Great Britons: Isambard Kingdom Brunel Hosted by Jeremy Clarkson - BBC Documentary 

This documentary would be pretty good if all Brunel's achievements were all in the past. The fact that most are still intrinsically part of our modern world is simply staggering, all completely timeless too. What an exceptional man. It's only an hour long show, everyone in Britain should attempt to watch this as a starting point in elevating Brunel to the heights that he deserves.

A designer truly unparalleled; but a shout out to the back breaking efforts of those men that assisted Brunel in realising his dreams.

I first learned of Isambard Kingdom Brunel when I was 10 and was researching the Trans-Atlantic Telegraph Cable, laid by the ship Great Eastern. The photo of Brunel standing in front of the anchor chains of the ship was simply awe-inspiring, to say the least. After that, it was all I could do to find every bit of information about the man, and what an endless wealth of information there was. To my dismay, there was never a word spoken here in the States of Brunel in any textbook of any history class, and only brief mention in any engineering texts. The man was almost single-handedly responsible for bringing transportation and industrialization out of the dark-ages. I put him alongside Samuel Colt, Nikola Tesla, Rudolf Diesel, and Soichiro Honda as the greatest engineer of all time. Frankly, all the other so-called "legends" of modern industry, stood on the shoulders of this amazing man! Indeed, all of modern society owes the man an incalculable debt of gratitude!

The prodigious Brunel was probably the greatest engineer of all time. Jeremy Clarkson would have to be Britain's most engaging storyteller. This is a well crafted documentary. No one comes across with the enlightened wit & enthusiasm in telling a story as Jeremy. His salesmanship is unparalleled.

I was laughed out of the classroom when the humanities teacher asked us to vocalise our British heroes. All the boys said different footballers of the day - Michael Owen, David Beckham, Alan Shearer, etc. I said Isambard Kingdom Brunel. I still stand by my choice, despite it contributing to the years of bullying and ostracism I suffered afterwards.

Jeremy clarksons documentary’s are so underrated

Watching this in March 2023 and think “ahhhhh something from back when the BBC was good.”

The one thing Jeremy Clarkson does better than anything else in the world, Is being a proud English man.

For once Clarkson subordinates himself to his subject and talks about something that matters. The result is the best piece of television he ever made.

Love him or loathe him, Clarkson is an excellent presenter,proved here with a brilliantly informed documentary on Brunel. Superb!

This is one of the best documentaries JC has ever done in my opinion. Clearly passionate about Brunel as many of us are, I reckon JC could have put another hours worth into this documentary and I still would have been glued to it, ignoring my missus calls that laying in bed on a sunny Sunday morning isn't getting her lawn cut. I wish you had done more like this.

I really feel as though Isambard is often overlooked and we learn very little about him in history classes. What an amazing man, we spend so much time learning about wars and power hungry monarchs. This is part of British history that I am proud of, what a man, what an inspiration. A great role model.

Got to love Jeremy Clarkson's documenting skills

This documentary alone makes me exceptionally proud to be born from British Engineering. My grandfather was born in a London bomb shelter in 1943, to a father that was helping design radar systems. My great-grandfather's travels to the USA to help continue develop modern radar systems for Honeywell is why I exist. I'm obsessed with engineering and history, and Brunel makes me so ridiculously proud to be British that I want to name my son Brunel in his honor. The photo of him smoking a cigar infront of the anchor chain of the Great Eastern is one of the coolest historical pictures ever taken.

My father was an engineering draughtsman. He was born in Bath, but came to Australia after WW2. He told me about I K Brunel, and when I went to UK for the first time in 1976 I made a pilgrimage to Clifton Suspension Bridge. It took my breath away. I wanted to call my youngest son Isembard. After watching this I wish I had. (His name is Bill.)

Jeremy Clarkson probably the greatest technical subject broadcaster in the world.

Really, this is a fantastic presentation. Just the bridges, for example -- we see bridges every day, but after hearing Jeremy talk about them, they've become much more interesting to me. I could spend a weekend watching a Jeremy Clarkson playlist on RU-vid.

