Could Jack have survived on the Titanic door? James Cameron and Nat Geo find out.

by Thinus Ferreira

Jack and Rose clung on for dear life on a door as the Titanic sank after he finally also slipped into the deep - now director James Cameron returns to find out in a new National Geographic special on Wednesday night if it was ever possible for him to have survived.

In Titanic: 25 Years with James Cameron on Wednesday night at 21:00 on National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220) the filmmaker James Cameron returns to the scene of the sinking to settle the debate once and for all - in a scientific way - as to whether Rose and Jack could possibly both have survived.

Long after the smash-hit film, fans have argued for decades as to whether Jack, played by Leonardo DiCaprio could have survived if Rose made more space atop the Titanic door, or whether the two star-crossed lovers could have done something else to have ensured that both survived the icy tragedy in the frigid Atlantic Ocean.

The aftermath of Titanic's sinking however goes beyond just whether there was room for two on a piece of debris. The deeper story - one that some claim James Cameron got wrong - is whether Jack could have changed the outcome had he acted differently.

National Geographic settles this once and for all together with James Cameron, by staging a few scientific experiments to find out what Jack and Rose could have done differently within the circumstances, and whether it would have changed anything.

"Ever since the movie came out, people have insisted they both could have survived," says James Cameron. "Let's test it - let's do some science. I'm going to recreate Jack and Rose on the raft in a controlled laboratory setting. There's a genuine element of danger to these experiments," he says.

"We find out, once and for all, whether Jack could have survived the sinking of Titanic," James notes.

In a pool of -2 degrees Celcius, two stunt people who have the same height and weight as Kate Winslet and DiCaprio, are dressed up in the same attire and put into the water with the same debris that the two clung to in the movie.

Was there really not enough space for both on top of it? That's the question of the first experiment and it's shocking what you see when both get on the door, since something else happens.

In a second experiment, Jack will again get on the debris, but in a way where only half their bodies remain further out of the water. Would Jack and Rose be able to survive in this scenario, and if so, for how long?

And in a third and last test: What happens if Rose gives Jack her lifejacket? Does he then live and does she then die?

The M-Net Movies Bucket List channel on DStv will show 100 must-see iconic films - here films 100 to 11 and their broadcasting dates.

Of course the old lady threw it into the ocean in the end, so of course Titanic is one of the 100 films that is included in M-Net Movies' new pop-up channel, M-Net Movies Bucket List (DStv 109), that will run on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform from 30 October until 2 December.

The M-Net Movies Bucket List channel will start on 18:00 on Thursday 30 October, with a new film daily at 18:00 and on weekends just before or after 16:00 depending on the duration and age-restriction of the films.

ALSO READ: More pop-up channels from M-Net like the Bucket List film channel.

M-Net says the 100 films were chosen and compiled by an expert team of film fanatics but didn't provide names. M-Net will be keeping the Top 10 films a secret and these 10 movies will only be revealed on the day of broadcast.

M-Net says for a film to be included it "had to be entrenched in popular culture, define an era, shift mediums, uproot the status quo, delight a variety of audiences, impress critics worldwide and be able to reignite your love for movies".

"With the M-Net Movies Bucket List we're taking the pop-up concept to the next level," says Jan du Plessis, director of M-Net channels.

"Never before have viewers been able to see so many magnificent, game-changing movies in one place over such a short time."

Jan du Plessis says "we all have our bucket lists based on our own taste and we believe it will be great fun for movie fans to compare notes and see whether their favourites have made it onto the pop-up channel".

Besides the 100 films, M-Net Movies Bucket List will broadcast "Bonus Features" films that will exist out of additional "classics" that can't be ignored "but will appeal to niche audiences" says M-Net.

