They Brought the Sea to Manchester A BBC Radio Programme (1969) This 'lost' Radio Ballad-type documentary, which was broadcast to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the opening of the Manchester Ship Canal, has been found languishing on an old domestic reel-reel tape and it sounds as good as when it was first aired. It features interviews from some men in their 90s who actually worked on the canal's construction and describes the massive flood created when the sluices gates were first opened to fill the canal. The programme was recorded in the BBC Manchester studios and broadcast in 1969. It features a song sung by Harry Boardman (1930- 1987) who was a mainstay of the folk scene in his native Lancashire and a singer of great vitality. His extensive repertoire focused on local songs. In January 1894 Queen Victoria declared the canal open without leaving her carriage which was par for the course for her.