In late 1914, the charismatic and brilliant explorer Ernest Shackleton led 27 men on a voyage to cross the Antarctic to reach the South Pole. But what should have been a successful expedition turned into a two-year nightmare of hardship and catastrophe when their vessel the Endurance was crushed in the Weddell Sea pack-ice and sunk. Stranded with no ship, no contact with the outside world and limited supplies, it would be up to the men to find their own way back to civilisation.

This is the first part of a special mini-series that dramatically retells the extraordinary story of the 1915 Endurance Expedition.

Be sure to subscribe to get each part in your feed over the next few days.

Presented by Dan Snow, written and produced by Mariana Des Forges. Shackleton's diary is read by Dan Aspel and produced by Thomas Ntinas.

If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.