Brunel: The Man Who Built Britain

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
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.

Part 2
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. The biggest vessel afloat of its era, it dominated the final years of Brunel's life, generating great controversy at the time. It has even been blamed for causing his death