Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History Episode Rating Graph

The story of the top-heavy Mary Rose, the wrecking of the Spanish Armada and the real-life sea disasters that inspired The Tempest and Robinson Crusoe.

Dr Sam Willis takes the story of shipwrecks into the Georgian age when Britain began to rule the waves and disasters at sea imperilled its trading power.

Dr Sam Willis tells how the Victorians found preventative solutions, from rockets that could fire rescue lines to lifejackets, lifeboats and the Plimsoll Line.