I'm finding it hard to argue with this. Unless someone offers evidence that Alexander of Macedon was actually born on a council estate in Liverpool, Brunel is probably the greatest Briton in terms of accomplishment.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel put kingdom in united . yet most kids have never heard of him. great man

That was amazing. As a GWR fan I've always been an admirer of IKB. The man was a genius, no doubt. Presentation by Mr Clarkson is just brilliant, good to see him again. I still miss the old Top Gear team, but he's in his element here. Well done Mr C.

Engineers in UK today still underated. Jeremy is fun, outrageous and in this, passionate about our father Isambard. Fred Dibnah another who gives us majic. Thanks. Dave

I grew up in St. Ives, Cornwall. Sadly I moved away but have travelled back over the years and I always drive down the A38 rather than the easier A30. There is one reason why I take this longer route and that is so I can marvel at the Royal Albert Bridge. Apart from the emotional aspect of crossing the Tamar to enter Cornwall from England, seeing this magnificent structure, built by the great Isambard Kingdom Brunel, never fails to impress. A wonderful programme, I voted for Brunel in the BBC series, I wish he had won.

Perhaps Jeremy will be more appreciated when he's gone too. Brilliant documentary. Absolutely captivating.

My school in Portsmouth changed it's name from Drayton road secondary modern for boys to Brunel in 69-70 ish And we painted murals of his work in the entrance in art classes.

This is excellent. Jeremy should consider doing more historical engineering documentaries like this.

Out of all the amazing things old British (and other colonial empire did), Brunel is one of the few we can revere without thinking of atrocities etc. (I mean sure, people died but hazardous jobs have always existed even today) This guy truly made the world better overall.

Not often a "fan" of Clarkson, but this programme is absolutely brilliant! Isambard is also someone I greatly admire, and Clarkson described so well exactly what I think! An amazing programme I thoroughly enjoyed, thank you for sharing.

Wow! Had never even heard of Brunel until watching this. Magnificently well done video. Thanks!

this is one of the greatest documentary films ever made. absolutely brilliant.

Quite educational for me. A bit of British History I was quite ignorant of. Cheers Mr. Clarkson and thanks for the look back.

IKB is buried in Kensal Green cemetery. Worth a visit to pay respects to an engineer like no other.

I am so glad this is back, never take it down, this is my favourite documentary on YT and I will gladly increase the views with regular rewatches. Absolutely fantastic, you have my 👍🏻 and sub for as long as this remains, thank you so much.

What a talented man. It's such as shame his talent wasn't realised whilst he was alive. As always, a very informative documentary JC. Thank you

This bloke was a complete genius - though by todays standards, the HSE (Health and Safety) would have probably put him out of business

The greatest man... In the world...

This man has inspired, and moved me my entire life. I could never measure up to his achievements, but his indomitability buoyed me over the rocks and shoals of my life. Thanks to him i have been an artist, an engineer, a metalworker, a ship owner and a dreamer.

Man, he sure could engineer well.

Just saw this now Jeremy; you packed so much into one hour, no one was seeing what Brunel was seeing, especially the stability of the wider gauged rail lines, which would nowadays incorporate the much faster trains far more safely and also carry greater loads.

What did Brunel's head in & wrecked his health, was stress from county councils --- wanting his work, then disputing its feasibility after he'd invested ages in producing designs. Then they didn't want to fund things in case they failed; he ended up having to use his own money and prove the things worked, before they'd pay him. Then he had stress about raising the cash, on top of focussing on the projects. In particular, there was that stretch of railway line he had to lay across a marsh. Nobody had b able to do it, not by driving in piles to support trackbed, or anything. The marsh swallowed the lot. The problem had baffled everybody. So they gave it to IKB. He solved it by treating the marsh as water and floating the trackbed on 7' deep of brush. The council withdrew funding after he had the project all set up, ready to assemble. Then he crashed & burned with stress. So he had to carry the whole enterprise himself, with no backup, or lose everything he'd already invested in good faith. Did the project anyway in a state of PTSD, then council paid up, but he collapsed after. His life just went on like that so often, it was too much... If people had treated him right his life could have been twice as long. Absolutely brilliant to see this film put together, with close-ups of the ironwork in the station roofs. IKB had sussed out that organic structures have a strength, hence the leaf~ and branch~like patterns between the more rectilinear parts. Really good to see so many of his different structures one after the other --- gives a perspective into his mind. Thankyou Jeremy Clarkson!

