Greg Jenner

Right, good. Ditto. I'm getting a lot of ditto on it. It's a lot of like, we found some ice, we went home.

I failed to pronounce the North West Passage there, so I can't really... OK, so we've got naval officers sitting around, naval gazing, but they can't get through the ice. Naval gazing!

I failed to pronounce the North West Passage there, so I can't really... OK, so we've got naval officers sitting around, naval gazing, but they can't get through the ice. Naval gazing!

How would you entertain a ship full of sailors who are sort of hunkered over in the ice? Drag sea shanty. I'm up for that.

How would you entertain a ship full of sailors who are sort of hunkered over in the ice? Drag sea shanty. I'm up for that.

32 drag artists. Whittle them down.

32 drag artists. Whittle them down.

RuPaul's Northwest Passage Arctic. Vanessa, was Britain alone in organising these Arctic explorations in the kind of 1820s, 30s, you know, that sort of post-Napoleonic time?

RuPaul's Northwest Passage Arctic. Vanessa, was Britain alone in organising these Arctic explorations in the kind of 1820s, 30s, you know, that sort of post-Napoleonic time?

OK. So we've got various sort of powers and superpowers in the region. But in the 1840s, Britain... Hello, Britain, at last. Launches the most famous Arctic mission of all. In the wind? In the 1840s. So it's pretty, you know, this is kind of peak Queen Victoria era. She came to power in 1837, so we're in the Victorian era. And the Franklin expedition is the big one.

OK. So we've got various sort of powers and superpowers in the region. But in the 1840s, Britain... Hello, Britain, at last. Launches the most famous Arctic mission of all. In the wind? In the 1840s. So it's pretty, you know, this is kind of peak Queen Victoria era. She came to power in 1837, so we're in the Victorian era. And the Franklin expedition is the big one.

It's the one that we're probably going to focus the rest of this episode on. Can you talk us through this Franklin chap? Who is Sir John Franklin?

It's the one that we're probably going to focus the rest of this episode on. Can you talk us through this Franklin chap? Who is Sir John Franklin?

So, Stu, he sounds perfect for an Arctic exploration, but maybe not so good for running a colony.

So, Stu, he sounds perfect for an Arctic exploration, but maybe not so good for running a colony.

Sounds like the Scooby gang would have a field day with that. So he sounds like he should be top of the list for candidates being drawn up to lead this latest expedition. Is he the kind of number one go-to guy? He's not even close. Really?

Sounds like the Scooby gang would have a field day with that. So he sounds like he should be top of the list for candidates being drawn up to lead this latest expedition. Is he the kind of number one go-to guy? He's not even close. Really?

Oh, that's so wonderfully tense.

Oh, that's so wonderfully tense.

Okay, so we have an illustrious explorer, but he's had a bit of a bad time of it six years off. He was at the bottom of the list. The other guy wanted the job, was offered the job, but turned the job down out of modesty and is now second in charge. And meanwhile, they've named their ships. Was he Jared Harris in The Terror? He might be. Yeah, I think he was.