Surviving Disaster

6.7
20061h

Production

Logo for BBC

Natural and man-made catastrophes retold by eyewitnesses and dramatic reconstructions.

Seasons

7 Episodes • Premiered 2006

Still image for Surviving Disaster season 1 episode 1: Munich Air Crash

1. Munich Air Crash

6 February 1958: the plane carrying Manchester United crashes during take-off in Germany, killing 23 of the 43 on board, including eight members of the "Busby Babes".

Still image for Surviving Disaster season 1 episode 2: Eruption at Mount St Helens

2. Eruption at Mount St Helens

Eruption at Mount St Helens. Rising almost 10,000 feet over Washington State, the volcano had not erupted for more than 100 years until May 1980, when its unexpected explosion unleashed a destructive force estimated to be 500 times the power of the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

Still image for Surviving Disaster season 1 episode 3: Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster

3. Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster

April 1986: a blast at a Soviet nuclear plant emits 400 times more radiation than Hiroshima's bomb. Adrian Edmondson stars in a drama documentary recalling a catastrophe that the UN claims has killed at least 8,000.

Still image for Surviving Disaster season 1 episode 4: San Francisco Earthquake

4. San Francisco Earthquake

17 October 1989: a tremor measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale causes major damage to the coastal city, trapping scores of drivers on the Cypress freeway. This drama documentary vividly reconstructs the disaster and the rescue mission, while survivors recall the terror.

Still image for Surviving Disaster season 1 episode 5: The Fastnet Yacht Race

5. The Fastnet Yacht Race

Terror awaited men and women sailing in the infamous offshore race of August 1979. This drama documentary reconstructs the ferocious Irish Sea storm that hit the race and scattered yachts in treacherous waters - killing 15 and causing 24 crews to abandon ship.

Still image for Surviving Disaster season 1 episode 6: Iran Hostage Rescue

6. Iran Hostage Rescue

In November 1979, Iranian militants seized the US embassy in Tehran, taking 66 Americans hostage. President Carter ordered an elite US military force to launch a top-secret rescue, Operation Eagle Claw. This re-creation of the dramatic events splices the action with archive footage of those directly involved.

Still image for Surviving Disaster season 1 episode 7: The Sinking of The Estonia

7. The Sinking of The Estonia

Once a symbol of independence for the Estonian people, the ferry ventured into the Baltic's high winds and ferocious waves in September 1994. Under pressure to arrive on time, the Estonia kept going at speed - causing the car ramp to open and water to enter. Of the aboard, only 137 survived.

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Reviews

N

Peter McGinn

7/10

These episodes are fairly well done in my opinion. I found that my interest in them varied according to how interested I was in the particular disaster. Fro example, I have seen and read a bit about Chernobyl, so the different perspective and portrayals were appreciated.

I feel they did a good job with the special effects of recreating event, and the acting was adequate for this type of drama/documentary.

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