0:00:02 > 0:00:03This is Absolute Genius.
0:00:03 > 0:00:08So, sit down, buckle up and get ready for take-off.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12Each show will introduce you to a different genius.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16An amazing person who had a genius idea which shaped the world.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18And they will inspire us
0:00:18 > 0:00:21to come up with our own genius idea at the end of each show.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24- But will it be any good? - Will it be any good?
0:00:24 > 0:00:26It will be...
0:00:26 > 0:00:28- BOTH:- Absolute Genius.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33On today's show, we will be going deep underground.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36And facing our fears. Look behind you.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39- Don't wobble it! - I'm not doing anything!
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Today we're going to introduce you to a truly great man
0:01:18 > 0:01:22- and a Great Briton.- One of the best engineers this world has ever seen.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26- He could build and design pretty much anything.- Bridges, tunnels.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28Ships, railways.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31- Ladies and gentlemen, we give you... - Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Good day.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35- Where's my hat? - It must have blown off.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37A genius engineer with a genius name.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41Inspired by Brunel here, we are going to be coming up with our own
0:01:41 > 0:01:43genius challenge later on in the show.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47Showing our usual kindness and consideration to each other.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51- Don't wobble it.- I'm not doing anything.- Just stand still, then.
0:01:51 > 0:01:52But first, let's find out
0:01:52 > 0:01:55a little bit more about the great man himself.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59Isambard was born in 1806 in Portsmouth, England.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01His dad, Mark, was a very good engineer
0:02:01 > 0:02:05and taught his son everything he knew about the job.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09Isambard's genius as an engineer was focused on transport -
0:02:09 > 0:02:12whether it was railways, bridges, tunnels or ships,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15he wanted to build them better, bigger
0:02:15 > 0:02:18and in ways that had never been done before.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25In the 1820s, Isambard and his dad were working
0:02:25 > 0:02:28together on the banks of the River Thames in London.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32They were attempting what no engineer had previously achieved.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34They're incredibly ambitious plan was
0:02:34 > 0:02:38to dig the world's first ever tunnel under a river.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41And here, in the streets of Rotherhithe east London
0:02:41 > 0:02:42is where it all started.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48What a lot of people don't know is that Brunel
0:02:48 > 0:02:51and his dad had a very unique way of digging a tunnel.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53But it was a lot cleverer than using a bucket and spade.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55SMASHING Sorry.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59Until then, engineers if they wanted to dig a tunnel,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02would just dig a big trench and stick a roof on top.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05But of course you couldn't do that for a tunnel under the Thames,
0:03:05 > 0:03:07cos if you did, the river would flood in
0:03:07 > 0:03:09and everyone would get wet, very wet.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13So they needed to dig down, right underneath the riverbed.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18In order to do this, they had to burrow a really massively long hole.
0:03:18 > 0:03:19The Brunels took their inspiration
0:03:19 > 0:03:22from a creature that's very good at burrowing.
0:03:22 > 0:03:23And I'm not talking about a rabbit.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26No, believe it or not, it was a worm.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33Meet genius helper and top marine biology dude, the Blowfish.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37He's into heavy metal music and stuff that lives in the sea.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39He's brought along something called a ship worm,
0:03:39 > 0:03:44a creature that likes eating its way through the wooden bottoms of boats.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47Mr Blowfish, apparently you've got an example of a ship worm.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50- What does it do?- It's technically not actually a worm.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52He is in fact a mollusc.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56He is more closely related to things like snails, mussels, cockles.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58He does have a shell.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02It's with the shell that he does all this fantastic handling.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04He looks all smooth and squishy inside there.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06He's actually surrounded by shell?
0:04:06 > 0:04:09No, he uses that shell like a battering ram.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Like a shield at the front of his burrow.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15He jams his head into the end of wood and twists left and right,
0:04:15 > 0:04:19left and right burrowing away making a fantastic tunnel
0:04:19 > 0:04:21and munching the wood that comes back.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Its shell is working in the same way that when you see
0:04:24 > 0:04:26the drill bit on the end of your dad's drill
0:04:26 > 0:04:28that goes into the wall. Is it working the same way?