These classics will include films like Mary Poppins, Casablanca and Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Here's the M-Net Movies Bucket List films from 100 to 11 and the "bonus specials" in-between, as well as the dates to tune on for them:

100 My Best Friend's Wedding 30 Oct
99 Men in Black 30 Oct
98 Shakespeare in Love 30 Oct
97 Speed 31 Oct
96 300 31 Oct
95 Scream 31 Oct
94 The Bourne Identity 1 Nov
93 Boyz n the Hood 1 Nov
92 Risky Business 1 Nov
91 Grease 2 Nov

90 Wargames 2 Nov
89 Gremlins 2 Nov
Citizen Cane 3 Nov (bonus)
88 Blair Witch Project 3 Nov
87 Flashdance 3 Nov
86 Saw 3 Nov
The Magnificent Seven (bonus) 3 Nov
Casablanca 4 Nov
85 Twilight 4 Nov
84 Black Hawn Down 4 Nov
83 Traffic 4 Nov
82 Birdcage 4 Nov
The Blues Brothers (bonus) 4 Nov
Some Like it Hot (bonus) 5 Nov
81 Pretty in Pink 5 Nov

80 Meet Joe Black 5 Nov
79 Straight Outta Compton 5 Nov
78 Footloose 5 Nov
The Big Blue (bonus) 5 Nov
77 Beetlejuice 6 Nov
76 Lawrence of Arabia 6 Nov
75 First Blood 6 Nov
74 Notting Hill 7 Nov
73 Juno 7 Nov
72 The Big Lebowski 7 Nov
71 Snatch 8 Nov

70 Full Metal Jacket 8 Nov
69 The Revenant 8 Nov
68 Chariots of Fire 9 Nov
67 Bridesmaids 9 Nov
66 Ghostbusters 9 Nov
Sense and Sensibility (bonus) 10 Nov
65 Groundhog Day 10 Nov
64 Back to the Future 10 Nov
63 Nightmare on Elm Street 10 Nov
Bringing Up Baby (bonus) 10 Nov
Little Women (bonus) 11 Nov
62 A Few Good Men 11 Nov
61 Dirty Harry 11 Nov

60 The Matrix 11 Nov
59 Annie Hall 11 Nov
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 12 Nov
58 Pretty Woman 12 Nov
57 Jerry Maguire 12 Nov
56 Lethal Weapon 12 Nov
55 Hurt Locker 12 Nov
54 Sleepless in Seattle 13 Nov
53 The Fifth Element 13 Nov
52 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 13 Nov
51 Stand By Me 14 Nov

50 Bonnie & Clyde 14 Nov
49 Top Gun 14 Nov
48 Good Morning Vietnam 15 Nov
47 When Harry Met Sally 15 Nov
46 Casino 15 Nov
45 A Fish Called Wanda 15 Nov
44 Inglorious Bastards 16 Nov
43 Four Weddings and a Funeral 16 Nov
Love Story (bonus) 17 Nov
42 Misery 17 Nov
41 Spectre 17 Nov

40 Unforgiven 17 Nov
39 Avatar 17 Nov
A Fistful of Dollars (bonus) 17 Nov
The Pink Panther (bonus) 18 Nov
38 Rain Man 18 Nov
37 Scarface 18 Nov
36 Mamma Mia 18 Nov
35 Little Miss Sunshine 18 Nov
Flying Down to Rio (bonus) 18 Nov
The Great Escape (bonus) 19 Nov
34 E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial 19 Nov
33 The Breakfast Club 19 Nov
32 Fargo 19 Nov
31 The Professional 19 Nov

30 Inception 20 Nov
29 Ranging Bull 20 Nov
28 The Godfather 20 Nov
27 Romeo + Juliet (Baz Luhrman) 21 Nov
26 Saving Private Ryan 21 Nov
25 Jaws 21 Nov
24 The Princess Bride 22 Nov
23 Thelma and Louise 22 Nov
22 Blade Runner 22 Nov
21 Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings 23 Nov

20 The Deer Hunter 23 Nov
19 Platoon 23 Nov
Kramer vs Kramer (bonus) 24 Nov
18 The Notebook 24 Nov
17 Rocky 24 Nov
16 Goodfellas 24 Nov
15 Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark 24 Nov
Easy Rider (bonus) 24 Nov
Breakfast at Tiffany's (bonus) 25 Nov
14 Alien 25 Nov
13 Aliens 25 Nov
12 Seven 25 Nov
11 Jurassic Park 25 Nov
Dr. Strangelove (bonus) 25 Nov
Mary Poppins (bonus) 26 Nov

Discovery Channel's MythBusters: Could both Jack and Rose have survived in Titanic? They find the surprising answer ...

