Impossible Engineering is a tribute to the ingenious experts who are behind every seemingly impossible marvel of engineering.
This new and exclusive six-part series, on Yesterday from Tuesday 26th May at 9pm, is an intriguing insight into modern-day structures, from record-beating buildings, to the worlds most cutting-edge ships, trains and planes. Each episode uses captivating 3D graphics, insight from engineering experts and specially shot footage to explore the innovations that account for todays mind-blowing structures.
This fascinating programme takes an in-depth look at the worlds most influential engineering projects across Europe, China and Japan that have been developed from prominent historic structures by their forward-thinking engineers. Featured in this series are the HMS Queen Elizabeth Carrier, the Rion-Antirion bridge, the Shanghai Tower, Kansai airport, the Maglev Train and the Airbus A380.
Episode Guide 1. Aircraft Carrier
The HMS Queen Elizabeth is the largest aircraft carrier in the history of the British Royal Navy. With a surface area bigger than two football pitches, and the most advanced short take-off strip and vertical landing in aircraft history, building this ship would have been impossible without the great engineering innovators of the past. In this episode experts explain some of the historic engineering principles from around the world, including the first British shipboard aircraft take-offs in 1912 and the revolutionary HMS Argus. Both of these enabled engineers in the 21st century to create the ground-breaking Queen Elizabeth.
2. Rion-Antirion Bridge
The three kilometres long Rion-Antirion Bridge is awe-inspiring, not only due to its record-breaking dimensions, but also due to its location in one of Europes most active seismic zones where winds reach up to 70mph. This episode gives an insight into the engineers who had to conquer the problems of deep water, high winds, earthquake risks and constant land mass movement to engineer the colossal bridge. Engineering experts travel around the world to understand how iconic creations such as the Salginotobel Bridge in Switzerland and World War II sea forts paved the way for the Bridge.
3. The Shanghai Tower
Due to Shanghai being so densely populated the only place to build is up. Soaring 632 metres into the sky, the Shanghai Tower is the second tallest building in the world. Constructed within one of the most seismically active corners of the globe, it is built to withstand damaging winds of typhoon proportions. Analysing revolutionary designs of the past and engineers such as Jack E. Carmak and Dankmar Adler, this episode demonstrates how trail-blazers allowed ambitious engineers to build an 850,000 tonne skyscraper in a city that is slowly sinking into the soft soil below.
4. Kansai Airport
The construction of Kansai International Airport in Osaka Bay, Japan, on the largest man-made island in the world, was one of the most ambitious engineering projects of modern times. Pioneering innovators from the past such as Pierre Danel, who developed a system against the pounding sea, and nineteenth century mechanic Richard Dudgeon made it possible. In this episode the development of airports including Berlins Tempelhof Airport and Londons Croydon Airport are explored to see how engineers attempted this feat of impossible engineering.
5. Maglev Train
This episode explores the history of locomotives. Experts analyse the work of engineers including Sir Nigel Gresley who engineered the worlds fastest steam train in 1938 and Eric Laithwaite, whose linear motor made frictionless travel a real possibility. These audacious innovators of the past influenced the engineering of The Shanghai Maglev, the fastest passenger train in operation on the planet. Held in place by a series of electromagnets, it levitates on an air gap of just ten millimetres and is able to reach a phenomenal top speed of 431 kilometres per hour. Built to cut through a busy metropolis in one of the worlds most active seismic zones, the Shanghai Maglev was an ambitious project that broke engineering boundaries.
6. Airbus
The Airbus A380 is the largest passenger plane ever built and can carry over 850 people non-stop nearly half way around the world. With the largest wingspan of any commercial aircraft, and four specially developed mighty turbo jet engines, the A380 weighs a colossal 560 tonnes. However getting a plane this size off the ground would not have been possible without the nifty innovators of the past: Sir George Cayley, whose ground-breaking work in aerodynamics launched the worlds first glider in the 19th century and Frank Whittle, whose jet engine changed the aviation industry forever. Key developments in aerospace engineering from Richard Whitcombes energy-efficient wing-tip designs, to NASA engineers cutting edge control system, Fly by Wire, helped bring the A380 to fruition.
For more information contact: Emily Jones, Publicist
or email: pressoffice@uktv.co.uk
Notes to Editors About Yesterday Sky 537, Virgin 206, Freeview 19, BT and TalkTalk 019 and on demand via UKTV Play Showcasing UK premiere series such as Raiders of the Lost Past, Forbidden History, and UFO Declassified, Yesterday provides fascinating factual stories. The channel also features dynamic nature and science programming including David Attenboroughs Natural Curiosities and Why Planes Crash, and programmes which challenge expectations including Secrets of the Bible. Ancient history is also featured in series including Medieval Dead, plus modern conflict in shows such as Black Ops.
About UKTV UKTV is the multi-award winning media company that reaches over 42 million viewers every month.
UKTVs eleven imaginative brands - UKTV Play, Dave, Watch, Gold, Alibi, Yesterday, Drama, Really, Home, Eden and Good Food - include the most popular non-PSB channel in the UK
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
Impossible Engineering is a tribute to the ingenious experts who are behind every seemingly impossible marvel of engineering. 