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Absolutely, but having a soft, squishy body,
0:04:31 > 0:04:34digging tunnels could cause a problem. Cave-ins.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37So, the ship worm lines his burrow with calcium,
0:04:37 > 0:04:39and this is the same stuff you've got in your bones.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43So he's digging a hole and lining it with protection at the same time?
0:04:43 > 0:04:46I'm not surprised that the Brunels found inspiration from this.
0:04:46 > 0:04:51- I think it's time we give it a go ourselves.- In what way?
0:04:51 > 0:04:55- Follow the Blowfish.- I've never followed a blowfish before.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Right, then, gentlemen.
0:04:59 > 0:05:05It's time to get you two into the mind and body of the ship worm.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09We're going to use these shovels to mimic the digging
0:05:09 > 0:05:13- shells on the ship worm. - Got to use them for something.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17- I need a young apprentice.- You could show us first. Then we can...
0:05:17 > 0:05:21No, no, no, I think it would be much better if you learned on the job.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25- He'd like to do it.- Dom, are you going to take over?- He loves it.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30- Come on, then, my proud beauty. - Ah, my back.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32Get down on the floor.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36- Get down on the floor.- If you'd like to lie on this. There we go.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Right, these are your shell valves.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42No, they're not, they're spades.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45"Look at that Brunel," they said.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48"Look at his tunnels," they said. "Come and see his ships," they said.
0:05:48 > 0:05:53- He loves it.- This is your calcium cocoon.- No, it's a sheet.
0:05:53 > 0:05:54It's a sheet of calcium.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01- Let the tunnelling begin.- Go. That's it, go on, son.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05- Dig that earth, go on. - He's doing well.- Left and right.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10- It's a bit weird.- I don't actually know what's going on.
0:06:10 > 0:06:16Left and right, you're doing well, worm. Come on.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18This is stupid.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22This means nothing, it's achieving nothing, no-one's learning from this.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26- Well, I'm learning a lot, Dom. - Stop this.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30My shoes are covered in mud, this is pointless. What's going on?
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Now, Dom may struggle to dig like a ship worm,
0:06:34 > 0:06:38but the tunnelling technique of that creature is very similar
0:06:38 > 0:06:41to what the Brunels used for their Thames Tunnel.
0:06:41 > 0:06:42Like the ship worm's shell,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46they used a kind of shield to protect the men digging underground.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50They also shored up the tunnel behind them to stop it falling in.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53- And now the big question. - Does the tunnel still exist?
0:06:53 > 0:06:54Well, of course it does.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56So we called on the services
0:06:56 > 0:07:00of Brunel genius expert Robert Hulse to show us inside.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Meet Robert Hulse. He runs the Brunel Museum in London
0:07:05 > 0:07:08which sits right on top of the entrance to the Thames Tunnel.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12- Robert! - Hello, gentlemen. Follow me.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18It's time to go underground,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21because this is where the Thames Tunnel begins.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23This is incredible.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26It's beautiful. Wow!
0:07:28 > 0:07:30So, where exactly are we?
0:07:30 > 0:07:35We're here, this is the level we're standing at now,
0:07:35 > 0:07:39and the tunnels are beneath our feet.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43Is this the first tunnel that went underneath a river ever?
0:07:43 > 0:07:45Yes, the first in the world.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48That must have been a massive feat of engineering at the time.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50They began by building a tower.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52They built a tower 50-feet tall
0:07:52 > 0:07:55and they sunk it into the soft earth.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Once the Brunels had sunk their tower down
0:07:57 > 0:08:00to the level of the bottom of the Thames,
0:08:00 > 0:08:02they started digging sideways
0:08:02 > 0:08:04tunnelling just beneath the riverbed.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06To a lot of people working here,
0:08:06 > 0:08:08it must have been quite a dangerous project.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Very dangerous. They dug in cages.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13The men working in the cages are showered
0:08:13 > 0:08:15with Thames water, which is sewage.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19There were five floods, and in one flood, six men died in here.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25Despite the dangers, the Brunels were determined to finish the job.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28They even had dinner in the tunnel and invited all their friends.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34And when it was finally finished in 1843, there was great excitement.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38..Because in 1843, the idea of walking under a river
0:08:38 > 0:08:42the size of the Thames is like walking on the moon.
