Airdate: Words of the Titanic

Here come the Titanic specials….

Next week Seven airs Words of the Titanic, a documentary which sees actors reading from diaries from passengers who were aboard.

The cast includes Richard E. Grant, James Wilby, Claudie Blakely, Roger Allam and Anna Madeley plus direct descendants of some of the ships passengers who read the diary extracts of their grandparents and great-grandparents.

On the 10th April 1912, The Titanic set sail for New York. Just four days later tragedy struck.

In an event that has continued to capture the imagination of a nation, Words of the Titanic marks the 100th anniversary of its fateful voyage through the dramatic, poignant and moving accounts of its passengers and crew.

When the Titanic left Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York City she was already legendary; the ‘unsinkable’ largest ship afloat, White Star Line had spared no expense in assuring her luxury. The passengers were a mixture of the world’s wealthiest basking in the elegance of first class accommodations and immigrants packed into steerage. But after striking an iceberg at 11:40 pm on April 14 it took just two hours and 40 minutes for her to disappear into the icy waters of the Atlantic.

In Words of the Titanic we’ll relive that fateful night, through the written words and accounts of the passengers who survived, as told by their living descendants. Accessing the litany of written personal account, letters, diaries and memoirs, we’ll paint a fresh and vivid picture of the events building up to that night in the freezing Atlantic Ocean. From the engine room skivvies to the account of one of the ships commanders, from the plight of the 3rd class passengers to the stories of the 1st class state room passengers, their testimony will combine to create a compelling, colourful, and often deeply moving account of the voyage, brought vividly and poignantly to life in this powerful landmark documentary.

Using the techniques of the award-winning “Words of…” strand, we’ll hear the voices of the past speak to us through the mouths of living contributors – famous faces will join with the relatives of those who were on the Titantic to read the words of their forebears.

10:30pm Wednesday April 11 on Seven.