Titanic Sinks Tonight

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Titanic Sinks Tonight
TitanicSinksTonight-BBC.webp
Release poster by BBC Two
Genre Docudrama
Created byHelen Sage
Rebecca Fairbank
Written byHugh Ballantyne
Directed byHugh Ballantyne
Starring See prose
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers Kieran Doherty
Matthew Worthy
ProducerRebecca Fairbank
Production locationNorthern Ireland
EditorHelen Sage
Production company Stellify Media
Original release
Network BBC Two
Release28 December (2025-12-28) –
31 December 2025 (2025-12-31)

Titanic Sinks Tonight is a four-part television documentary and drama series about the sinking of the Titanic aired on BBC Two between 28 and 31 December 2025. The series is based on letters and testimonies from the survivors, as well as interviews they gave in the decades after the disaster. [1]

Contents

Premise

Titanic Sinks Tonight is a production of Stellify Media, with the support of Sony Pictures Television, Arte, and Australian broadcaster Special Broadcasting Service. The four episodes were filmed in Northern Ireland. [2] [3] Executive producer Kieran Doherty said that the series purportedly focus on the human experience and not in how the ship was built or how it sank. [4]

The series combine dramatisations and professional input, with renowned historians and veterans like JJ Chalmers of the Royal Navy, Suzannah Lipscomb, Royal Navy Admiral Alan West, Baron West of Spithead, and Somali-British novelist Nadifa Mohamed. [5] [6]

In the first episode, the series chronicle the journey of the Titanic through the witness accounts of some passengers and crew, including wireless junior officer Harold Bride (Tyger Drew-Honey), second officer Charles Lightoller, fifth officer Harold Lowe, second-class passenger Charlotte Collyer, American first-class passenger Jack Thayer, stewardess Violet Jessop, the Duff-Gordons (Lucy and Cosmo), among others. [2]

The following episodes focus on the sinking, the evacuation efforts, the panic that ensued after the departure of all lifeboats and how those who perished met their fate, including Captain Smith and shipbuilder Thomas Andrews. [2]

Reception

Hannah Davies of The Guardian gave the series four out of five stars, highlighting the enduring interest and fascination in the Titanic, praising the professional contribution by historians and novelist Mohamed. Davies lamented what she considered a "surplus of testimonies", instead of focusing on the most impactful. [6]

Anita Singh of The Daily Telegraph also gave the series four stars, calling it an "impressively made" and "gripping" docudrama. [7] Senan Molony of the Irish Independent said that the series tell a good story, while pointing to the "confusions in timings and accounts" made by the press 1912 which are erroneously portrayed in the series. [8]

Cast

Sources: [5] [2]

Fictional

Experts

References

  1. ↑ "Titanic Sinks Tonight". BBC. 28 December 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Trailer released for Docu-drama Titanic Sinks Tonight". Northern Ireland Screen . 16 December 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  3. ↑ Donaghy, Gerard (12 October 2025). "First images released of new BBC docu-drama that tells story of Titanic sinking in real time". The Irish Post . Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  4. ↑ Allen, Abby (1 January 2026). "BBC's 'incredible' 4-part series based on true story is your next must-watch". Hello! . Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Titanic Sinks Tonight". BBC . 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  6. 1 2 Davies, Hannah J. (28 December 2025). "Titanic Sinks Tonight review – it's like you're reliving that terrifying night". The Guardian . Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  7. ↑ Singh, Anita (28 December 2025). "The minute-by-minute horror of the Titanic's fate is not quite what you want for Christmas" . The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  8. ↑ Molony, Senan (31 December 2025). "BBC's 'Titanic Sinks Tonight' tells a good story, but some myths on the disaster persist". Irish Independent . Retrieved 9 January 2026.
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