0:08:42 > 0:08:4650,000 people on the first day filed down that wooden staircase -
0:08:46 > 0:08:50- you can still see the line of it. - That's a phenomenal amount.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52- RUMBLING - What's happening?
0:08:52 > 0:08:55That's the trains beneath our feet.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59Beneath this entrance shaft, there are two working train tunnels.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02The Thames Tunnel is still there, under the river today.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Here at Wapping station on the London Underground is the Brunels'
0:09:08 > 0:09:13genius, as impressive now as it was 170 years ago.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16These two tunnels were the start of the London Underground,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19and any underground transport system in the world.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Well, that really was absolute genius.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29- But Brunel didn't stop with the Thames Tunnel.- Oh, no.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Here's another five of Brunel's belters.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35It's the Genius Top Five.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Five, Brunel's Great Western Railway.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41The first railway line from London to the south-west of England.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45Four, Paddington station where the Great Western Railway began.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48- Passengers please move to number... - Three. The Box Tunnel.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51When opened it was the longest railway tunnel in the world.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56Two, Bristol Docks where Brunel built great ships.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59One, the Great Western paddle steamship.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02When finished in 1838, it was the largest ship in the world.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09Later on, we'll be coming up
0:10:09 > 0:10:12with our own genius-ly big Brunel challenge.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Dick's fear of heights is going to be tested to the limit.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19- Don't wobble it!- I'm not doing anything!- Just stand still, then!
0:10:19 > 0:10:21In an ideal world, it would be great to jump inside Isambard's brain
0:10:21 > 0:10:24and have a good root around, see what he was thinking.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26We can't do that, obviously,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29but the next best thing is to go from his brain to paper.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35Meet genius expert Eleni Papvasileiou.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38She looks after lots of the actual drawings,
0:10:38 > 0:10:42designs and writing done by Brunel himself all those years ago.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47- What have we got here?- Hi, welcome.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50It's quite a wide and varied selection of items beginning,
0:10:50 > 0:10:55with a lovely drawing we have in our collection of a rocking horse.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59This is a drawing that Isambard drew in 1812
0:10:59 > 0:11:01when he was only six years old.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03- Six years old!- Look at it.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08Most kids can only just draw a person and it doesn't look like a person.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13Brunel has got all the muscle shape, the face, it's incredible.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Brunel never stopped working.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18It looks here like he has done a self-portrait.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21And these notebooks are the proof of that.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25In the very back of this book, he has drawn all these lovely
0:11:25 > 0:11:27drawings of plants and trees.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29Different measurements and everything.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32He couldn't just do a bit of gardening, he had
0:11:32 > 0:11:36to measure them all, create scale diagrams of them all, list them all.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40I mean, there's gardening and there's this.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42This is like the behaviour of a madman.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46I think what it is, is a demonstration of his genius.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49At least I wasn't rolling around with spades on my legs.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Yeah, all right.
0:11:51 > 0:11:52And in this sketch book,
0:11:52 > 0:11:57Brunel has drawn his design for one of his most famous ships.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59The SS Great Britain.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06And here it is in all its glory on the dockside in Bristol
0:12:06 > 0:12:09where Brunel built it all those years ago.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13- Wow. That is impressive. - That is a big ship.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16This is Brunel's SS Great Britain.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19When it was built, it was the biggest ship in the world.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Let's go and have a look around it.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28This ship really is a monster at 98-metres long.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31But back when it was being built, there was plenty of people
0:12:31 > 0:12:35who thought it would sink, because it was made of iron, not wood.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39But Brunel was a risk-taker, and in 1843,
0:12:39 > 0:12:44150,000 people gathered in Bristol docks to watch her being launched.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49This was a ship of the future. As well as being made of iron,
0:12:49 > 0:12:54not wood, she was powered by an engine rather than wind or ores.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57This seriously is genius engineering.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59I mean, look at those slabs of iron.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03There's wheels, arms, pistons, bolts and nuts. It's 150 tonnes' worth.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Yes, it's going to generate a serious amount of power,
0:13:06 > 0:13:08but you're going to need that much power to try
0:13:08 > 0:13:12and plough a 3,500-tonne ship through the Atlantic.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14A lot of power.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16And all that power drove this,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19the SS Great Britain's enormous propeller.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22It measures nearly five metres across.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25This was the first passenger ship in the world
0:13:25 > 0:13:27to be driven by a propeller.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36In 1845, Brunel's world-beating ship made her first crossing
0:13:36 > 0:13:38of the Atlantic Ocean.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42Yeah, very impressive, but I bet Brunel couldn't walk on water.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47Yeah, maybe. Look, just put the mop down. Silly man.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Brunel was obviously a genius engineer,
0:13:51 > 0:13:55sometimes though his ideas did not go quite according to plan.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58It's The Not So Genius Idea.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01While performing a magic trick for his children,
0:14:01 > 0:14:06Brunel accidentally swallowed a coin. It became stuck in his throat.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09A special pair of forceps couldn't get it out.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11In the end, he had to be strapped to a board,
0:14:11 > 0:14:13turned upside-down and shaken.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16This did the trick, and the coin was jerked free.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20A lucky escape for the great man.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Alla-kazaam, piff, paff, poof! Rabbit!
