Home >

History >

Factual >

Speed Machines Ep: Flying Boats

image

The history of speed and the intense rivalry between different ships, planes, cars and trains in their bid to be the fastest

Combining stories of technological advance with tales of individual heroism, Speed Machines captures the spirit of an age when speed was all-important. The 1930s was a highpoint for ocean-going liners. Crossing the Atlantic by boat was the only way to reach the US and competition between the French and British shipyards was never less than fierce, a focus for patriotic pride. The British Queen Mary and French Normandie epitomised the golden age of the ocean liners, floating Art Deco palaces that competed intensely to win the Blue Riband: the prize for the fastest Atlantic crossing; a Holy Grail for the two countries - and a great bit of marketing. Later episodes of Speed Machines tell of the rivalry between Pan Am and Imperial Airways to start the first trans-Atlantic passenger air service; of competing train companies vying to run the fastest service between London and Scotland; of the competition between Bentley and Mercedes to dominate the race track and the rivalry between Malcolm Campbell and Henry Seagrave to take the Land Speed Record in the 1930s. Each episode uses archive footage to evoke the spirit of the era, and includes interviews with those involved in the events.

Programme Information

More Like This