Officer and Commander

This four-part documentary series chronicles the last mission of the HMS Sovereign before the oldest nuclear submarine in the Royal Navy's fleet is decomissioned. Commander Steve Aiken (photo right) and his crew were filmed for over a year while their vessel was refit and repaired and through their rigerous training in safety, diving and firefighting. The crew must also fire topedos and practice escaping their vessel as part of their training.

The cramped under sea lives of the submariners is included in the documentary as the men entertain themselves while off duty and talk about the friends and families they won't see again until their mission is complete.

Over many weeks on board, the series follows the Royal Navy crew, not only through their training in diving and torpedo-firing operations, submarine escape, firefighting and safety exercises, but also their day-to-day routines in cramped conditions with no natural light; and it reflects the boredom, the entertainment and their thoughts on home and the families they have left behind and won't see again until their mission is complete.

When asked if life aboard a submarine is dangerous, Commander Aiken's reply was "You take a metal tube, fill it with hi-tech equipment, hazardous materials, explosives and a nuclear reactor and then you sink it! What part of dangerous do you not understand?"