0:14:23 > 0:14:25So, Brunel built great tunnels.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29Amazing railways that are still in use today, fantastic ships,
0:14:29 > 0:14:32- but what's missing from all of this? - Patio?- Patio, yes, no.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Not patios, there was no great need for patios
0:14:34 > 0:14:36in the 19th century, was there?
0:14:36 > 0:14:38I'm talking about his most incredible
0:14:38 > 0:14:40constructions of all time, his bridges.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Oh, yes, like this one.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45The Maidenhead Bridge otherwise known as The Sounding Arch.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48Let's find out why.
0:14:48 > 0:14:49Ready?
0:14:49 > 0:14:50- (ECHOING)- Bogies.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Have a go.
0:14:53 > 0:14:54Bogies.
0:14:54 > 0:14:59BO-GIES!
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Bogies!
0:15:03 > 0:15:07Bo...gies!
0:15:08 > 0:15:12Bet that's never been played under here before. BOGIES!
0:15:12 > 0:15:14I want one.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18- That's a new one - Echo Bogies. Think I won that with a 8.5.- Yeah.
0:15:18 > 0:15:19When that's all said and done, though,
0:15:19 > 0:15:21I mean, most people just think that that is a bridge
0:15:21 > 0:15:22built out of bricks.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25It is, but there's something really weird that I can't work out.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27The bridge has got no support underneath,
0:15:27 > 0:15:28yet the bricks are still there.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31If only Fran, our resident scientist, was here to tell us why.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34This is Fran! She just loves experimenting...
0:15:34 > 0:15:36- Ah!- Ah!
0:15:36 > 0:15:38..to help explain the ideas of our geniuses,
0:15:38 > 0:15:42and she's sure to pop up just when you really need her.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45- Fran!- Hello.- All right?
0:15:45 > 0:15:48- Were you talking about Brunel's beautiful bridge?- We were.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51It's lovely. We were admiring yet wondering at the same time,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54wondering why the bricks at the bottom of the bridge,
0:15:54 > 0:15:55cos without any support under them,
0:15:55 > 0:15:58- why don't they just fall into the water?- It's a good question.
0:15:58 > 0:15:59Is it because of the cement?
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Is the cement holding the bricks in place so they don't fall down?
0:16:02 > 0:16:04No, cos you can actually have an arch bridge
0:16:04 > 0:16:06without cement between the bricks, and it still stays up.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10Hang on a minute, are you telling me that you can build a bridge like that
0:16:10 > 0:16:12with no cement, no bonding?
0:16:12 > 0:16:13Exactly. And we're going to do that,
0:16:13 > 0:16:15because you don't need cement for an arch bridge to work,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17but you need a few other things.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20You need two supports at the end of an arch to keep it up,
0:16:20 > 0:16:22and they are called abutments.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24And you two are going to be my two abutments.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27- Oh, nice, I've always wanted to be one of those.- I can imagine.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30But you also need some bricks in between the arch to form it,
0:16:30 > 0:16:36but we don't have any bricks, but we do have some toilet roll.
0:16:36 > 0:16:37Toilet roll holder.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40So, here are my bricks, and you two are my abutments.
0:16:40 > 0:16:41You could say that.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44So, if you take that brick and pop it next to your head.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48- Brick, all right.- There you go, there you go.- That one's a bit wet!
