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Series 1: The Rowing Eight
Mary-Ann Ochota discovers how the rowing eight - the fastest rowing boat in the world - developed from working boats on the Thames, when river taximen would race their boats for a bit of fun and a spot of gambling. Through the centuries, racing has become more formal, from the Doggett's Coat and Badge race - still going strong on the Thames after nearly 300 years and open only to apprentices working on the river - to the Oxford-Cambridge boat race and the Henley Royal Regatta, where elite crews compete from all over the world. Yet despite its origins - entertainment for river workers - the rowing eight found itself at the centre of a class war that ended up in Parliament. Meeting up with celebrated Olympians Anna Watkins and Sir Steve Redgrave, as well as veteran boat builders, Mary-Ann learns how technology and the athletes' quest for speed have produced the boat we know today.
Source: BBC 1
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