Tragic tale of Britain's doomed 1845 Franklin Expedition in which crew turned to cannibalism before perishing after their ships become stuck in Arctic ice is given a supernatural twist in BBC's The Terror
- The Terror, which premiered last night, tells the story of the Franklin Expedition
- Sir John Franklin and a crew of some 130 people set out to explore the Arctic
- But they ventured too far south and by the autumn of 1846 were stuck in ice
- Eventually everyone perished, but the exact circumstances remain unknown The extraordinary and tragic story of the doomed Franklin Expedition that ended in the deaths of more than 120 crew members has been given a supernatural twist in a gripping new BBC drama.
The Terror, which premiered last night, tells the story of the lost 1845 expedition, led by Sir John Franklin, which set out to search for a navigable passage around the north of Canada through icy Arctic seas.
The two ships, HMS Terror and HMS Erebus, were the most technologically advanced vessels of their day. But they ventured too far south and by the autumn of of 1846 they were trapped in the ice near King William Island.
They saw no daylight for months on end and to keep track of the days and nights they rang the bell, every half an hour.
The Terror (BBC2) tells the story of the lost 1845 expedition, led by Sir John Franklin, which set out to search for a navigable passage around the north of Canada through icy Arctic seas. Pictured, Tobias Menzies as James Fitzjames and Ciaran Hinds as Sir John Franklin
The two ships, HMS Terror and HMS Erebus, were the most technologically advanced vessels of their day. But they ventured too far south and by the autumn of of 1846 they were trapped in the ice near King William Island. Pictured, a scene from 10-part BBC2 series The Terror
The crew's final message before they were wiped out - sent April 25, 1848 - indicated that there were survivors - but, at that point they were abandoning their ships after 18 months trapped in the ice.
The crew left the two vessels north of King William Island and set out on a harsh journey south toward a mainland trading post.
Eventually Sir Franklin, along with all 128 crew members, perished in the Arctic. Exactly what happened remains largely a mystery, although research suggests the crew resorted to cannibalism and there were reports that their behaviour became erratic and bizarre. The wreckage sites were located in the 2000s.
This mysterious story of the slow demise of Sir John and his crew is compelling enough, but 10-part series The Terror, executive produced by Ridley Scott, adds a terrifying supernatural element.
Sir John Franklin, pictured, perished with his crew
The series, which premiered last night and is available to watch in full on iPlayer, is based on a novel by Dan Simmons in which the crew are stalked across the ice by some sort of monster.
This creature is a metaphor for their madness as they slowly lose themselves to the wilderness.
Ciaran Hinds plays Sir John Franklin, deeply religious and blithely certain that God meant him to map the Northwest Passage and create a short-cut from Britain to the Far East.
Greta Scacchi plays his wife, Jared Harris his mutinous captain and Tobias Menzies - best known as Prince Philip in The Crown - plays the cocky junior officer who thinks he knows it all.
The first episode sees Sir John and his captain debating over two opposing courses of action.
A hint of what is to come is given with the gory autopsy on a young sailor who died of TB.
The Terror is available on BBC iPlayer
The crew's final message before they were wiped out - sent April 25, 1848 - indicated that there were survivors - but, at that point they were abandoning their ships
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