared for the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrim's arrival and finds out how the Queen Mary became the world's fastest ocean liner. In "World's Greatest Ships" Rob reveal how daring, genius and dazzling invention led to Britain becoming the world's greatest sea power.

Produced & Directed by Robert Marsden ; A Windfall Films Production for Channel 5
Part 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 starts off in Whitby, where a full size replica of Endeavour, lies in its harbour. Rob 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.
Endeavour's captain, James Cook had two missions: the first was to record the Transit of Venus, a rare astronomical phenomenon that would help solve the mysteries of the solar system. But it was Cook's next mission that would catapult him into the pages of history. In the captain's cabin, Rob explains that it was the King himself, George III, who commanded him to find a mysterious continent in the South Pacific. Endeavour would have to sail, quite literally, off the map. So how did she end in a watery grave off the east coast of the US?

Part 2: Titanic
Rob uncovers the incredible stories behind the most famous ship in the world – the Titanic. How was this marvel of engineering built, and why did it come to such a catastrophic end? The Titanic bristled with the latest technology and was said to be unsinkable. So how did her maiden voyage become the most famous maritime disaster in history?
In the Belfast shipyard where the Titanic was built, Rob explores how the city took on the daunting challenge of creating such a gigantic ship, and as the tragic story unfolds, he demonstrates why its groundbreaking safety systems ultimately failed, costing the lives of more than 1,500 people.

Part 3: The Mayflower
Rob uncovers the incredible story behind a humble British merchant ship that changed the world – The Mayflower. He finds out how a group of religious dissidents - the Pilgrims hire the ship to undertake a desperate voyage to the New World. Facing fierce storms, mutiny, deprivation and death the Mayflower's crew and the Pilgrims overcame almost impossible odds to establish the colony that ultimately gave birth to the United States of America.
But ultimately Rob reveals that it's a peace deal with the local tribes that saves the colony from almost certain disaster. The feast that marked their pact is celebrated today as Thanksgiving – and it cemented the Mayflower's place in history.

Part 4: Scott and Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure: Discovery
Rob Bell boards the ship that kick started the age of polar exploration, Royal Research Ship Discovery. The world's first purpose-built scientific vessel, her bold journey to the most inhospitable continent on the planet, Antarctica, propelled Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton into the ranks of the world's most famous explorers.
Discovery had two daunting missions: to explore the last great uncharted continent on the planet; and to gather new scientific data throughout her voyage there. On board the Discovery, Rob sees the innovative engineering that made her the strongest ship ever built at the time, and he finds out how the legacy of this ground-breaking ship changed our knowledge of Antarctica forever.

Part 5: The Queen Mary: Britain's First Super Liner
Presenter Rob Bell heads to the California sunshine to explore a staggering monument to British nautical engineering – the ocean liner SS Queen Mary. Rob investigates the history of 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. He uncovers her incredible tale of survival against the odds to find out why she won the hearts of two nations. 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.
Queen Mary faced the scrap heap but Rob shows how the liner was reinvented as an armed troop ship. Her unbeatable speed soon makes her indispensable to the war effort and turns her into a morale-boosting legend – The Grey Ghost.

Part 6: HMS Ark Royal
World War Two's most famous aircraft carrier. The fascinating story of the life and legend of a British naval icon. How did it become the greatest maritime disaster in history?
HMS Ark Royal, launched in 1938, was one of the most sophisticated weapons in the British military arsenal. In her first two years of operation the Ark Royal survived countless attacks, and was considered one of the luckiest ships in the navy. But her luck was not to last, and within one month of sinking the Bismarck, HMS Ark Royal was destroyed while sailing off the coast of Gibraltar. Rob Bell tells the dramatic story of the Second World War aircraft carrier, which hunted down some of Nazi Germany's most feared warships. Launched in 1937, Ark Royal changed the course of World War II when one of its torpedoes disabled the Bismarck. Her survival in the face of Nazi Luftwaffe bombing raids and U-boat attacks was a testament to her ingenious design and courageous crew. Rob reveals how Ark Royal's luck finally ran out.