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Oh, dear.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53And we've got one final brick, which is a specially shaped one,
0:16:53 > 0:16:55which scientists call the keystone,
0:16:55 > 0:16:57and this should hold our bridge together.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59- So, if you guys could come slightly closer together.- Yeah.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03- Oh, you're slightly shorter, there, Dom.- Yeah, all right, all right!
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Slightly further apart. Ever so slightly. Oh!
0:17:06 > 0:17:08Don't be quite so fast, abutments.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11- There we go!- Ta-da!
0:17:11 > 0:17:15And it's staying up with no...just about staying up with no cement.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19- Is it arched?- It is arched. It's just about arched.- That's amazing!
0:17:19 > 0:17:22And the thing is, I can even push down here and it doesn't fall.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26- Good work.- We have our bridge, which is staying up with no cement.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29- An actual bridge.- Absolutely simple.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32But Brunel didn't like simple - he wanted things to be perfect,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35no matter how complicated they were.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38So, when he was building this bridge, he built it wide and flat,
0:17:38 > 0:17:41and it's record-breaking, this bridge - it's the widest,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44flattest brick arch ever built, and when it was first built,
0:17:44 > 0:17:47it's so wide and flat that people didn't think it would stay standing
0:17:47 > 0:17:50when a train went across it, but it did and it still is.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53- Still there.- Genius!- Genius.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56Which makes me think, of all of his discoveries and creations...
0:17:56 > 0:17:58you know, he was very good at the ships,
0:17:58 > 0:17:59the tunnels and everything,
0:17:59 > 0:18:03but I think his bridges are really inspiring, so I think our final
0:18:03 > 0:18:06challenge should be on his tallest, most extravagant bridge.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08Go right to the top. What do you reckon?
0:18:08 > 0:18:12You know what the problem is here. I'm genuinely scared of heights.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14- Oh, come on!- Oh, it's quite a tall bridge, this, isn't it?
0:18:14 > 0:18:15So, there is one you got in mind?
0:18:15 > 0:18:19- Yeah, I've got one in mind. - Where is it? Fiji?- Not, no...
0:18:19 > 0:18:22- Sydney?- No.- Where?- It's in Bristol.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27Back to Bristol! I love Bristol!
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Brunel loved building bridges, and here, in Bristol,
0:18:31 > 0:18:33is his most famous one of all.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35There's one Brunel bridge that stands
0:18:35 > 0:18:37head and shoulders above all the others.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39The Clifton Suspension Bridge.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45When it was designed, it was the highest
0:18:45 > 0:18:49and longest suspension bridge in the world.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53End to end, it stretches 214 metres.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57162 iron suspension rods hold the road deck
0:18:57 > 0:18:59high above the Avon River Gorge.
0:19:00 > 0:19:05Nearly 12,000 cars cross it every day.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09We'll be climbing to the very highest point of this amazing bridge...
0:19:09 > 0:19:11Look behind you.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Ah!
0:19:14 > 0:19:17..but first, we need to find out a bit more.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23Meet Brunel genius expert Mike Rowland.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26He knows every inch of Clifton Suspension Bridge.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31The weirdest part for me, because I don't like heights anyway,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34is that we're on this bridge, and it is moving slightly in the wind
0:19:34 > 0:19:36or when cars go across as well.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39- Is that normal for a bridge this high up?- Of course it is.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41It is a suspension bridge, it hangs,
0:19:41 > 0:19:45and this is where I can show you where it moves.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48- Oh, look at that!- If you look down here, you see, the stone, here,
0:19:48 > 0:19:52stays still, but can you see, the footpath goes up and down?
0:19:52 > 0:19:54- And is it...it's meant to do that? - That's right.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58So, Mike, this was built 150 years ago,
0:19:58 > 0:20:00and it's still looking really good -
0:20:00 > 0:20:02obviously, they were built to last in those days?
0:20:02 > 0:20:04That's right, but that means that we need to look after it,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06that means we need to do things,
0:20:06 > 0:20:08like changing lots of nuts and bolts all the time.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Right, OK. And how do you do the maintenance?
0:20:11 > 0:20:13Well, what we do is we go up and over here and down into this,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16we call it the cradle, that hangs beneath the bridge.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19From there, we can look after things underneath.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23You want us to stand in a cage that's hanging underneath?
