As we enter Day 4 of the search of the missing Titanic tourist submarine, Channel 5 have wasted no time in putting together a documentary titled ‘Titanic Sub: Lost At Sea’ which will air tonight (22 June) at 7pm.
From the description, it does at least sound like an attempt at a proper documentary rather than just extended news coverage on a tragedy that’s still fresh and ongoing and shrouded in mystery:
“This program will chart everything from the exploration itself, to the rise of extreme tourism, to the rescue attempts, but above all it will tell a very human story that has captured the nation which is about 5 people, all with families, who are trapped at the bottom of the ocean. Our expertise and heritage in fast-turnaround documentaries and reputation for responsible filmmaking means we always treat such stories with great sensitivity.”
Fast-turnaround? You can say that again. It just seems a little Black Mirror-ish that they’ve been putting this thing together while the oxygen on the submarine hasn’t even ran out yet.
It’s sadly very unlikely that they’re going to find and save these people in time, but maybe just wait a little bit longer before going for the blatant ratings grab? I like how they mention that the documentary will cover ‘the rise of extreme tourism’, as if they give a sh*t about that and don’t just want to cash in on what’s really happening here.
If what I’ve read is correct, the missing tourists are due to run out of oxygen sometime this morning/afternoon, before the documentary airs (if they’re not dead already, that is). Will Channel 5 then come out with a part 2 if it’s too late to edit tonight’s documentary?
Aside from that, it’s also probably going to be a bit rubbish? I mean, what new info or angles will Channel 5 have that the internet hasn’t already covered already? Maybe they’ll show us a video of just how deep the ocean floor is. Oh wait the internet has that covered already (and it’s terrifying):
For perspective, they tried to travel 4000 meters below the ocean floor. The eifel tower is 330 meters. pic.twitter.com/EROlsJuk1Y
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) June 20, 2023
One person who definitely won’t be watching is the stepson of one of the missing tourists – he’s too busy rocking out at the Blink 182 concert.
