London – Lion Television confirmed its latest major international co-production which sees the all3media group-owned company collaborating with broadcast and production partners in the UK and Canada on new factual history special Franklin’s Lost Ships. In a world exclusive, the special film follows the thrilling discovery of Franklin’s flagship ‘Erebus’ lost whilst searching for the North-West passage. For a century and a half numerous expeditions have searched in vain and it has become one of the greatest of all maritime mysteries.
Franklin’s Lost Ships
Franklin’s Lost Ships is a co-production partnering Canadian prodco 90th Parallel, with public broadcasters CBC Canada and Radio Canada; PBS Nova, producers of the U.S. public broadcasters renowned Nova science strand; UK network Channel 4 and distributor All3media International. The special in a 1hour and 90-minute versions will make its broadcast debut on 9 April on CBC in Canada. It follows the extraordinary Arctic expedition that successfully located one of explorer Sir John Franklin’s legendary lost ships in the Arctic. Franklin’s Lost Ships will be distributed globally (excluding UK and Canada) by All3media International and will debut at MIPTV.
Sir John Franklin and his two ships set sail in 1845 to find the Northwest Passage – a prized trade route from the Atlantic to the Pacific, through the frozen seas of the Canadian high Arctic. Franklin took over 100 sailors, and enough supplies to last three years – but they vanished without trace. The story is one of incredible endurance and human fortitude but also death, madness and cannibalism.
In August 2014, Lion Television gained exclusive access to the most ambitious search expedition ever mounted for the missing ships. Backed by Parks Canada and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, three arctic research vessels were guided into the search zone by a team of scientists, archaeologists and specialist divers.
Franklin’s Lost Ships
Franklin’s Lost Ships traces the story of the expedition, as searchers battled with huge rafts of sea-ice, using icebreakers, helicopters and satellites to begin their survey. Initially, that ice seemed like a curse; but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise – diverting the searchers towards a new area, where they put their sonar equipment to work.
Against all odds, HMS Erebus – Lord Franklin’s flagship – was found in near-perfect condition, resting the sea-floor, in just ten metres of water. Exclusive underwater footage shows the amazing moment as divers approached the wreck: the first men to lay eyes on the ship in more than 150 years. Using dramatic reconstruction, we tell the story of the men who sailed her, and the men who died cold and starving, in this arctic wilderness. And the film brings to life the Inuit oral tradition which was for a long time ignored by searchers, but now appears to be true.
Richard Bradley, co-Managing Director of Lion Television commented, “We’re thrilled to announce this new international partnership to record this once-in-a-lifetime discovery bringing together a wealth of production and broadcasting talent. Being granted exclusive access to such an exciting and historically important expedition such as this is an incredible opportunity for a producer – but it was a big gamble. There was always an inherent risk as to whether the expedition would actually prove a success – but this was a gamble that paid off, and we’re absolutely thrilled with the result.”
Producer Ben Finney, who was on the expedition when the discovery was made said, “The Franklin story is about men going to the edge of the world, and dying in the name of exploration. To follow in their footsteps was an amazing experience, but to actually find one the wrecks was incredible: beyond our wildest dreams.”
Maartje Horchner, Head of Acquistions at all3media International added, “We’re delighted to welcome Lion Television’s Franklin’s Lost Ships to our upcoming programming for 2015. Richard and his team at Lion have done a fantastic job in bringing together a roster of companies that are renowned throughout the world for ambitious and inspiring factual content – and such an impressive pedigree will ensure the series will be highly anticipated amongst our international clients.”
