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  • 242
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  • 2005-01-10T05:00:00Z
  • 25m
  • 4h 10m (10 episodes)
  • United States
  • Documentary
You may know him from the Fast Show as one of the "Suits You Sir" fellas and (my favourite) the character who "This week has mostly been eating... armadillos". He really brings the subject to life, and would definitely be something to look forward to for kids who have boring history teachers. The first series charted the progress of the Industrial Revolution from water wheels, canals, iron bridges, right up to the invention of the steam train and the creation of our railway networks. This second series looks at specific inventions, technologies and their impact. If it is anywhere near as good as the first series, it will be well worth watching. I think that tonight's episodes are about hats and beer. Which is nice.

10 episodes

Series Premiere

2005-01-10T05:00:00Z

1x01 Bread and Beer

Series Premiere

1x01 Bread and Beer

  • 2005-01-10T05:00:00Z25m

Comedian Mark Williams explains how 19th-century Britons drank beer as a healthy alternative to water because the fermentation process killed many harmful bacteria

2005-01-17T05:00:00Z

1x02 What to Wear

1x02 What to Wear

  • 2005-01-17T05:00:00Z25m

Mark Williams discovers how 19th-century hats were made of rabbit fur that had been shrunk in urine

2005-01-24T05:00:00Z

1x03 Gas on Wheels

1x03 Gas on Wheels

  • 2005-01-24T05:00:00Z25m

The use of gas to power the machines and inventions from the Industrial Revolution are explained by Mark Williams

2005-01-31T05:00:00Z

1x04 Print and Paper

1x04 Print and Paper

  • 2005-01-31T05:00:00Z25m

In a look at the history of printing, Mark Williams discovers why early typesetters arranged lower-case letters according to their usage, with the most common being in the middle

2005-02-07T05:00:00Z

1x05 Under Pressure

1x05 Under Pressure

  • 2005-02-07T05:00:00Z25m

Mark Williams visits a pub cellar and bridges across the Tyne, all powered by hydraulics, revealing how the beer pump started a power revolution

2005-02-14T05:00:00Z

1x06 Building a Revolution

1x06 Building a Revolution

  • 2005-02-14T05:00:00Z25m

Documentary exploring how the massive construction boom triggered by the Industrial Revolution forced the building industry to find new materials to cope with increasing demand.

2005-02-21T05:00:00Z

1x07 Bright Sparks

1x07 Bright Sparks

  • 2005-02-21T05:00:00Z25m

How the electricity industry was created from scientific experimentation and entrepreneurial enthusiasm - becoming the world's main power source.

2005-02-28T05:00:00Z

1x08 Heavy Metals

1x08 Heavy Metals

  • 2005-02-28T05:00:00Z25m

The development of the Cornish mining industry, from pebble-picking in streams to the building of a honeycomb of mines below the sea

2005-03-07T05:00:00Z

1x09 Cutting it Fine

1x09 Cutting it Fine

  • 2005-03-07T05:00:00Z25m

How silk was instrumental in the invention of the binary code, which went on to inspire the computer revolution.

2005-03-14T05:00:00Z

1x10 Machine Tools

1x10 Machine Tools

  • 2005-03-14T05:00:00Z25m

Mark Williams learns about Joseph Whitworth, the man who standardised the threaded screw. Plus, the total cost of wood required to build HMS Victory

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