Fresh view of Trafalgar

1 August 2003

A new view of the fateful Battle of Trafalgar will be shown on film, thanks to a history of medicine public engagement grant. Victory at Trafalgar is generally attributed to Admiral Nelson, whose military tactics, stirring call to arms and tragic death have all assured his place in the popular consciousness. But historical reassessments emphasise other important factors - not the least the healthier state of the British seamen, compared with their scurvy-ridden French counterparts.

Justin Hardy from Asylum Films, which made 'The Great Plague', shown on Channel 4 in 2001, will work with historians Laurence Brockliss (Oxford) and Michael Moss (Manchester) to research the life of William Beatty, surgeon aboard HMS Victory, and develop a historically realistic storyline and script. The team hopes to film aboard the Victory itself, with a view to a public broadcast in 2005, the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar.