Douglas Mawson - The Survivor
In the mythology of the courageous men who have explored the Antarctic, Sir Douglas Mawson ranks with Scott, Amundsen and Shackleton. Somehow his exploits have never made the same impact on the British public. Yet in Australia and New Zealand from where his expeditions set off, he is a national hero. Tonight The World About Us celebrates his major expedition which began in 1911. The programme uses some of the earliest polar film footage ever shot to show the first stages of the venture; then it moves into dramatic reconstruction based on his diaries to tell a story of human agony and survival in a setting of cold, savage beauty.
Presented by Viviana Woodruff
Series editors ANTHONY ISAACS , peter JONES