The BBC has unveiled its plans to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic (April 14, 2012). According to the corporation there will be Titanic themed programming across BBC1, BBC2, regional TV and radio, comprising a mix of factual and entertainment show.

The anchor of the activity will be BBC2”s Titanic: A Commemoration in Music and Film, an event broadcast live from the Waterfront Hall in Belfast in the shadows of the Harland and Wolff shipyard where the famous liner was built. The 90-minute event will feature local and international artists and will include archive and film material accompanied by visual effects to retell the story of the ship, those who built her and those on board.

The project was commissioned by BBC2 and BBC Northern Ireland from Whizz Kid Entertainment and the Anderson Spratt Group. It received funding from the NI Tourist Board and Northern Ireland Screen and is supported by Belfast City Council and Tourism Ireland.

Over on BBC1, meanwhile, is Titanic with Len Goodman. “Before he became a dancer, Len Goodman was a welder at the Harland and Wolff yard in East London,” says the BBC as it attempts to explain the tenuous connection between the sinking of the Titanic and the larger than life Strictly Come Dancing judge. “A century on from the sinking of the ship, the programme travels overseas and across the UK and Ireland, from Belfast to Southampton and to Cobh (formerly Queenstown) in Co Cork to discover how the impact of the Titanic disaster is still felt today”. Titanic with Len Goodman is an independent production from 360 Production for BBC1 & BBC Northern Ireland with funding from NI Screen.

In addition, there will also be Titanic-themed editions of Songs of Praise and Blue Peter while BBC News “will join a memorial voyage with passengers, crew and historians, recreating the exact journey of the ship a hundred years to the day. On the centenary itself, BBC News will broadcast from the exact spot where the Titanic sank and will include live coverage from memorial services in Southampton and Belfast.”

In addition, BBC News NI “will cover the Titanic anniversary with live reports, features and special series including the opening of the Titanic Signature Project, in the Titanic Quarter of Belfast where the ship was built.”

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