One of popular culture's most enduring mysteries has finally been answered: Could both Rose and Jack in the epic film Titanic have survived? The Discovery Channel (DStv 121) MythBusters show did the research and experiments to finally find the surprising answer.

It's exactly 100 years since the sinking of the Titanic and the MythBusters' presenters, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman finally decided to recreate the circumstances in the icy cold Atlantic Ocean from the blockbuster movie in which Rose is on a wooden board (and barely survives) with Jack clinging on the side until he dies from hypothermia and sinks into the deep.

The question of whether both Jack and Rose could have survived if they did something differently - like both stayed on the wooden board and tied her life jacket underneath the board - is the most requested myth the Discovery Channel show has ever received. Titanic's director James Cameron appeared in the episode to explain that even he is uncertain and wanted to find out if his blockbuster film got it right or wrong, and whether both Jack and Rose could have lived.

The surprising answer is ... yes.

MythBusters built what they called ThermoMan, a dummy with gelatin flesh and a water-heated cardiovascular system which was dropped into freezing water. They determined taht Jack would have died after 51 minutes in the frigid Atlantic. He would not have been able to hold on to the board and would have sunk exactly as in the movie.

Doing a full-scale test on an exact board size from the movie in water with one person wearing a customised life jacket from the period, the board would have sunk too deep into the water and both would have frozen if two people tried to get on it. However, if the life jacket was fastened underneath the board, it would still have sunk with two people on top, although 80% of their bodies would have been out of the water.

It would however have taken multiple attempts for two people to get and remain on the board and not topple over and slide off. That would have given both 63 minutes before they die of hypothermia. "It's plausible that both Jack and Rose could have survived on the board if they'd MacGyvered her life jacket," said Jamie Hyneman.

James Cameron said the MythBusters missed the point a bit. "Jack died. He has to die. So maybe we screwed up and the board should have been a little tiny bit smaller, but the dude's going down."

Titanic the movie and a terrific Titanic documentary on e.tv as the broadcaster scoops a double barrel broadcasting event for this week.

You're reading it here first.

In an eye-popping move more expected from a pay TV broadcaster such as M-Net, than from a free commercial TV broadcaster, South Africa's e.tv has scooped the broadcasting rights to James Cameron's massive 1997 blockbuster movie Titanic and scheduled it cleverly for later this week in which the world will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the ship.

Titanic with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet will be on e.tv this Thursday at 20:30 - with further extremely clever and brilliant pre-planned programming by e.tv.

Titanic will be followed Thursday night by an episode of Seconds from Disaster at 00:15. This National Geographic series which has been running on e.tv, reveals extremely brilliant TV programming precognition on the part of e.tv.

The Seconds from Disaster episode immediately following Titanic will be about the Titanic - an episode from the series specially held back and kept out of the normal episode order, to be shown in the exact week, and on the same day, on e.tv as the movie as a double barrel TV salvo.

ALSO READ: Titanic at 100 on South African television: Your complete and comprehensive TV guide to all Titanic programming.

In stark contrast M-Net - which probably should have made sure that it had Titanic - doesn't even have any other Titanic related programming at all. Even the high quality, new 4 part mini-series from Julian Fellowes of Downton Abbey fame went to BBC Entertainment (DStv 120) where it will start on 15 April - the kinds of programming M-Net subscribers who pay for premium television, would expect to see on the M-Net channel.

Besides M-Net none of the other M-Net run movie channels on MultiChoice's DStv - M-Net Movies 1, M-Net Movies 2 or M-Net Stars - has anything remotely Titanic related scheduled.

M-Net is usually very and more programming clever when it comes to tying entertainment titles to quasi-current events. The first movie on M-Net for 2012 was for instance 2012.

The other pay TV operator in South Africa, TopTV, also doesn't have any Titanic related programming on any of its own "Top" self-compiled channels for April such as Top One, Top Explore, Top History or Top Movies. TV programmers and schedulers - as everywhere in media - are expected to be on top of the prevalent zeitgeist when it comes to planning special events television andmonthly and weekly themes in advance of play-out.

