2: Brunel | Great Britons (2002)

Duration: 57'50''

Synopsis

In a series of programs about the chief candidates for greatness, Jeremy Clarkson argues the case for Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the great 19th-century engineer who built bridges, railways, ships, and other groundbreaking works.

Further Information

More clips from Great Britons (2002)

1: The Top 100 | Great Britons (2002)

1: The Top 100 | Great Britons (2002)

BBC Two | 2002 | 1'39'03''

Anne Robinson launches the BBC's search for the Greatest Briton in a special program, revealing a countdown of the top 100 nominations....

11: The Greatest of Them All | Great Britons (2002)

11: The Greatest of Them All | Great Britons (2002)

BBC Two | 2002 | 2'03'36''

A final opportunity to hear the arguments and vote for the Greatest Briton of all time. Anne Robinson is joined by the ce...

3: Darwin | Great Britons (2002)

3: Darwin | Great Britons (2002)

BBC Two | 2002 | 56'03''

Andrew Marr presents the case for Charles Darwin as the greatest Briton, reporting from the Galapagos Islands, where Darwin first witnessed ...

4: Cromwell | Great Britons (2002)

4: Cromwell | Great Britons (2002)

BBC Two | 2002 | 58'11''

Monarchist and military historian Richard Holmes proposes Oliver Cromwell, the reluctant republican and revolutionary who helped establish...

5: Nelson | Great Britons (2002)

5: Nelson | Great Britons (2002)

BBC Two | 2002 | 58'32''

Historian Lucy Moore makes the case for Horatio Nelson, Britain's most successful naval leader, who died in 1805 while saving the country fr...

7: Elizabeth I | Great Britons (2002)

7: Elizabeth I | Great Britons (2002)

BBC Two | 2002 | 58'19''

Michael Portillo champions Elizabeth I, arguing that she fought religious fanaticism, established Britain's tradition of tolerance, and...

8: Newton | Great Britons (2002)

8: Newton | Great Britons (2002)

BBC Two | 2002 | 54'21''

Historian Tristram Hunt presents the case for Isaac Newton, one of the greatest scientific intellects of all time.

9: Churchill | Great Britons (2002)

9: Churchill | Great Britons (2002)

BBC Two | 2002 | 58'22''

In the final documentary of the series, MP Mo Mowlam argues for Winston Churchill as the greatest Briton, portraying him as an inspiratio...

John Lennon | Great Britons (2002)

John Lennon | Great Britons (2002)

BBC Two | 2006 | 1'01'01''

As part of the Great Britons series, actor and comedian Alan Davies presents the case for John Lennon. As both a member of The Beatles and...

More resources about The Industrial Revolution

Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here

Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here

BBC HD | 2013 | 57'55''

Professor Jeremy Black explains the unique economic, social and political factors that helped Britain transform itself almost ent...

The Children Who Built Victorian Britain

The Children Who Built Victorian Britain

BBC Four | 2011 | 59'13''

Using animation and actual recorded testimony, historian Jane Humphries tells the story of the child workers whose exploitation was ...

S2E3: The Worst Industrial Jobs in History | The Worst Jobs In History

S2E3: The Worst Industrial Jobs in History | The Worst Jobs In History

Channel 4 | 2006 | 48'51''

Among the Worst Industrial Jobs in History are: Bridge builders, Canal leggers, bone cleaner to make b...

6: 1900-1909 - Britain at its peak? | History File

6: 1900-1909 - Britain at its peak? | History File

BBC Two | 2000 | 23'35''

Compilation of secondary schools programme on British History 1750-1900. Looks at how industrialisation changed the day-to...

2: Crime and Punishment | History File

2: Crime and Punishment | History File

BBC Two | 2000 | 18'51''

Compilation of secondary schools programme on British History 1750-1900. Looks at how industrialisation changed the day-to-day lives o...

7: Age of Industry | Andrew Marr's History of the World

7: Age of Industry | Andrew Marr's History of the World

BBC One | 2012 | 59'14''

In this episode, Andrew Marr tells how Britain's Industrial Revolution created the modern world.

3: Health and Housing | History File

3: Health and Housing | History File

BBC Two | 2000 | 19'01''

Compilation of secondary schools programme on British History 1750-1900. Looks at how industrialisation changed the day-to-day lives of ...

1: Migration and Emigration | History File

1: Migration and Emigration | History File

BBC Two | 2000 | 18'54''

Compilation of secondary schools programme on British History 1750-1900. Looks at how industrialisation changed the day-to-day liv...

Full Steam Ahead

Full Steam Ahead

BBC Two | 2016 | 59'13''

Historians Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn explore how the introduction of steam railways in the early 19th century changed Britain.

Episode 4 | Full Steam Ahead

Episode 4 | Full Steam Ahead

BBC Two | 2016 | 59'17''

Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn help get the most famous locomotive in the world, the Flying Scotsman, into steam.

S01E01: Victorian | Turn Back Time

S01E01: Victorian | Turn Back Time

BBC One | 2010 | 59'05''

A group of modern shopkeepers and their families live and trade through six key eras of history. They begin their journey in the 1870s, wh...

5: Henry VIII to the Industrial Revolution | Michael Wood's Story of England

5: Henry VIII to the Industrial Revolution | Michael Wood's Story of England

BBC Four | 2010 | 59'05''

A portrait of one village through the whole of English history sees 17th-century dissenters, an ...

Canals | Learning Zone

Canals | Learning Zone

BBC Two | 2013 | 3'40''

In the 1770s canals linked the country, carrying goods cheaply and efficiently. Without them it is hard to see how the Industrial Revolution could hav...

Episode 5 | Full Steam Ahead

Episode 5 | Full Steam Ahead

BBC Two | 2016 | 59'07''

The team visit the South Devon Railway to explore the life of the branch line before the Beeching cuts of the 60s.

Episode 6 | Full Steam Ahead

Episode 6 | Full Steam Ahead

BBC Two | 2016 | 59'07''

The team find out how more leisure time and cheap rail transport meant more freedom for working-class Victorians.

Industry and factories | Learning Zone

Industry and factories | Learning Zone

BBC Two | 2013 | 3'49''

Today we take factories for granted but in the 1700s they represented a completely new way of working. Until this time most work was d...

Knowledge | Learning Zone

Knowledge | Learning Zone

BBC Two | 2013 | 2'25''

A key factor in the Industrial Revolution was knowledge. Britain's political system encouraged scientific thought and freedom to try out scientific...

Liverpool cotton trade | A House Through Time

Liverpool cotton trade | A House Through Time

BBC Two | 2018 | 3'25''

David Olusoga investigates the role Liverpool played in the cotton trade.

Railway Mania | The Past at Work

Railway Mania | The Past at Work

BBC Two | 1980 | 24'51''

First transmitted in 1980, Anthony Burton discovers more about Britain's industrial past and the role of railway companies in the 19th Century.

Rule Makers | What the Victorians Did For Us

Rule Makers | What the Victorians Did For Us

BBC Two | 2001 | 28'46''

Adam Hart-Davis investigates the Victorian innovations that left a lasting impression on British society. A look at how the Vict...