Time Team Specials Episode 51 Brunel's Last Launch 1997
Nowadays, London's East End is synonymous with the 2012 Olympic Games. Cutting-edge engineering and design have transformed the Olympic Park. But 150 years ago, the world was watching for a very different reason, although the spectacle on display was as high-tech as anything on offer today. The East End was once home to the most advanced shipbuilding industry - and best workers and shipyards - in the world. A century and a half ago, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Britain's most famous engineer, was about to launch a ship five times bigger than any that had ever been built before, the most revolutionary vessel the world had ever seen: the SS Great Eastern. Pioneering the transition from sail to steam and timber to iron, Brunel and East London's ship builders created vessels that were bigger, faster and tougher than ever before. But this launch was a disaster. Brunel went from hero to laughing stock overnight as his leviathan stuck on the slipway. Brunel died not long after. Today archaeologists are scouring the banks of the Thames to discover why launching such a big vessel proved a complete disaster. Examining the slipways, they hope to discover what went wrong and how it affected shipbuilding in London for ever. Tony Robinson joins them in their quest to solve the puzzle. But he and the team also explore some of the extraordinary successes of this long-gone industry and a time when the East End led the world.
- Released: 2011-11-10
- Runtime: 50 minutes
- Genre: Documentary, Mystery
- Stars: Gus Casely-Hayford, Natalie Haynes, Carenza Lewis, John Gater, Stewart Ainsworth
- Director:
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0. Dorchester, Oxfordshire (pilot clip) 2006-03-12
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6. The Time Team History Of Britain 2000-12-27
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16. Ten Years of Time Team 2002-12-27
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17. Hadrian's Well 2003-04-10
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23. The King of Bling - Prittlewell, Essex 2005-06-13
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26. Durrington, Somerset - Durrington Walls 2005-11-28
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27. Dinnington, Somerset - Big Roman Villa 2006-01-08
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30. The God of Gothic - Ramsgate, Kent 2007-03-01
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31. Britain's Drowned World 2007-04-24
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34. Codename: Ainsbrook - Thirsk, Yorkshire 2008-01-14
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37. Swords, Skulls and Strongholds 2008-05-19
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39. The Mystery of the Roman Treasure 2008-12-26
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40. Henry VIII’s Lost Palaces - England 2009-04-13
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42. Dover Castle - Dover, Kent 2009-12-19
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43. Nelson’s Hospital - Gosport, Hampshire 2010-05-17
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45. The Real Vikings 2010-10-11
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48. Looking Underground 2011-05-01
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49. Boudica's Lost Tribe 2011-05-04
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50. The Way We Lived 2011-05-08
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51. Brunel's Last Launch 2011-11-10
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54. Secrets of the Saxon Gold 2012-04-22
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55. The Time Team Guide to Burial 2012-04-29
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56. Britain’s Stone Age Tsunami 2013-05-30
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58. Lost Submarines of WWI 2013-07-07
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66. Expedition Crew: Mortar Wreck 2023-06-10