Titanic at 100 on television: Your most complete, inclusive South African TV guide to all of April's special Titanic programming.

This month - April 2012 - marks the 100 anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic which took place on 12 April 1912. This month, especially next week, but starting today, South African television has a massive amount of special Titanic programming on several channels.

Only TV with Thinus will and can give you the complete and comprehensive list of Titanic programming and tell you about all of the Titanic related shows you can see, starting today.

Bookmark this entry for your convenience and check back regularly to this link to see what you can see, where, when, and what its about. Several of the shows on Discovery, Discovery World, History and National Geographic will be repeated.


7 April Saturday 17:25 Last Mysteries of the Titanic
Discovery World (DStv 250)

James Cameron documents the innermost spaces of the Titanic, revealing previously unseen footage of the famous shipwreck.


8 April Sunday 19:00 Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron
National Geographic Channel (DStv 260)

James Cameron and some of the world's foremost Titanic experts recreate a massive life-size replica of the Titanic and then do a forensic investigation, applying dynamic scientific research to find out exactly how and why the ship sank, also employing amazing computer-generated imagery.

9 April Monday 19:00 Save the Titanic with Bob Ballard
National Geographic Channel (DStv 260)

Bob Ballard who discovered the wreck of the Titanic, returns to the site where the Titanic is under threat again - from treasure hunters and tourists who want to see the remains of the Titanic. In this special documentary he retraces the path of the Titanic from Northern Ireland's dockyard where it was built, to New York and examines the most serious threats to the ship's future.


10 April Tuesday 11:50 Hollywood Science
BBC Knowledge (DStv 251)

''Disasters at Sea". Leading experts look at how realistic the terrifying events at sea are and how far - or not - filmmakers are stretching the truth in movies such as Titanic, The Poseidon Adventure and The Perfect Storm.


10 April Tuesday 19:00 Titanic: Case Closed
National Geographic Channel (DStv 260)

A massive and beautiful, brand-new 2 hour TV special, billed as ''the definitive examination of the Titanic's ill-fated voyage and the devastating final hours that claimed the lives of more than 1 500 people in the North Atlantic Ocean''. The documentary makes use of first person testimonies taken from archives to create a dramatic interpretation of the hours immediately before and after the collission of the Titanic with an iceberg.
The documentary brings to life the unique conditions of the night and resurrects the ship with a combination of vivid CGI effects and dramatic reconstruction. Tim Maltin, Britain's foremost authority on RMS Titanic, heads to locations across Europe, North America and the Atlantic Ocean to meet experts and perform a series of eye-opening experiments that piece together the chain of events that resulted in catastrophe.

11 April Wednesday 21:25 Nazi Titanic
History (DStv 254)
This two hour special looks at a bizarre chapter of World War II when the Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels decided to make an obsessive movie based on the sinking of the Titanic. This epic movie was so large in scale that the Nazis were forced to divert men, material and ships from their war effort in order to complete the film. The film never received the large premiere that Goebbels intended and only surfaced in Nazi-occupied Paris and footage used in the 1950's Hollywood film, A Night to Remember. This special reveals the little known story by investigating the making of the film, as well as the fate of the German ship Cap Arcona, which was used as the double for the Titanic.


12 April Thursday 09:00 Titanic: The Final Secret
National Geographic Channel (DStv 260)
It was the grandest ship ever built, but its final resting place was a mystery. How was the wreck's discovery linked to the Cold War's darkest days?


12 April Thursday 20:30 Titanic
e.tv

e.tv has the broadcasting rights for South Africa of James Cameron's epic movie masterpiece of 1997 and the most commercially successful movie ever made about a doomed love aboard the doomed ship with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. A 3rd class man meets a 1st class woman and they fall in love against the backdrop of the "unsinkable" ship on its maiden voyage.

13 April Friday 00:15 Seconds from Disaster

e.tv
In a brilliant, clever and pro-active TV programming move, e.tv kept a special ''Titanic'' themed episode from this documentary series back.

Seconds from Disaster - a documentary series from National Geographic, is currently on e.tv, but the broadcaster cleverly held the episod backe, and is now showing it on the exact same day and immediately after screening James Cameron's 1997 epic Titanic movie.

