A Titanic undertaking
You can really imagine the problem....The 100th anniversary of the Titanic disaster is approaching, you have a budget of £11m to spend on a drama series to mark it and you’ve even managed to assemble a dream team of TV talents to make it all happen. But then, looming in the background like a giant iceberg is James Cameron’s 1997 all-conquering blockbuster. Lingering memories of Kate, Leo and wailing siren Celine Dion waiting to sink your own project. It’s like making a show about a rogue shark and expecting people not to be remembering the attack music from Jaws.
The solution? Take evasive action, change course and do something completely different. Instead of a single epic love story, create a multi-layered ensemble piece with numerous characters and interwoven plot-lines that show the experience of the tragedy from several different perspectives. With Downton Abbey writer Julian Fellowes penning the story, it isn’t surprising that this four-part ITV series also presents a fascinating snapshot of British society in 1912, and throws in quite a few Irish angles.
