Brunel: The Man who Built Britain
In a two-part series, Rob Bell explores the work of Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, exploring his complex personality as well as his prolific achievements. Part 1: Thames Tunnel In the opening episode, Rob examines Brunel's first major project, the Thames Tunnel, before he went on to secure the post of official engineer to the proposed Great Western Railway. More than 100 workmen died during the building of the Box Tunnel in Wiltshire, Brunel’s clever, but in human terms, harrowing solution to a hill that blocked his London-to-Bristol Great Western Railway. At the time it was the longest tunnel in the world. Part 2: SS Great Britain Rob Bell concludes his two-part documentary series on the great British engineer with the story of his two masterpieces of ship design - the SS Great Britain, the great-great-grandmother of all modern ships, and the SS Great Eastern. By the time he had finalised the latter's design, the ship was 692ft long and weighed nearly 19,000 tons.