In the golden age of ocean liners, one ship has been built to outpace and outshine them all: the Titanic. Billed as the "unsinkable" ship, the Titanic is a mechanical marvel, a combination of innovative and luxurious design. However, just days after its voyage begins, the Titanic meets a catastrophic end, becoming one of the biggest shipping disasters of all time. On 14 April 1912 the Titanic grazes an iceberg, which causes the ship to sink, taking with it the lives of more than 1,500 people.
Using a groundbreaking experiment that mimics the conditions of the Titanic as it scraped the iceberg, experts find new evidence that enables them to finally conclude what brought the "unsinkable" ship down in the middle of the icy Atlantic. This episode includes haunting commentary of eye-witness accounts, CGI and cutting-edge experiments that help bring the Titanic back to life to retrace its final moments.


14 April Saturday 17:25 Titanic: Anatomy of a Disaster
Discovery World (DStv 250)
Investigative scientific research is shedding new light upon the sinking of the "unsinkable" Titanic. What can new technology and this investigation teach us about this tragedy which took place exactly 100 years ago?


14 April Saturday 18:20 Treasure Quest
Discovery World (DStv 250)
An archeological survey of the second most famous shipwreck in history: the Lusitania - the ship which came to the Titanic's aid first and picked up the survivors. The ship is covered in fishing nets and badly deteriorated.


14 April Saturday 20:30 Heroes of the Titanic
History (DStv 254)
The poignant story of self-sacrifice by the Titanic's engineers, stokers and firemen who remained onboard the sinking ship in the face of impending death.


14 April Saturday 22:20 Lost Worlds

History (DStv 254)
The construction of the ''unsinkable" Titanic needed an army of workers and the resources of a purpose built town and docks to construct it.


14 April Saturday 23:10 Titanic: A Tale of Two Journeys
History (DStv 254)
Rob Goldsmith joins a Russian research submarine to explore the wreck of the Titanic featuring never-seen-before footage of the sunken ship.


15 April Sunday 19:10 Titanic: The Aftermath
Discovery World (DStv 250)
When the Titanic sank on 15 April 1912, 1 500 people died. This brand-new drama documentary begins where other accounts usually end and tells the story of the remarkable mission to recover and identify the bodies of the victims. Meeting the descendants of 3 people involved in one of the greatest disasters of the 20th century, this programme explores the fate of their forebears and reveals the impact of the sinking of thise they left behind. From the violinist who died playing soothing music, to the richest man aboard who perished after ensuring his pregnant young wife was safely aboard a lifeboat, and the Halifax registrar whose methodology became the model for modern forensics, hear the poignant tales of 3 families whose lives were changed by this tragedy.


15 April Sunday 19:30 Titanic (new 4 part mini-series)
BBC Entertainment (DStv 120)

Part I & Part II - 15 April
Part III & Part IV - 22 April
This brand-new 4 part mini-series (shown in 2, two back-to back episode broadcasts) from Julian Fellowes (who is responsible for the brilliant Downton Abbey)is a new dramatic costume drama taking place aboard, and tracing the fateful voyage of, the Titanic. This lavish mini-series was filmed in Hungary with a great British cast. Titanic follows different characters travelling on the ill-fates ship - from steerage passengers in third class to upper class guests. The show is phenomenal in the way in which all of the different stories come together as the ship starts to sink - heartwrenching stories through the Titanic's last hours. Who will live? And who won't survive?

15 April Sunday 19:40 Titanic 100: Mystery Solved
History (DStv 254)
This two hour TV special to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, is an exclusive underwater expedition in which History, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and RMS Titanic, Inc. conduct the most extensive exploration and imaging of the Titanic's wreck site ever undertaken. CGI will illustrate what happened structurally to the ship minute for minute after the collision with the iceberg. How and why was it that the Titanic split apart as she sunk? Did the unsinkable ship have fatal flaws, and if so, who was responsible?


