Lighthouses: Building the Impossible

Rob heads nine miles out into the English Channel to see why building the world's first rock lighthouse was such a monumental achievement. At Eddystone Reef, Rob witnesses the awesome power of rough seas and jagged rocks for himself, before a vivid demonstration of why building a tower on a wave-lashed rock was regarded as an impossible dream.

Rob Bell uncovers the incredible stories behind Scotland's mighty Bell Rock lighthouse, an engineering marvel built on a deadly submerged reef in the treacherous North Sea. Eleven miles offshore, this light has stood strong for over 200 years, but at the start of the 19th century, the reef was a menace causing innumerable wrecks and drowning countless mariners. As the show reveals, Robert Stevenson, a young, ambitious engineer, was determined to prove that something could be done to stop Bell Rock claiming so many lives.

Rob Bell explores the wild and beautiful south coast of Ireland to reveal why Fastnet is regarded as one of the most stunning rock lighthouses ever built. He also finds out how this lonely tower became the crowning glory in a 1,500-year legacy of saving lives.