0:20:23 > 0:20:25Absolutely, done all the time.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28- Why don't you come in and give me a hand?- Two seconds.- Hold on.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31From here, it looks like chicken wire
0:20:31 > 0:20:33and some planks of wood on the bottom.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35Is that the thing you're talking about?
0:20:35 > 0:20:37That's what we're going to go down into, yes.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43That cradle is scarily high.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47It hangs 76 metres above the Avon River far below.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50That's a very long way to fall!
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Would you get in there, hm?
0:20:56 > 0:20:57Look at it.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01After you, come on.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05No, don't you touch me! Get off! No!
0:21:05 > 0:21:07- Right, are you going to wait up there for me?- Yes.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09Ha-ha-ha!
0:21:09 > 0:21:10Don't.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13- Whoa! Joking.- Don't mess about, mate. - I'm only joking.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15- Oh, my...- Ha-ha-ha!
0:21:17 > 0:21:19You see, the thing about, with a fear of heights
0:21:19 > 0:21:22is when you see someone you know being in a situation
0:21:22 > 0:21:25- of being that high up...- Why are you standing like that?- Ha-ha-ha!
0:21:25 > 0:21:28THEY LAUGH
0:21:31 > 0:21:35Looks like you're doing this on your own, Dom!
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Time for some suspension bridge maintenance.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Wow, this is awesome!
0:21:40 > 0:21:44This is a whole new perspective of this bridge.
0:21:44 > 0:21:45Wow!
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Wow! Look at this view!
0:21:48 > 0:21:51Meanwhile, I've gone for a different perspective
0:21:51 > 0:21:52on where Dom is standing.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55At least he's having a lovely time!
0:22:01 > 0:22:02OK, so here we are there, Dom,
0:22:02 > 0:22:05and we need to move this cradle all the way along there.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09So, what we have to do is put this little handle on here...
0:22:09 > 0:22:11and then, ready...?
0:22:11 > 0:22:13- OK, here we go.- Here we go!
0:22:13 > 0:22:15OK.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17- Oh!- Great stuff.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21OK, we're going towards the slightly more scary bit in the middle.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23Doesn't look very nice, does it?
0:22:24 > 0:22:27Let alone being on there, but it moving as well...
0:22:28 > 0:22:30..that's a whole new level.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32This is hard work!
0:22:33 > 0:22:36This is what it's like doing a proper job!
0:22:36 > 0:22:39There are more than 5,000 bolts in the bridge superstructure,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42and each one has to be replaced before it wears out.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46OK, so what we do, then, Dom, is we take one of the sockets
0:22:46 > 0:22:50and we need to replace this bolt here. That should sit in there.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53- Might need a bit of help here.- All right then. Ready? One, two, three.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55THEY GRUNT
0:22:55 > 0:23:00- What are you guys made of, here?! - Oh, yay, yes!- Done it!- There we are.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05Now, this isn't the bolt that's going to make the bridge collapse, is it?
0:23:05 > 0:23:08- Whoops, whoa.- Mind your toes!
0:23:09 > 0:23:14All we need to do now is put a new bolt in to replace the old one.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Tell you what, got to be built like a brick layer to do this.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24Argh, one more, one, two, three! Oh, my goodness! Thanks, Brunel.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26That is seriously exhausting. Please, tell me that's it.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28That's it, job done.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Now, as if this bridge wasn't tall enough -
0:23:32 > 0:23:34it's, like, one of the tallest in the world -
0:23:34 > 0:23:37we're also going to go even higher now.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39Go right on the top of that tower. See that?
0:23:39 > 0:23:42- You got your harness on? - Yeah, all set. Sorted.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44So, this is our genius idea.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49Can we get Dick to conquer his fear of heights?
0:23:49 > 0:23:52To do that, we're going to try to climb to the very top
0:23:52 > 0:23:55of one of the towers at the end of the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
0:23:55 > 0:24:00Up there, it's a whopping 102 metres above the river below.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Going to the top of a tower
0:24:03 > 0:24:05on top of one of the highest bridges in the world.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Yes, we are, that is correct. I'm doing this for you, OK?
0:24:09 > 0:24:12So, if all goes wrong...your fault!
0:24:14 > 0:24:16- All right so far?- Yeah.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18Wah-ha-ha-ha!