15 April Sunday 21:00 Titanic: Birth of a Legend
Discovery World (DStv 250)

How did the Titanic come into existence? This brand-new documentary combines cutting-edge computer graphics, dramatic recreations, painstaking research and first-hand evidence to chart the progress of the "unsinkable" ship from dream to drawing-board and ultimately, to disaster. This documentary seeks out the untold stories of the men who designed and built her at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, investigates the financial pressures, political dramas, tragedy and shame that affected them all before and after the ship's launch. The documentary also includes a  focus on the lives of a few of the workers who were privileged to be chosen to travel on the Titanic's maiden voyage and who died when she sank.

It took 5 gruelling years to build the Titanic - and yet she sank in less than 3 hours. The builders of the Titanic were ordinary Belfast men and women, sucked into an extraordinary drama of violence and hatred. Before its short life at sea, the Titanic had already become a symbol of a huge divide in Irish society.

But the story of the Titanic is also an epic of engineering brilliance: 3 million rivets stitching together the greatest ship of it age, and behind every square inch of her lay the handiwork of the 4 000 men who worked on her - carpenters, craftsmen, joiners, mechanics,engineers and silversmiths.

From among them would be picked an elite team of men - a "guarantee group" to sail on her maiden voyage, ready to act as trouble-shooters should any part of her malfunction. Titanic: Birth of a Legend follows the hopes and dreams of teenagers like Alfie Cunningham - an apprentice engineer, Artie Frost, his boss, who, like his father before him, has given his working life to the Belfast ships. There was also the boss of Harland & Wolff - Lord Pirrie - whose own men drove him from Belfast for ever.


24 April Tuesday 08:00 Titanic 2
The Universal Channel (DStv 108)

A cheesy B-grade schlock film and a direct-to-DVD disaster movie which Titanic fans will want to watch out of interest.

On the 100th anniversary of the Titanic, the new Titanic ship - Titanic II - departs as a new oceanliner. Because of global warming in an outrageous plot, an iceberg and a tsunami (faster than the speed of sound) is on a collision course with the Titanic II.










In conjunction with the National Geographic Channel's Titanic TV specials in April the National Geographic Society devotes its April 2012 issue to the Titanic as well.

BREAKING. Terrific BBC Entertainment grabs the big-buzz new Titanic mini-series by Julian Fellowes in the wake of Downton Abbey.

©BBC

Wow! 2012 is shaping up to be a terrific year for BBC Entertainment (DStv 120) - so far the best quality general entertainment TV channel in South Africa this year: Besides the incredible Downton Abbey which just started on Sunday nights at 20:30 BBC Worldwide Channels just scooped the buzzed about ITV-distributed new mini-series Titanic (which I told you about RIGHT HERE in November last year), which will be starting on BBC Entertainment in April.

ALSO READ: Why 2012 will be a truly Titanic year for television in both drama and documentaries.

While the highly acclaimed and brilliant Downton Abbey is a jewel in the crown of any TV channel and got scooped by BBC Entertainment, BBC Entertainment now also grabbed the most provocative and highly anticipated drama for this year, Titanic, which will start with double episodes on BBC Entertainment on 15 and 22 April at 19:30 (South African time).

Titanic, co-incidentally also done by the Oscar winner and Downton Abbey creator, Julian Fellowes, is a mini-series in four hour long episodes created to mark the 100th anniversary of the launch and sinking tragedy of the iconic ocean liner.

Titanic was filmed in Hungary and retells the story of the doomed voyage, weaving action, mystery and romantic plots together and featuring fictional and historical characters, before coming together in an explosive and unforgettable finale.

Following the different characters travelling on the ill-fated ship - from steerage passengers to upper class guests - each point of view will culminate in a cliffhanger as the ship begins to founder, building to an explosive conclusion which draws together each of the stories. Viewers will be taken on a heart wrenching journey through the Titanic’s last hours, as the drama reveals which of the characters they have come to know so well will survive … and who does not.

''We're delighted to be showing this prestigious drama exclusively on BBC Entertainment so soon after the hugely successful debut of Downton Abbey,'' says Jon Farrar, the vice president for programming for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region for BBC Worldwide channels. ''As the first channel to bring the hotly-anticipated Downton Abbey to South Africa, it's a thrill to be the only channel to show Julian Fellowes' latest project too.''

Titanic was created by BAFTA winning producer Nigel Stafford-Clark, written by Julian Fellowes directed by Jon Jones and produced by Nigel Stafford-Clark and Chris Thompson.

