Longitude

7.0
20002h 5m

The fascinating story of John Harrison who, in the 18th century, believed he could make a clock that would work on board a ship—and so solve the problem of finding longitude at sea.

Production

Logo for Granada Television
Logo for A+E Global Media

Seasons

2 Episodes • Premiered 2000

Still image for Longitude season 1 episode 1: Part 1

1. Part 1

When the British Parliament creates an award of £20,000 to whoever can come up with a solution for determining longitude at sea, a carpenter-turned-clockmaker, John Harrison, begins his experiments to build an accurate timepiece unaffected by sea travel. His main obstacles are lack of money, a judgment Board convinced that the answer lies in astronomy and not clocks, and the mechanics of the clock itself.

Still image for Longitude season 1 episode 2: Part 2

2. Part 2

Rallying after sickness to prove the integrity of their marvelous seafaring chronometers, the Harrisons still had to fight for official recognition, and Gould's restoration of the Harrison clockworks provides a fitting coda to this exceptional story about the thrill of discovery and the tenacity of remarkable men.

Cast

Photo of Michael Gambon

Michael Gambon

John Harrison

Photo of Jeremy Irons

Jeremy Irons

Rupert Gould

Photo of Gemma Jones

Gemma Jones

Elizabeth Harrison

Photo of Anna Chancellor

Anna Chancellor

Muriel Gould

Photo of Peter-Hugo Daly

Peter-Hugo Daly

John Jefferies

Photo of Alec McCowen

Alec McCowen

Sir Frank Dyson

Photo of Kevin Hudson

Kevin Hudson

Lieutenant (uncredited)

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