I'm sure most people in Britain are familiar with names like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, the Wright Brothers, and Frank Lloyd Wright. But Americans do not know anything about, or have ever heard about Brunel. What a shame.

An incredibly supreme man,immeasurably beyond his time. Wonderful. Thank you for this video Jonathon!

I adore architecture and great works like trains and ships. It's mind bogglingly incredible to look at and imagine.

When Jeremy Clarkson makes a point in his documentaries, it is almost irrefutable. Indeed Isembard Kingdom Brunel is the greatest Brit who had ever lived. Clarkson's documentaries firmly shows why ' the old Top Gear' with him, Hammond and May were such as a success. All three have brilliant minds. They are consistently self-effacing and never boorish. Really looking forward to their Grand Tour.

Hello guys, I am from Norway and England and I recently found out Brunel is my great x9 grandfather Its hella crazy

Fantastic piece of work by Jeremy Clarkson. He's a fantastic documentary maker, it's a shame that most people know him because he says controversial things that he doesn't really believe.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel MUST stand at the top of the heap for engineers. What a great mind.

Today is the 6th of April. Did anyone go and look to see the light emitting from the railway tunnel near Bath? One day, I might just make that journey.

BRILLIANT programme, and a BRILLIANT presenter in Jeremy Clarkson! Thank you...

Brunel's engineering feats do speak for themselves, but this impassioned documentary delivers the story with a panache and impact that few documentaries ever achieve. It goes to show that when he puts his mind to it, Jeremy Clarkson can make brilliant television. Such a shame that his own conceit ruins it so often.

Fantastic programme presented so well by Jeremy. The section about how brunel made London Paddington is very nice, inspiring stuff

remember watching this when it came out, all the other Britons presented a good case, I was tempted to say Churchill won it, but in this programme Jeremy struggles to fit all Brunels achievements within the hour timeframe, you could make an entire series on the things he made, simply a stunning man, who's ideas were too big for this world

In case the reader doesn't know, the BBC held a contest years ago to find the best Briton. Celebs did films like this one championing the great and good; somebody did Thatcher, Lennon was another, Churchill won it. Brunel came second which he might not have done without Clarkson's fantastic film

It's sad so many people in western countries aren't taught to respect their societies own achievements anymore. We stand on the shoulders of giants, yet so many of us are told to hold nothing but contempt for our ancestors.

Damn this dude was baller. I feel like a lazy piece of crap.

This man was an utter genius

amazingly written and presented a perfect tribute to a an ENGLISH genius who changed the world IKB respect oh and Clarkson SPOT ON!!!!!

How had I never heard of this guy until today. He isn't a well-known figure in the U.S. He certainly should be though.

Woweee....makes me feel proud to be a british citizen from Glasgow. !

WOW Jeremy Clarkson. This is beautiful...

As all of what Mr.Clarkson presented us with, high interest is aroused. Thank you. I knew nothing of this masterpiece. To my shame TODAY! , again, thank you and I am proud to see you proud. A genious, merely one!

The BBC wouldn't make a series like this now, it would be considered 'offensive and pompous' of Britain to 'blow its' own trumpet' ...

Why am I only seeing this now. In 2023. What a fantastic documentary.

29:00 "Still the widest, flattest, brick arch in the world"....Damn. I really enjoyed this.

A great series this, and this was one of the best episodes. I wish Jeremy would do more documentaries.

I've all ways liked the work of Brunel but I never knew how much he had achieved until I saw this programme thanks it was very enjoyable

I'm watching in 2023 - good grief how things have changed, and I don't mean since IKB but just in the last 20 years.

