An investigation into history documentary production processes, How Britain Bridges the World, 60 minute documentary, The History Channel

An investigation into history documentary production processes - How Britain Bridges the World - 60 minute documentary - The History Channel
The documentary narrative and content was developed by Senior Lecturer Fiona Graham and explored the engineering and architecture used to build a range of bridge constructions in the UK and France including the Millau Viaduct.
Graham developed the programme interviewing and collaborating with scientists and academics to create new knowledge about engineering using accessible narratives for a public audience. She then applied this new knowledge using international television broadcast as a medium of mass dissemination of history with an SME Title Role Productions in Manchester. The concept was commissioned and published by Sky's History Channel and produced by Title Role Productions.
The documentary's subject of engineering and bridges and the narrative style became a format that then resulted in subsequent documentaries for example Britain's Greatest Bridges on Channel 5 following Graham's publication on The History Channel.
This development of content from an academic producer leading the narrative of the entire programme rather than only an academic contributor is a new concept. This was developed further to create the Production House method by Graham. This method was tested in other new and varied content creation for multiple platforms for maximum impact and dissemination of history and crime genres.
Graham's academic history and journalistic background enabled development of the documentary, discovering and assembling academics and industry partners and creating new story narratives that allowed public access using a video broadcast for high impact.
'How Britain Bridges The World' became underpinning research for the creation of Graham's Production House method to embed content creation within an academic institution rather than academic contributor-only driven narratives within the television industry.