Titanic submersible already has a documentary airing today
U.K. broadcaster Channel 5 will air a documentary on the Titanic submersible hours after the craft was estimated to run out of oxygen
In today’s entry of “modern life is its own special kind of hell,” the lost submersible that has captured the attention of the Internet will be the subject of a documentary already set to air on Thursday, just four days after descending into the ocean. U.K. production company ITN apparently specializes in “fast-turnaround” documentaries, so they’re uniquely prepared to cook something up for British broadcaster Channel 5, airing at 7 P.M. local time, per Variety.
“Titanic Sub: Lost at Sea” will be presented by 5 News host Dan Walker and will reportedly “go beyond” the coverage we’ve already seen (hard to imagine, when the coverage we’ve been seeing has been pretty much non-stop). “This program will chart everything from the exploration itself, to the rise of extreme tourism, to the rescue attempts, but above all it will tell a very human story that has captured the nation which is about 5 people, all with families, who are trapped at the bottom of the ocean,” says Ian Rumsey, managing director of content for ITN (via Variety). “Our expertise and heritage in fast-turnaround documentaries and reputation for responsible filmmaking means we always treat such stories with great sensitivity.”
Sensitivity has not necessarily been the primary concern in much of the reaction to the missing submersible, which much of Twitter has taken perverse delight in meme-ing to hell. The problem is, this story has everything, as Stefon would say: the arrogance of the wealthy, the schadenfreude of shoddy submarine workmanship, the Titanic of it all. The stepson of one of the billionaire passengers used the ongoing disaster as leverage to meet Blink-182, creep on female Twitter users, and start a feud with Cardi B. The amount of metaphorical rubbernecking going on is surely reaching historic levels; the sheer power of discourse on ocean exploration alone could fuel a small city.
It’s all fairly grotesque, given that five people (British businessman Hamish Harding; British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman; former French Navy diver Paul-Henry Nargeolet; and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush) are trapped on a cramped submersible that has likely run out of oxygen at this point, per Reuters. A documentary airing before the bodies are even cold doesn’t feel like a stretch in a world where anything and everything becomes entertainment. No doubt plenty of people will be tuning in.