''There is a lasting fascination with the Titanic's one and only voyage, and never more so than in the year of its hundredth anniversary.'' says Nigel Stafford-Clark. ''We have retold the story in a way that is bold, fresh and gripping, with all the human detail that television does so well. We hope it's a fitting tribute to the events of that night''.

Titanic is produced in association with ITV Studios and Shaw Media who are partnered with Deep Indigo Productions and Lookout Point in the UK, Sienna Films Inc in Canada and Hungary based Mid Atlantic Films. It is a UK-Hungary-Canada co-production.

Programming note: National Geographic Channel adds another Titanic documentary, Titanic: Case Closed, for April 2012.

Photo: National Geographic Society

There will now be 4 must-see documentaries to watch about the Titanic in April 2012 with Titanic: Case Closed being added as the 4th documentary overall - and the 3rd from National Geographic - to the month which will see the 100th anniversary of the launch, maiden voyage, and tragic sinking of the fateful White Star Liner in April 1912.

National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) with Bedlam Productions is producing a new feature-length drama-documentary, Titanic: Case Closed for April 2012. The 90 minute film will be shown on the National Geographic Channel (DStv 260) in April 2012 with the channel promising ''the definitive examination of the Titanic's ill-fated voyage and the devastating final hours that claimed the lives of more than 1 500 people in the North Atlantic Ocean''.

Titanic: Case Closed will make use of first person testimonies taken from archives to create a dramatic interpretation of the hours immediately before and after the collission of the Titanic with an iceberg.

Tim Maltin, Britain's foremost authority on RMS Titanic, heads to locations across Europe, North America and the Atlantic Ocean to meet experts and perform a series of eye-opening experiments that piece together the chain of events that resulted in catastrophe. Titanic: Case Closed also brings to life the unique conditions of the night and resurrects the ship with a combination of vivid CGI effects and dramatic reconstruction.

National Geographic Channel will already bring viewers in April 20120 a James Cameron Titanic TV special entitled Titanic: Final Word with James Cameron. National Geographic Channel will also have Bob Ballard's Save the Titanic - another 2 hour feature film on the sunken ship.

Discovery has its own Titanic TV special for April 2012 on the Discovery Channel (DStv 121) with the working title of only Titanic, which will also be a special effects-filled documentary looking the ship.

Then there is the dramatic mini-series Titanic by ITV Studios - 4 episodes, two of which are 90 minutes long - that's already been sold to 60 countries around the world. Hopefully M-Net has already picked up this dramatic retelling of the fateful voyage with vrious intertwined stories following different characters onboard the ship and which will also be broadcast in April 2012.

BREAKING. Duelling Titanic documentaries: National Geographic Channel gets James Cameron for an April 2012 Titanic TV special.

National Geographic Channel (DStv 260) is preparing a brand-new Titanic TV special, Titanic: Final Word with James Cameron that will be broadcast in April 2012, along with another documentary film by Bob Ballard, Save the Titanic.

National Geographic Channel's Titanic: Final Word with James Cameron, a 2 hour special documentary, will mean that there will be now at least two must-see duelling documentaries in or around 12 April 2012 on the 100th anniversary of the launch, maiden-voyage and fateful sinking of the luxury liner.

In October I reported RIGHT here when Discovery Channel (DStv 121) announced a Titanic TV special for April 2012) which would be filled with special-effects and which will also be shown as part of the 100th anniversary of the famous White Star Line ship.

ALSO READ: Special report: Why 2012 will be a Titanic year for television in drama and documentaries (oh, and at the movies).

Titanic: Final Word with James Cameron will look at and trace the reasons why the Titanic sank with the help of historians, architects and a crew of engineers. It wil be shown on the National Geographic Channel in conjunction with Bob Ballard's new documentary film Save the Titanic that will be looking at the sunken ships remains, what's left of it, how what is left is in danger, and how it should be protected.

Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron features some of the world's leading experts on the Titanic in a forensic investigation into the science behind what sank the ship on its maiden voyage. James Cameron's epic film Titanic from 1997 is also getting a 3D version for release in April 2012.

