Shaw Media Marks 100th Anniversary Of The Titanic Sinking
In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, Shaw Media introduces an unprecedented line-up of exceptional programming across its key brands. This includes Global’s powerful mini-series Titanic, penned by Downton Abbey’s Julian Fellowes, and week-long Global National coverage leading up to the anniversary. From National Geographic Channel’s 100th Anniversary Titanic Week featuring leading Titanic experts Bob Ballard and James Cameron, to History Television’s exploration of one of the most peculiar chapters in Titanic history, Shaw Media offers the most comprehensive roster of programming examining this historic landmark beginning Wednesday, March 21.
“The glamourous voyage promised by the Titanic and the tragedy of its ultimate demise have ignited the curiosity of explorers and scientists, and captured the imagination of the public for a century,” said Barbara Williams, Senior Vice President, Content, Shaw Media. “From a gripping and emotional drama, to fascinating documentaries, the all-encompassing perspective of Shaw Media’s programming covers the past, present and future of the Titanic.”
Shaw Media, along with ABC, ITV Studios and Lookout Point, unveils the epic mini-series Titanic on Global TV over four consecutive Wednesdays beginning March 21 at 10 PM. Created by BAFTA-winning producer Nigel Stafford-Clark (Warriors; The Way We Live Now; Bleak House) and written by Oscar® and Emmy® winner Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park; Downton Abbey), Titanic takes viewers on a heart wrenching journey through its last hours. Told through the perspective of characters ranging from steerage passengers to upper class guests, the story unravels under the shadow of the ship’s looming fate. Each episode culminates in a cliff-hanger as the ship falters, building to an explosive conclusion that draws each story together and reveals who survives…and who doesn’t.
Linus Roache (Law & Order, Batman Begins) and Geraldine Somerville (The Harry Potter films, Survivors) lead a talented cast that includes Canadians Noah Reid (Score: The Hockey Musical, Jane and the Dragon), Linda Kash (Cinderella Man, Best in Show) and David Eisner (Flashpoint).
In anticipation of the March 21st premiere, a dedicated website for the original four-part series has been created, bringing history and drama to life in one fascinating interactive experience. Viewers will be able to visit a special Titanic micro site to learn more about the show and the Titanic. The site will provide users with a tour of the production’s authentic sets and a chance to peruse the passenger list that includes the personal stories and information on the real people who survived or perished. In addition, fans can follow a timeline that charts the tragic maiden voyage alongside the timeline of the events taking place in the miniseries.
Global News is also providing comprehensive broadcast and online coverage leading up to the April 15th anniversary. Throughout the week of April 2nd, Global National will air a series of timely and poignant features looking back at this tragic event. Foreign Editor Stuart Greer visits Southampton, England, and looks at how the Titanic’s port of departure was affected by the sinking. Greer also travels to Belfast, Northern Ireland, the soon-to-be home of the world’s largest Titanic Museum. Atlantic Correspondent Ross Lord looks at the Canadian stories associated with the sinking. As the closest major city with direct rail and steamship connections, Halifax was the base for ships recovering bodies from the disaster, and became the final resting place for many of the Titanic’s victims.
GlobalNews.ca offers comprehensive online features regarding the Titanic sinking. Beginning early April, the popular website launches a comprehensive special webpage focusing on the untold Canadian stories related to the disaster. With the ‘Titanic Stories’ feature, GlobalNews.ca is asking Canadians to share what the sinking of the Titanic means to them, with some submissions posted online or read on-air. Interactive maps showing the route of the Titanic on its fateful maiden voyage and the locations in and around Halifax that have a connection to the Titanic will also be made 
available online.
National Geographic Channel recognizes the anniversary of the Titanic starting Monday, April 9 at 8 PM with a week-long exploration of the sinking of the ship. National Geographic Channel’s schedule is highlighted by brand-new specials from two National Geographic Explorer-In-Residences, Oscar® winning filmmaker James Cameron and the man best known for his 1985 discovery of the Titanic shipwreck, Bob Ballard. National Geographic’s 100th Anniversary Titanic Week promises to give viewers the most in-depth and complete examination of this heartbreaking disaster.
On Monday, April 9 at 9 PM, Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron brings James Cameron together with a passionate group of some of the world’s leading Titanic experts – including naval architects, engineers, historians and artists – as they solve the lingering mystery of why and how an “unsinkable” ship sank. Working backwards from the shipwreck on the ocean floor and using a never-seen-before stress model, the animation created under Cameron’s supervision provides an accurate picture of how the ship broke apart. Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron repeats Thursday, April 12 at 9 PM.
Airing Tuesday, April 10 at 9 PM, Titanic: Case Closed presents a revolutionary new theory that the Titanic sailed straight into an unlikely combination of atmospheric conditions that were ultimately responsible for its demise. In this two-hour special, historian and author Tim Maltin examines the ship’s ill-fated voyage and tragic final hours. Using vivid computer generated images and a series of experiments to bring to life the exceptional conditions that preceded the ship’s demise, Maltin answers one of the greatest mysteries surrounding the Titanic: how two expert lookouts missed a giant iceberg lying straight ahead.
In Save the Titanic with Bob Ballard, airing Wednesday, April 11 at 10 PM, Bob Ballard shares his quest to protect Titanic’s massive underwater graveyard from treasure hunters and tourists. Already, crucial pieces of Titanic’s history are gone, including the crow’s nest where lookouts spotted the doomed iceberg. With the support of the descendants of Titanic’s passengers, Ballard struggles to salvage what’s left of the legendary ship.
Rebuilding Titanic, airing every night at 8 PM, is a five-part series showcasing a determined team of experts as they bring the Titanic back to life. These experts use 100 year-old methods to rebuild iconic sections of history’s most famous ship, including a piece of the steel bow, the anchor, and some of the Titanic’s most luxurious interior fixtures. Walking in the footsteps of the mechanics who originally built the Titanic, the experts uncover the lives of those who built it before them and reveal secrets about a ship that was once thought to be unsinkable. Rebuilding Titanic airs Monday through Friday for the week of April 9.
Sunday, April 15 marks the official 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic and History Television is observing the occasion with a full day of Titanic programming, featuring the Canadian broadcast premiere of a new and illuminating special.
Revealing one of the most bizarre and unknown stories of WWII history is Nazi Titanic, airing at 7 PM. Inspired by his fascination with the Titanic, Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels made a documentary movie based on the sinking of the ship. This epic movie was so large in scale that the Nazis were forced to divert men, material and ships from their war effort in order to complete the film. Although this was the most epic movie the Nazis ever produced, the film did not receive the large premiere that Goebbels intended and only surfaced in Nazi-occupied Paris and 1950’s Hollywood. Nazi Titanic investigates this little known story by investigating the making of the film, as well as the fate of the German ship Cap Arcona, which was used as the double for the Titanic in the film.
