Radio Times: Review by:; David Butcher

The fastest ship of its kind. A national treasure. A symbol of the role of the sea in our nation’s story. All this and more is true of the magnificent tea clipper, Cutty Sark, but boy, she has cost a lot to restore.

A six-year process originally budgeted at a whopping £25 million will have cost double that by the time the ship reopens to the public later this year. And watching this programme about the meticulous, plank-by-plank conservation process (cruelly interrupted by a fire in 2007), you can see why.

It’s strangely fascinating to watch how they re-do the original oakum and pitch caulking and use a chip-fat fryer to help “parcel” the rigging, and so on. But just as interesting are the fraught ups and downs of the project as a whole. As one carpenter puts it, “You can’t help but invest in it emotionally.”

About this programme

Documentary following the restoration of the clipper ship after she was ravaged by fire in May 2007, offering an insight into the pioneering techniques and traditional skills used by conservationists to preserve her authenticity. The programme also charts the vessel's globe-trotting adventures from her launch in 1869. Featuring interviews with the people responsible for the Cutty Sark's rebirth, including Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.