British Universities Film & Video Council

moving image and sound, knowledge and access

Disaster Series 3 (6 Programmes)

Synopsis
The third DISASTER series examines six major technological catastrophes, using original BBC footage, recreations and interviews with key decision-makers. These include: the 1989 sinking of the Marchioness on the River Thames, grave errors made in cervical smear testing, the Japan air flight JAL 123 crash in 1985 and follows the horrifying fire discovered in Britain’s first nuclear reactor at Windscale in 1957. The programmes’ powerful and detailed approach provides an effective health & safety training resource.
Language
English
Country
Great Britain
Year of production
1999
Subjects
Engineering; Health & safety; Technology
Keywords
accident investigation; disasters

Distribution Formats

Type
DVD
Format
Region 2 PAL
Price
£1,170 series or £195 each
Availability
Sale
Duration/Size
6 x 30 minutes
Year
2012

Type
VHS
Format
PAL
Price
£1,1750 series or £195 each
Availability
Sale
Duration/Size
6 x 30 minutes
Year
2012

Sections

Title
Marchioness
Synopsis
51 people lost their lives when the ‘Bowbelle’ dredger collided with this passenger boat. The design of both vessels was criticised. Numerous warnings about the inevitability of such an accident had gone unheeded for years.
Duration
30 mins

Title
Severn Tunnel
Synopsis
In December 1991, two passenger trains collided in the 6.5km long tunnel under the River Severn in England, 185 people were injured. Rescuers did not reach the train until two hours after the accident.
Duration
30 mins

Title
JAL 123
Synopsis
In August 1985, Japan Air Flight 123 crashed into the side of a mountain northwest of Tokyo. It was the largest single aircraft fatality in history. 520 people died. A poor repair was the cause.result in d
Duration
30 mins

Title
Cancer in the System, A
Synopsis
In 1993, scientist Neil Woodward noticed that there was a problem with the way the Kent and Canterbury hospitals’ laboratories were screening cervical smear slides. It took three years and a leak to the national press before any action was taken.
Duration
30 mins

Title
Deadly Metal
Synopsis
When a Mexican warehouseman dismantled an unused hospital X-ray machine and sold it for scrap, he had no idea he was causing a radioactive spill 100 times worse than that at Three Mile Island. Six thousand pellets of cobalt-60 were spread across the USA and Mexico. The disaster was only discovered by accident.
Duration
30 mins

Title
Windscale Fire
Synopsis
Britain’s first nuclear reactor at Windscale caught fire in 1957. One error, however slight, can result in deaths.
Duration
30 mins

Production Company

Name

BBC Television

Distributor

Name

BBC Active Video for Learning - now BBC Learning

Contact
Carolina Fernandez Jeremy Wilcox (CF - for educational enquiries JW - channel sales manager)
Email
BBCStudiosLearning@bbc.com
Web
https://www.bbcstudioslearning.com/ External site opens in new window
Phone
+44 (0) 20 8433 1009
Address
BBC Studios Limited
Television Centre
101 Wood Lane
London
W12 7FA
UK
Notes
The BBC Active company has now been absorbed within BBC Learning, a division of BBC Studios. It was originally a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Pearson Education. Formerly known as ‘BBC Worldwide Learning Studies’ and before that as ‘Videos for Education & Training’

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