A shouty series on engineering opens with a look at HMS Queen Elizabeth, a new aircraft carrier, which, as the programme never tires of boasting, is very big indeed. A “floating goliath”, it has four acres of UK territory that can be deployed anywhere in the world – or will when it is finished. (There’s no mention here of the spiralling cost of the project – from £3.2 billion to an estimated £6 billion.) The doc charts the history of each design element from the ship’s turbine engines to the vertical take-off fighters it will carry, with an intriguing footnote on the short-lived Convair Pogo – a sweet-looking aircraft that took off and landed on its tail.
The Rion-Antirion Bridge, which runs for 3kms and links the town of Rio on the Peloponnese peninsula to Antirrio on mainland Greece. Located in one of Europe's most active seismic zones, its engineers had to conquer the problems of deep water, high winds and constant land mass movement to build the colossal structure.
A look at the Shanghai Tower, which at a height of 632 metres is the second tallest building in the world, With a weight of 850,000 tons, it has been built to withstand winds of typhoon proportions.
The construction of Kansai International Airport upon the largest man-made island in the world, in Osaka Bay, Japan. Pioneering innovators from the past such as Pierre Danel, who developed a system against the pounding sea, and 19th-century mechanic Richard Dudgeon made the project possible. The development of airports including Berlin's Tempelhof Airport and London's Croydon Airport are also explored to reveal how engineers attempted this feat of engineering.
Experts analyse the work of engineers including Sir Nigel Gresley, who engineered the world's fastest steam train in 1938 and Eric Laithwaite, whose linear motor made frictionless travel a possibility. These innovators influenced the engineering of the Shanghai Maglev, the fastest passenger train in operation on Earth, which broke numerous engineering boundaries in its construction. Held in place by a series of electromagnets, it levitates on an air gap of 10mm and is able to reach a top speed of 431kms per hour.
A look at the Airbus A380, which as the largest passenger plane ever built can carry more than 850 people non-stop nearly half-way around the world. With the largest wingspan of any commercial aircraft and four specially developed mighty turbo jet engines, the A380 weighs 560 tonnes and getting it off the ground would not have been possible without the work of past innovators such as George Cayley and Frank Whittle. Key developments in aerospace engineering - from Richard Whitcombe's energy-efficient wing-tip designs to Nasa engineers' cutting-edge control system, Fly by Wire - helped bring the A380 to fruition.
Constructing the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland, the longest rail tunnel in the world, running for 57 kilometres through the Alps.
The spacecraft designed for the first manned mission to Mars, planned to launch by 2035, which requires the most powerful rocket ever built and a specially designed crew module.
The Three Gorges Dam, built across China's Yangtze river, which is the largest and heaviest concrete structure ever built, housing the world's largest power station.
The Millau Viaduct in South West France, which is the tallest bridge in the world and stretches two and a half kilometres over one of Europe's deepest valleys.
A colossal American football stadium in Texas, that features the world's largest retractable roof and is able to seat over 100,000 spectators with no restricted viewpoints.
Examining a fleet of cruise ships that are the largest passenger vessels in the world, and revealing how they have built on 19th-century experiments in hydrodynamics.
The construction of London's Shard, revealing how it was influenced by the Milan Metro, concrete grain storage in Minnesota and a lifting mechanism in the Venice shipyards.
A look at the US navy's most advanced nuclear submarine - which can remain underwater for months at a time - examining the previous vessels that influenced it.
The largest and most sophisticated radio telescope on the planet, which draws inspiration from geodesic dome designs and the work of 18th-century engineer Jean Marie Jacquard.
Opened in 2016, the Panama Canal expansion was an engineering project on a colossal scale. Hear how history's pioneers shaped this modern-day feat.
How the world's biggest ship, designed to install oil platforms and lay pipelines, was inspired by a logging machine, a wire rope and 1940s shipbuilding techniques.
A fully relocatable polar research station in Antarctica, which was inspired by a revolutionary icebreaking ship and ingenious designs for pre-fabricated buildings.
The creation of London's Crossrail network, revealing how taxidermy inspired an engineering breakthrough.
The construction of the Tokyo Skytree, the world's tallest free-standing tower, which uses liquid springs and safety glass to withstand earthquakes and high winds.
