A new documentary program featuring colorized footage of the Titanic shows what life was really like on the doomed superliner.
"Titanic in Colour," airing Sunday on Channel 4, brings a fresh perspective on the stories of the ship's passengers.
An estimated 2,224 people were onboard the RMS Titanic when it hit an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York on April 15, 1912. Around 1,500 people died in the tragedy.
In the two-part history series, newly colorized photos and film footage offer unique insight into daily life on the ship. The documentary will also present little known stories about the Titanic and exclusive interviews with living relatives of the passengers and crew, reports the Daily Mail.
The program features the only known existing film footage of the Titanic. In the historic footage, which is dated from February 3, 1912, the ship is not fully painted and looks unfinished.
First class suite on the Titanic. Credit: Channel 4
"It does have the feel of something very unofficial, very behind-the-scenes, very sort of making of," say Historian Dr Lesley-Anne Beadles in the documentary.
"The White Star line was completely about appearances, so it does have that feel of something that maybe we weren't quite supposed to see."
Experts have restored the film, repairing damage and adding color using new techniques.
One of the gyms inside the Titanic. Credit: Channel 4
The one-minute clip shows the Titanic sailing while tiny men can be seen onboard the deck, giving an indication of the ship's impressive size. The footage also shows that, unlike the rest of the ship, the wheelhouse was painted white.
The colorized footage and photographs reveal the Titanic's lavish interiors, passengers' clothing and artifacts, and the people who built and traveled on the ship.
A young boy plays on the deck of the Titanic. Credit: Channel 4
The best-known record of the vessel comes from Jesuit theological student Francis Browne, who was one of only seven passengers to disembark the ship at Cobh in Ireland, known at the time as Queenstown.
With his camera, Browne managed to capture what life was like onboard the ship, The Sun reports.
His pictures included his own first class cabin, the ship's gym, and a six-year-old boy named Douglas from New York, captured playing with a spinning top on the deck of the ship
The first episode of "Titanic In Colour" airs on Channel 4 this Sunday at 8pm.
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