Fred Dibnah's Building of Britain - Building the Canals

Fred Dibnah's Building of Britain

Original version

BBC Four

Knowledge, arts, music and culture from the UK and the world.

BBC Four reflects arts, music and culture with an ambitious range of intellectually and culturally enriching programmes, taking an expert and in-depth approach to its subjects.

BBC Four HD

BBC Two England

England

BBC Two Scotland

BBC Two Northern Ireland

Until 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales (analogue) was known simply as BBC Two Wales. BBC Two Wales (digital) was BBC 2W. From 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales schedules on both analogue and digital became identical

BBC Two Wales

Simulcast of network BBC Two in high definition.

BBC Two HD

Fred Dibnah's Building of Britain: Building the Canals

Fred Dibnah

Fred Dibnah's Building of Britain: Episode 5: Building the Canals

Building the Canals

Episode 5

Episode 5: Building the Canals

BBC Two - Fred Dibnah's Building of Britain, Building the Canals

Fred Dibnah looks at the construction of the canal network.

In his exploration of the engineering skills that went into the building of Britain, Fred Dibnah looks at the construction of the canal network.

Fred Dibnah's search to discover how the work of the builders and engineers of the past helped to shape Britain brings him close to his home town of Bolton, where the mid-18th century saw the building of the first canals and the arrival of the first civil engineers. He travels to Worsley in Lancashire to see where it all started - the labyrinth of 52 miles of underground waterways that carried coal from the Duke of Bridgewater's mines to the canal. Back in his garden, he shows us how the early canal engineers actually went about digging the cut for a canal and making it watertight. He takes a canal boat on the 127-mile-long Leeds-Liverpool Canal, and demonstrates the back-breaking labour and engineering skills that went into building the tunnel that takes it under the highest point on his route.

BBC Two

Knowledge, drama, comedy and the arts for a broad adult audience.

BBC Two is a lively channel of depth and substance, carrying a range of knowledge-building programming complemented by great drama, comedy and arts.

Factual: History

Factual: Science & Nature

Factual: Science & Nature: Science & Technology

Fred Dibnah looks at Britain's architectural heritage.

Fred Dibnah travels across Britain to uncover the craft and engineering skills that form the nation's architectural heritage.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Fred Dibnah's Building of Britain

Episode 5: Building the Canals

Contributors

Genres

Series

BBC Four HD

About BBC Four