The construction and maintenance of the International Space Station, revealing the influence of an unconventional aircraft designer and a 19th-century rebreather.
The US Navy's fastest combat ships, which are capable of a turn of speed only possible due to a revolutionary water propulsion system and the chance discovery of a brand new alloy.
The Tesla automotive manufacturing facility, where the world's strongest robots produce 2000 cars a week. Featuring a comparison with the world's first production line.
The construction of Airlander 10, the world's largest aircraft which combines elements of planes, helicopters and airships and is able to stay airborne for five days.
The world's tallest roller coaster in Los Angeles' Six Flags Amusement Park, which was inspired by scenic railways and steam catapults on aircraft carriers.
How an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico was inspired by the first drilled oil well, pioneering remote manipulator arms, and the discovery of fireproof chemicals.
The incredible efforts to ensure that the hastily constructed temporary fix around the damaged reactor at Chernobyl becomes a permanent solution, known as the New Safe Confinement.
How a team of intrepid engineers keep the London Array, one of the largest offshore wind farms on the planet, maintained and producing electricity whatever the weather.
The creation of Hudson Yards on Manhattan Island, New York, a construction project built over the tracks and railway sidings of Penn Station - literally in thin air.
An insight into the construction of the cutting-edge Ford class aircraft carriers, the largest warships ever built, which are almost as long as the Empire State Building is tall.
The InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland, a 337-room hotel that burrows 16 stories below ground level, clinging to the cliffs of an abandoned quarry.
How the Abrams Tank, the US Army's biggest land combat vehicle, is constructed, using access to the factory where they are built, as well as their testing grounds.
A look at the history of personal flight, culminating in Richard Browning and his team of engineers' development of the Gravity Industries Jet Suit.
An insight into a team of engineers in Perth's attempts to not only break the 763mph land speed record set back in 1997, but also go past the 1,000mph barrier.
A look onboard the $200million Black Pearl, which is the largest sailing yacht in the world and has been built to sail faster than any ship of its size.
A look at the Qinghai-Tibet line, the highest railway in the world, providing an insight into the engineering challenges faced at high altitude and in bitterly cold temperatures.
The man-made islands of Dubai are modern-day engineering marvels that turn the Arabian Sea into high-priced real estate. Today, a team of expert engineers use cutting-edge technology to build a brand-new city district where there was once only water.
The construction of Whistler on the Canadian Pacific seaboard, a remote ski resort whose creation was made possible with record-breaking engineering equipment.
A floating bridge in Seattle, one of the longest in the world, intended to connect the growing suburb of Bellevue with the high-tech downtown heart of the city.
The Boka Vanguard, the planet's largest heavy lift ship, capable of carrying the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty at the same time.
Nato's Airborne Warning and Control System, a cutting-edge aircraft that enables pilots to spot hostile intrusion as they protect state borders of the countries in the alliance.
How in devising the F35 Lightning II, engineers have pushed the boundaries of aviation technology further than ever before and created a revolutionary, fighter aircraft.
The Beipanjiang First Bridge, the highest bridge on Earth, connecting two communities in China formerly divided by a gorge known as 'the crack in the Earth'.
A look at the incredible machines built to get troops directly to the front line, on land, at sea and in the air.
The Independent, a residential skyscraper in Austin, Texas. At a height of 690ft, it is the tallest building in the city, surpassing the 683ft Austonian, another residential skyscraper.
A look at the world's biggest oil tanker - the mighty Supertanker Europe of the record-breaking TI Class of ship.
A look at the Beijing Daxing, set to become the biggest airport in the world, designed to accommodate a staggering 100 million travellers each year.
The skinniest skyscraper on earth is being built in New York City. Can engineers find a way to build this ultra-tall slender building?
Chinese authorities attempt a huge infrastructure project as they try to move vast amounts of water from the wet south of the country to the dry north.
The Falkirk wheel is the first and only rotating boat lift, capable of moving 600 tonnes of boat and water over a 25-metre height difference in just minutes.
Stratolaunch is designed to lift rockets, spacecraft and experimental high-speed hypersonic planes into the stratosphere, then release them for their onward journey into space.
