Building the Impossible

Rob Bell explores the bizarre history of The Smalls, one of Britain's most remote offshore lighthouses. Situated 20 miles off the Pembrokeshire coast, its isolated location on a reef in the Irish Sea has challenged builders, architects and keepers for over 200 years, leaving it wreathed in dark tales and mystery.

Rob Bell explores the spiritual home of lifesaving - the Longstone lighthouse off the coast of Northumberland, scene of a much discussed rescue attempt by the Victorian lighthouse keeper's daughter, Grace Darling. Rob sees why the lonely beauty of the Farne Islands is not only a refuge for wildlife, but also a deadly trap for mariners seeking refuge from the tempestuous North Sea.

Rob Bell uncovers extraordinary feats of lighthouse engineering on both sides of the Atlantic, tackling the world's busiest shipping lane, discovering oil rigs and setting sail in search of America's first lighthouse. Rob meets local seafarers and lighthouse keepers to hear stories of shipwrecks - discovering extraordinary feats of bravery, ingenuity and design as he continues to crack the code of these enigmatic structures.

From stormy seas to the land-locked Mojave Desert, Rob Bell discovers the amazing story of how the mighty Colorado river was tamed and how the Hoover Dam was built. The presenter abseils down the canyon to find out how to help maintain the turbines, and gets his hands dirty with an alien species that threatens the dam's future.