At a dinner party in London’s Belgrave Square, two men discuss plans for a luxury ocean liner like nothing ever seen. The finest designers and craftsmen begin work in Belfast. A soon to be retired Captain Smith steps on board to take command. But a pair of binoculars goes missing in the process. Liverpool lad Jimmy McGann wangles a job in Titanic’s engine room. A passenger called Esther Hart has a terrifying premonition. And the gargantuan ship claims her first victim - before even touching water…

A Noiser podcast production.

Narrated by Paul McGann.

Featuring Josyann Abisaab, Stephanie Barczewski, Jerome Chertkoff, Julian Fellowes, Veronica Hinke, Tim Maltin, Stephen McGann, Susie Millar, Claes-Göran Wetterholm.

Special thanks to Southampton Archives, Culture and Tourism for the use of the Eva Hart archive. Visit SeaCity Museum for an interactive experience of the Titanic story (seacitymuseum.co.uk)

Written by Duncan Barrett | Produced by Miriam Baines and Duncan Barrett | Exec produced by Joel Duddell | Sound design & audio editing by Tom Pink | Assembly editing by Dorry Macaulay, Rob Plummer, Liam Cameron | Compositions by Oliver Baines and Dorry Macaulay | Mix & mastering: Cian Ryan-Morgan | Recording engineer: Joseph McGann | Nautical consultant: Aaron Todd.

Get every episode of Titanic: Ship of Dreams two weeks early, as well as ad-free listening, by joining Noiser+. Click the subscription banner at the top of the feed to get started. Or go to noiser.com/subscriptions

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices