First broadcast: 1998
Stars: Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay and Cherie Lunghi
Writer: Based on the stories of C.S. Forester, screenplay by Russell Lewis
The lowdown: The story begins off Spithead, Portsmouth, England, in 1794. A storm is raging in the English Channel, and a small open boat is being lashed by squally rain. Huddled at the stern is a pale-faced 17-year-old midshipman about to begin his career in the Royal Navy. Soaked to the skin, Horatio Hornblower (Ioan Gruffudd) steps aboard his first ship and becomes violently seasick, much to the amusement of his new comrades. Despite this start, he is destined to become one of the most gallant and formidable figures of the Napoleanic Wars.
Memorable moment: Hornblower’s shipmate Simpson (Dorian Healy) is a bully whose own failings make him jealous of the new recruit. He needles the new boy throughout their first voyage and the antagonism leads to a duel with tragic results.
Trivia: Although Hornblower was a big hit in the US its American backers have decided to call a halt to making further episodes.
You can see Ioan in another watery adventure: at the end of movie blockbuster Titanic. He plays a crew man manning a lifeboat and rescues Kate Winslet's character Rose.
