Livingstone was the first European to cross the entire African continent from west to east. ibid.
The team that Livingstone had gathered together was mission impossible. ibid.
Livingstone saw an Arab slave ship plying back and forth forcing African people for hundreds of miles around to flee the slavers. ibid.
Africa stubbornly refused to be tamed … A man in the grip of an obsession. ibid.
In 1902 an expedition set out from Scotland to Antarctica in the name of Science. It was led by a man called William Speirs Bruce. In 2011, I agreed to retrace Bruce’s journey to Antarctica, following in the footsteps of a scientific explorer and photographer who has become all but lost to history. Neil Oliver, The Last Explorers s1e2: William Speirs Bruce
After Ben Nevis he continued his cold-weather training with expeditions to the Arctic. He toured the country giving illustrated lectures that brought the polar regions to the public for the very first time. ibid.
Bruce documented it all making a remarkable collection of images. ibid.
A little more than 150 years ago a young man arrived here in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada in California … He was an explorer … And one day he would be remembered with more reverence than most of America’s presidents. Neil Oliver: The Last Explorers s1e3: John Muir
Muir began his journey in Indianapolis … down through Florida … He would go to California instead to visit Yosemite. ibid.
Muir was drunk on the sheer spectacle. ibid.
‘He took risks, terrible risks, and he got away with it … The mountains were his teacher … He saw that human beings were a part of it.’ ibid. historian
Muir was offering his readers a new understanding of nature, preaching a new America. ibid.
Proposed a national park surrounding the valley … At the end of September Congress passed a bill. ibid.
Thanks to Muir, preservation was now an established and accepted idea. ibid.
At little more than 150 years ago Japan was medieval. A land of feudal villages and knights in armour. But then on a single day on 1st January 1873 Japan declared its desire to modernize, to synchronize with the West … The architect of that revolution was a unique intrepid businessman – he was part buccaneer and part explorer – he was a Scot and his name was Thomas Blake Glover … he was a pioneer: only a handful of foreigners have ever seen Japan. Neil Oliver: The Last Explorers s1e4: Thomas Blake Glover
He had been living in Nagasaki for three years. He was only 24. ibid.
Traders like Glovers felt they could do business with whomever they pleased. ibid.
Fathered many illegitimate children. ibid.
He switched from trading tea to the more profitable enterprise of running guns. ibid.
300 years ago a group of men found themselves thousands of miles from home fighting for their lives. They had travelled half way round the world across unknown lands into hostile territories. But these were no hardened adventurers, they were booking academics on one of the most important scientific expeditions ever. Its outcome would fundamentally change the way we see our world, but their mission would become an eight year epic of obsession, betrayal and murder. Voyages of Discovery s1e4: French Explorers: The Figure of the Earth
This was the first scientific expedition ever. The ambitious mission was launched in 1735 to discover a fundamental truth about our planet: the true shape of the Earth. ibid.
In May 1939 the crew of the submarine USS Squalus were struck by disaster deep below the surface of the Atlantic ocean. They were trapped on the ocean floor with the air running out and no means of escape. The latest victims of what the US Navy dubbed the Coffin Service. Their fate rested on one man: Naval inventor Charles ‘Swede’ Momsen. Voyages of Discovery s1e5: USS Squalus
In the previous 20 years worldwide 22 subs had been lost along with the lives of over 1,000 men. They didn’t call it the Coffin Service for nothing … No crew had ever been saved from the ocean depths. ibid.
Water from flooding from the rear to the front of the sub. ibid.
A poisonous chlorine gas was beginning to spread. But there was no way out. ibid.
The Squalus had been equipped with Momsen lungs … This is a submarine rescue bell based on Momsen’s design … It was Momsen’s big moment … The unbelievable had happened: a rescue mission had reached the submarine. ibid.
Extraordinary, iconic, lethal: these incredible ships have told our story for the past four-hundred years. And define what it means to be part of our island’s nation. Rob Bell, Great British Ships s2e1: Endeavour, Channel 5 2019
I discover the amazing story of HMV Endeavour: a humble coal-bark from Yorkshire that transformed our understanding of the world. With her famous captain James Cook, she sailed to the edge of the world to reveal a world of mystery and wonder. ibid.
James Cook was the son of a farm labourer from Yorkshire … He joined the Royal Navy and he rose quickly through its ranks. ibid.
Cook was to continue deep into the uncharted south Pacific to look for a fabled land they called Terra Australis Incognita. ibid.
The Queen Mary: built to rule the north Atlantic in style … A true survivor, she faced down formidable foes. And went on to win the hearts of two nations. This is the Queen Mary: for the past fifty years this legendary British ship has been winning hearts and minds in Long Beach, California. Rob Bell, Great British Ships s2e2: The Queen Mary: Britain’s First Super Liner
One of the biggest and fastest liners ever built … She’s nearly twice the weight of the Titanic. ibid.
Her three steam whistles weigh a ton each. ibid.
The first ever passenger ship to make the crossing in less than four days. ibid.
Rob: What do we know about the rogue wave that struck the Queen Mary? ibid.
Professor Dominic Hudson: They think it was about thirty metres high. And I think she rolled the ship to an angle of about fifty degrees. ibid.
The Queen Mary is put up for auction. ibid.
The Royal Research Ship Discovery: she set sail on a voyage to the last uncharted continent on the planet: Antarctica. A journey that would attract the world’s most famous explorers. Discovery was the first ever purpose built scientific vessel, and she ignited a global passion for exploration. Rob Bell, Great British Ships s2e3: Scott & Shackleton
A ship conceived for one mission: an expedition that would capture the imagination of the world: a journey to the uncharted South Pole. ibid.
The extraordinary story of the Mayflower, the ship that brought the pilgrims to the New World. The story of her voyage is one of hardship, desperation and survival against the odds. And one which ultimately leads to the birth of the United States of America. Rob Bell, Great British Ships s2e4: The Mayflower
In July 1620 the Mayflower departs London for the New World. The crew of the Mayflower have little idea that on the voyage ahead they will face sabotage, attempted mutiny and death. ibid.