One of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen

The picture of IKB in front of the S.S Great Eastern chains was taken at the Brown Lenox chainworks, Pontypridd. Around 10 miles north in Aberdare, you can find the remains of one of the tiny number of timber-framed structures IKB built, in the form of the Gamlyn viaduct.

The Jeremy Clarkson envy is palpable in the comments section. Good documentary - excellently hosted.

I am watching this on what would be Isambard's 210th Birthday! Thank you, Mr Brunel!

Love the Dianna burn at the end.

Brilliant, thank you Jeremy and BBC.

They should show documentaries like this in schools. It would be far more productive than social studies!

Look what happens when engineers focus on quality rather tha cost, or 'brand awareness'. It's all still here and functional after more than 100 years. Is there any possibility we could learn from this ?

Good documentary. I enjoyed the use of Aphex Twin music.

A documentary about the greatest Briton narrated by the greatest living Briton. There’s a pleasant symmetry to that.

we visited the S.S. Great Britain and it is super...and of course the Clifton suspension Bridge is very close by...I'd like to have seen that suspension bridge which looks so unusual....thanks for a superb video :)

As a trainee surveyor with the then BR I got to visit the archive at Paddington and see some of Brunels original engineering drawings. Every one of them was a work of art in itself.

Fuck, this documentary was depressing, inspiring and beautiful at the same time

Thanks for putting this up. I have been looking for Great Britons - Isaac Newton forever. If someone has it I'd be forever greatfull.

To this day when I catch a train I say I'm catching Mr Brunell's supersonic iron snake.

Fantastic. This video ( program) must be shown To all pupils at all schools period

RESPECT.

Brunel put my hometown of Swindon on the map. So many things named after him here.

Just a fact check about the tunnel. Dynamite was not invented by that time. The blasting would have been done with black powder.

I don't think Jeremy gets the respect he deserves.. he's possibly the best TV presenter of my lifetime. Doesn't matter what it's about, if it's presented by Clarkson it's interesting..

God, I miss Jezzer. Come back to us soon.

Watched this again, I love Clarkson and this guy Isambard was a legend ❤❤

Imagine what the BBC would serve us up now as our greatest Brit’s - Doreen bloody Lawrence probably

53:45 Brunel's face. It's heartbreaking.

While Jeremy can be bombastic and annoying to some people, I love the guy. He's a brilliant narrator, really enjoys what he gets himself into. His vid on the St Nazaire raid is still one of my favourites.

Thanks for the great post. I know that Jeremy has a bit of a reputation for opening his mouth and putting his foot in it...:0) but the programs he does are very informative.

WOW! proud to watch this as a Bristolian and lucky to get to see his creations Regularly 👏👏

I remember this. They were doing a profile on a famous Brit each week I think and then there was a public vote for who was the greatest Briton. We followed this at school and we had to do a profile of them. I copied Jeremy Clarkson and said Brunel. Everyone else did Churchill.

This was an excellent show. Thank you for making it. I had no idea of who Brunel was and now I cannot believe I have never heard of him. Our education system needs to get back to focus on great people instead of popular people. We need to nurture the smart kid in schools, instead of pandering to sub average kid. The smart kid will pull us all forward.

And he was never Knighted for his remarkable achievements. And incredibly, today the likes of Elton John to Ian Botham are???????????

JC needs to do more like this

2 legends here Brunnel and Clarkson

EXCELLENT !! I had this taped on My V.C.R. !!!! Years ,Years Ago !!! Jeremy Clarkson.Presented it Very Well Indeed ! Many Thanks Indeed ! I Enjoyed it Immensly FROM, U.K. (2024).

when I was a young boy, I used to watch the 60 wheel low loader transport these turbines from parsons to the tyne for shipment to other countries around the world, also stephensons high level bridge over the tyne is a work of art, and armstrong what could we do without hydraulics, geordies gave a massive contribuition to the world, trafagar another geordie was also a hero