The Channel Tunnel: 25 Years
The Channel Tunnel stands as an engineering triumph and a testament to what can be achieved when two nations, Britain and France put aside their historic differences and work together. On the 25th anniversary of its opening, we reflect on what it took to build the longest undersea tunnel ever constructed.
Cast
Rob Bell
Self - Narrator (voice)
Seasons
E1Building The Channel Tunnel
Feb 4, 2019
Over a thousand British tunnellers operated eleven massive tunnel boring machines, digging not one tunnel but three: two rail tunnels and a service tunnel. Workers smuggled in alcohol and cigarettes to supplement their substantial wages. In this difficult and dangerous environment, no female toilets could be provided to women workers.
E2Race to the Finish
Feb 11, 2019
On 1 December 1990, 40 meters under the seabed, British and French tunnellers broke through the final section. Eleven tunnellers had perished over the course of construction. Over the years, tunnel use increased and freight costs declined - a huge success for both nations' economies.
Storyline
The Channel Tunnel stands as an engineering triumph and a testament to what can be achieved when two nations, Britain and France put aside their historic differences and work together. On the 25th anniversary of its opening, we reflect on what it took to build the longest undersea tunnel ever constructed.
Recommended
Modern Marvels
1993
How It's Made
2001
Top Gear
1978
Horizon
1964
MegaStructures
2004
Civilisation
1969
How Do They Do It?
2006
Superpowered: The DC Story
2023
Prehistoric Planet
2022
Baseball
1994
American Experience
1988
The World According to Jeff Goldblum
2019
More Like This
Michael Portillo's 200 Years of the Railways
2025
Abandoned Railways from Above
2024
Penguins on a Plane: Great Animal Moves
2014
Speed
2019
Transamazonica: A Highway to the Past
2021
Hot Roads - The World's Most Dangerous Roads
2011
Strip the City
2012
Building Britain's Biggest Nuclear Power Station
2021
Britain's Favourite Railway Stations with Si King
2026
Trainspotting with Francis Bourgeois
2022
Megacitys - Wenn es Nacht wird in ...
2024
Canals: The Making of a Nation
2015