Building the Impossible (2020)
Presenter Rob Bell takes us on a voyage around Britain and Ireland to reveal the hidden secrets that make offshore lighthouses such extraordinary feats of engineering.
📺 Seasons & Episodes
Season 13 episodes
1. The Eddystone Rock
⏱ 43 minRob Bell explores the historic but deadly southwest coast of England to discover what made the world's first rock lighthouse on Eddystone reef such a monumental achievement over 300 years ago.
2. The Bell Rock
⏱ 43 minRob Bell explores the rugged east coast of Scotland to discover how the Bell Rock lighthouse earned its reputation as a wonder of the industrial world.
3. The Fastnet Rock
⏱ 43 minRob Bell explores the wild and beautiful southern coast of Ireland to reveal why Fastnet is regarded as the most stunning lighthouse ever built.
Season 23 episodes
1. Wolf Rock
⏱ 46 minRob Bell looks at the construction of more rock lighthouses, beginning with Wolf Rock - 8 miles off the Cornish coast. He discovers the feat of Victorian engineering required to build the structure against the power of the Atlantic Ocean.
2. Smalls Lighthouse
⏱ 46 minRob Bell explores the bizarre history of The Smalls lighthouse, one of Britain's most remote offshore lighthouses.
3. The Longstone
⏱ 45 minRob Bell explores the spiritual home of the lifesaving Longstone lighthouse off the coast of Northumberland.
Season 36 episodes
1. Oil Rig
⏱ 45 minRob discovers the story of the British oil industry through its incredible engineering - from the first oil find to today's innovative rigs.
2. Hoover Dam
⏱ 45 minFrom stormy seas to the land-locked Mojave Desert, Rob Bell discovers the amazing story of how the mighty Colorado river was tamed and the Hoover Dam built.
3. Panama Canal
⏱ 45 minRob travels the Panama Canal to learn how the seemingly unconquerable isthmus was bent to the will of determined engineers, creating one of seven wonders of the new world.
4. Beachy Head Lighthouse
⏱ 45 minRob heads to England's south coast where he explores a trio of lighthouses built to protect vessels. He also experiences gravity-defying Victorian innovation.
5. Muckle Flugga Lighthouse
⏱ 46 minRob visits the Impossible Lighthouse at Muckle Flugga in the Shetland Islands.
6. Boston Light Lighthouse
⏱ 45 minRob travels to New England, sailing in the slipstream of the pilgrims and landing in Boston Harbor to discover the allegedly cursed beacon, Boston Light. America's first lighthouse is a story of civil war and personal tragedy, incredible innovation, and pioneering technology and Rob discovers the hidden stories of a nation's light-keeping unsung heroes.