0:24:21 > 0:24:23The first stage of our climb
0:24:23 > 0:24:26is up a series of ladders inside the tower structure.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36- I've said to myself, "Whatever you do, don't look down."- No, don't.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39This is where the fear of heights just starts kicking in, here!
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Look behind you.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Ahh!
0:24:45 > 0:24:47This is nuts.
0:24:49 > 0:24:50Ha-ha-ha!
0:24:57 > 0:25:00Made it to the halfway point. Don't go right over there!
0:25:00 > 0:25:03- No, don't go near the edge! - Look, there's floor everywhere!
0:25:03 > 0:25:06When you look down, and there's a bird flying beneath you,
0:25:06 > 0:25:08you know you're high!
0:25:08 > 0:25:10Now for the final part of the climb.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Right, come on, let's get in.
0:25:13 > 0:25:18- Stop moving about like a grandad! - Ha-ha-ha, I'm holding onto things!
0:25:18 > 0:25:20Make it safer.
0:25:21 > 0:25:26- Right. Oh, it's a bit wobbly, isn't it?- It's a bit windy as well.
0:25:26 > 0:25:27- Eh?- I said it's a bit windy.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31I couldn't hear you - the wind was in me ears!
0:25:31 > 0:25:33- Don't... No! Don't wobble it! - I'm not doing anything!
0:25:33 > 0:25:36- Just stand still, then! - Well, I AM standing still!
0:25:37 > 0:25:39That's the view.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46- No, stop shaking it!- OK!
0:25:46 > 0:25:48There we go. It's like being born.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54- Right, I'm getting out.- Go on, then. DICK EXHALES
0:25:57 > 0:26:01Oh, at last, we've made it! How high up are we now?
0:26:01 > 0:26:05Well, we're about 26 metres up from the ground in this pier,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07and then, from the bridge deck
0:26:07 > 0:26:09to the high watermark of the River Avon,
0:26:09 > 0:26:11it's another 76 metres.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14So, that's 102 metres above the water,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17which is about the length of a football pitch.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20OK, so here we are.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22What we've got here are these huge, big iron saddles,
0:26:22 > 0:26:26- and you'll see the chains go all the way over the top.- Yeah, yeah.- Yeah.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28And although you might not be able to see it just from here,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31this actually just rocks that little bit.
0:26:31 > 0:26:32This is the bit that is rocking!
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Yeah, just that little bit, it rocks.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38And underneath here, behind the Perspex, here, there are little
0:26:38 > 0:26:43rollers, and so this actually just moves a little bit, sideways.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Just a tiny little bit.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Well, don't worry about it, it's supposed to do that.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50And that's the brilliance of Brunel -
0:26:50 > 0:26:53this whole bridge was designed to be flexible,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56to move and to adapt to changing weather conditions.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Sheer genius!
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Very kind of you to say so, boys.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Look at that view.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04I mean, that is simply breathtaking, isn't it?
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Yeah, it's a lovely view, that. It's my favourite view ever, that.
0:27:07 > 0:27:08It's your favourite view ever, yeah?
0:27:08 > 0:27:11The past few days have been... have been amazing. They really have.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13We've got to see the Thames Tunnel.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15These tunnels were the start of the London Underground.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18- The ship one.- Ah, yes, you loved the ship one.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22- This is stupid!- Then there was that fantastic ship, the SS Great Britain.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25This seriously is genius engineering.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29And now this, Brunel's highest, most successful bridge,
0:27:29 > 0:27:33and 150 years later, it's still going strong.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35- Can we get down now, please?- Hm? - Can we get down now?
0:27:35 > 0:27:37Yeah, OK.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39Do you want the quick way or the slow way?
0:27:44 > 0:27:45Ah!
0:27:49 > 0:27:50Argh!
0:27:52 > 0:27:53Bogies!
0:27:53 > 0:27:54Urgh!
0:27:54 > 0:27:55Wah!
0:27:59 > 0:28:01It went right through me!
0:28:01 > 0:28:02- Huh!- Don't wobble it!
0:28:02 > 0:28:03I'm not doing anything!
0:28:03 > 0:28:04Just stand still, then!
0:28:04 > 0:28:06Oi-oi!
0:28:06 > 0:28:08Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd