Titanic (2012 miniseries)

The Earl of Manton, his wife, his manservant, and the Lady Manton's maid have been booked on the Titanic for ages; the earl arranges for his daughter, Georgiana, who has been rebelling against society by advocating for women's suffrage, to get a booking at the last minute. They board the ship, and Lady Manton is instantly inhospitable to Muriel Batley, wife of the earl's employee, John Batley. A further rift is caused between the pair when Lady Manton tells Mrs Batley about her blood roots back to Ireland, which Mrs Batley mocks. The ship hits an iceberg. Although Georgiana is put on a boat, Lady Manton refuses to leave her husband.

The designers of Titanic are in conflict over how many lifeboats should be on the ship. One of them hires Irishman Jim Maloney to get a more competent team to finish the behind-schedule electrical wiring, in exchange for transporting his family to America for a new life. Although his wife, Mary, is unsure of the move, they go anyway and Jim manages to secure the family a room in third class. However, a stranger and fellow passenger, Peter, makes Mary wary by constantly appearing nearby and soon makes the acquaintance of Mary's husband. Meanwhile, Paolo, the brother of the Italian engineer Mario, catches the eye of a beautiful stewardess, Annie Desmond. John and Muriel Batley, are shown having a turbulent time in their marriage. The ship hits the iceberg, and the Maloney family is trapped below decks. Peter steps out by attacking one of the stewards so Mary and her children can pass; however, both he and Jim are trapped below decks. Mary and her children manage to get on board a lifeboat, but the Batleys are unable to board a lifeboat and they, the Earl of Manton, and Barnes attempt to right an overturned lifeboat as the water reaches the boat deck.

Italian stoker Mario Sandrini gets a job on the ship, and he also manages to secure passage for his brother Paolo, as the only foreign waiter in the first class dining saloon. Paolo instantly becomes smitten with cabin steward Annie Desmond. Watson brings Lady Manton's jewel case down to steerage, and Barnes is shocked to discover why. Meanwhile, Paolo startles Annie with an impulsive gesture. Mary finally lets her guard down with Peter, enraging her husband Jim. But their argument is interrupted when the iceberg strikes, and fear builds in steerage as passengers find themselves behind locked gates. Peter helps Mary and her children escape, and after Mario is dragged away by the two seamen, passengers from steerage manage to get up on deck, Jim and Peter in their midst. When up on deck the Earl of Manton helps Mary and the children into a lifeboat but, in the scramble for safety, Mary's terrified daughter Theresa bolts back inside the sinking ship, followed by her father. Mario and the other Italians from Gatti's Restaurant have been locked in a storage cupboard and, after Paolo sees Annie safely to a lifeboat, he goes in search of his brother. Paolo struggles to open the locked cupboard as the water quickly rises around him.

The passengers are in a desperate plight as the Titanic sinks into the icy waters. Watson is accidentally locked in the Mantons' cabin searching for her father's book when a steward orders that all first class cabins be locked to prevent people from stealing. She is, however, saved when Barnes comes to her aid and gets a steward to open the door. When she is running for a lifeboat he gives her an envelope and tells her not to open it until she is safe. Peter and Jim go in search of Theresa, Jim's daughter, but when Jim finds her, it is too late to escape. Theresa asks him what they do now, and he replies that they sit there and hold each other tightly. Paolo manages to get Peter to help him free his brother and the other Italians from the cupboard. Lady Manton is finally persuaded to get into a lifeboat. As Batley and his wife try to launch the overturned lifeboat with Lord Manton, Barnes and other passengers and crew, the ship takes its final plunge and waters engulfs the forward superstructure, sweeping them all apart. Barnes drowns. Paolo and Mario jump into the water and are separated; Mario climbs on to an overturned lifeboat, and sees the ship break in half and sink beneath the ocean. Batley floats by, clinging to his wife's body. He is persuaded to let her go and is pulled aboard. Only three people are saved; two of them are Paolo, who died just as he was found, and Lord Manton, who survives. Watson reads the letter Barnes wrote her. It is his will, in which he leaves her a small house, which should be perfect for her father. The series ends with the survivors being approached by the rescue ship, RMS Carpathia.