A new four-part documentary series detailing the sinking of the Titanic is heading to BBC Two and iPlayer.
Commissioned by BBC Factual and BBC Northern Ireland, Titanic Sinks Tonight will tell the story of the tragedy in real time as it seeks to provide a complete picture of the most famous 160 minutes in maritime history.
From the crucial seconds just before the ship hits the iceberg, to the moment the hull sinks beneath the waves, the series producers promise to piece together the events, minute by minute, to reveal exactly what happened to the 2240 passengers and crew on 14 and 15 April, 1912.
Hundreds of survivor accounts from letters, telegrams, newspaper interviews, radio interviews, memoirs and the US and UK public enquiries have been researched and cross-referenced to create a programme which relives the sinking through the experiences of those who were there.
The BBC says: “Nothing is invented, there are no ‘composite characters’, just the real words of the actual Titanic passengers and crew.”
The series will start the clock shortly after 11pm when the Titanic’s radio operators in the Marconi room receive – and ignore – the sixth and final iceberg warning of the night.
It will reveal the chain of events in the seconds, minutes and hours after the iceberg is struck at 11.40pm. The clock will stop just after 2.20am the next day, when the final part of the ship descends to the sea floor.
The series is being produced by Stellify Media, a Sony Pictures Television company, and is made with support from Northern Ireland Screen with international funding from SPT, ARTE and SBS (Australia).
Simon Young, Head of Commissioning, History, said: “This is a completely fresh and original take on the most iconic maritime tragedy in history.
“And the result will give new insights into the anatomy of the doomed ocean liner as this disaster unfolded, as well as the key decisions which made the difference between death and salvation for its passengers and crew.
“It’s hugely exciting to be working with our colleagues in Northern Ireland to bring this story to British screens.”
Eddie Doyle, Head of Commissioning, BBC Northern Ireland, added: “This ambitious new series from Stellify Media will give new insight and understanding to the final hours of the ill-fated Titanic.
“Co-commissioning this series with our colleagues in BBC network television, means that a story that essentially started in Belfast will be told comprehensively – and sensitively – by a Belfast company and then broadcast to audiences across the UK and beyond.
“And with support from Northern Ireland Screen, it is sure to be visually arresting, using the latest state-of-the-art technology to tell the story in an engaging way for our audiences.”