Rebuilding Notre-Dame: Inside the Great Cathedral Rescue

Science & Engineering1 x 60' for BBC4, NOVA/WGBH

New discoveries about the cathedral that will help restorers bring Notre Dame back from the brink

Rebuilding Notre-Dame: Inside the Great Cathedral Rescue takes you inside what remains of the world-famous Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris in France. It’s one year since the inferno devastated the vast timber and lead roof and left a nation traumatized, but the 850-year old Gothic masterpiece is still perilously close to collapse.

Now, we follow the men and women fighting to secure the fire-ravaged structure. It’s an unprecedented collaboration between scientists and architects, leading to new discoveries about the cathedral that will help restorers bring Notre Dame back from the brink.

Lead dust from the vaporised roof contaminates the site, the stone ceiling is crumbling and a 550-ton melted mass of scaffolding still hangs precariously over the cathedral, triggering alarms and evacuations. But the team is meticulously analysing the fallen timber, stone and fractured glass, to develop a rescue plan and bring the history of this stunning cathedral to life.

Executive Producer Carlo Massarella
Director & Camera Joby Lubman
Producer Alessandra Bonomolo
Editors Hass Azzoug , Sarjit Bains
Head of Animation & VFX Rob Hartel
Production Managers Laety Ducom , Chloe Deverell
Production Executive Zoe Glover
Shooting PDs Andrew Bailey , Steve Morgan
Assistant Producers Maria Alves , George Hill
Archive Researcher Morgane Barrier
Junior Production Manager Sally Brown
Additional Camera Mark Atwill

Winner of a Bronze Award at the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards 2021