Save the Titanic with Bob Ballard follows the iconic explorer, who was part of the team that discovered the ship in 1985, as he retraces the steps of the people who set sail on that journey. Ballard also renews his quest to protect the resting place of the Titanic for another 100 years.

Both these National Geographic Channel specials will be shown in 380 million homes in 165 countries in April 2012, says the channel.

''National Geographic is the only institution in the world with the resources to fully honour this important anniversary,'' says Tim Kelly, the president of the National Geographic Society in a press statement about the Titanic TV specials.

''National Geographic Channel is in the unique position of being the only network in the world fortunate enough to partner with arguably the two most respected authorities on the Titanic - the man who found her and has dedicated many years of his distinguished career to protecting her, and the man who, along with transforming the disaster into a Hollywood blockbuster, has also made more than 30 trips to the bottom of the ocean to study her,'' says Michael Cascio, the executive vice president of programming at the National Geographic Channel.

''I have no doubt that these films will go down as the definitive documentaries on the subject,'' says Michael Cascio.

SPECIAL REPORT. Why 2012 will be a Titanic year for television in drama and documentaries (oh, and at the movies in 3D).

But I thought the old lady dropped it into the ocean in the end?
Yes. She did Britney, she did.

2012 will be a Titanic year for television (as well as at the movies), more specifically April 2012. Although none of these are really secrets, I'm putting all of the disparate facts together as market intelligence for the advertising executive, the rival channel TV scheduler, the commercial creative and as an appetiser for the the TV viewer.

It will be the 100th anniversary of the launch, maiden voyage - and yes, the sinking - of the Titanic in April 2012 and broadcasters, satellite channels and your movie cinema will be going big with all things Titanic.

Last month I told RIGHT HERE about the special Titanic documentary that Discovery is working on and which will presumably be shown on Discovery (DStv 120) during April 2012. Get ready for various older movie versions of the Titanic story to be added to channel line-ups from TCM to even channels specialising in later movie releases.

Of course the biggest money maker of them all, James Cameron's Titanic from 1997 is getting a release which should also most probably happen in April - and it will be in 3D.

There is also Titanic, a brand-new TV series - the first since the 1996 TV mini-series which saw the fatal ship on the small screen. This British-Canadian-Hungarian tri-production which will start in Britain in April 2012 and which will surely be seen in South Africa (my guess: M-Net) as well as around the world, is already being described as ''epic television'' and as the ''global television event of 2012''.

Titanic has already been sold to 57 countries around the world. Titanic, produced by ITV Studios, will focus on four separate, yet intertwined stories following different characters onboard the ship. There's 4 episodes (two of which are 90 minutes long).

Channels such as Discovery Science, National Geographic, History and others will surely be digging deep into their libraries for Titanic content (of which they have lots) and will probably supplement library titles with new Titanic documentaries. A few of the global news channels should also be marking the anniversary with headline stories and news features but also their own documentaries.

Since Titanic will be at theatres in 3D in April, the usual phalanx of entertainment news shows will gravitate towards covering the movie and its stars, it's global reach and impact, where the stars are now, and the new Titanic special effects on channels ranging from E! Entertainment to Star! and shows ranging from Showbiz Tonight to The Showbiz Report.

All together it makes seeing Titanic in April on a screen near you as inescapable as the unsinkable Molly Brown.

BREAKING. Discovery Channel planning a special-effects filled documentary for the 100th anniversary of the Titanic in April 2012.

You're reading it here first.

In April 2012 it will be the 100th anniversary of the maiden voyage/sinking of the Titanic and I can reveal that Discovery is planning and working on a special Titanic documentary that will be filled with special effects.

The documentary special, for now only entitled Titanic, will be shown on Discovery Channel (DStv 121) in April 2012 and this is the only image from that documentary so far.

Lee Hobbs, the channel director for Discovery Networks for the Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region (CEEMEA) briefly flashed the Titanic image at Tuesday evening's Discovery Networks CEEMEA Upfront 2012.

''We're planning a new special effects filled special tying in with the 100th anniversary of the Titanic,'' Lee Hobbs said.

ALSO READ: Discovery working on a special documentary, iGenius - How Steve Jobs Changed the World, to be broadcast on Discovery Channel on 30 October.