One Tribe TV’s latest cinematic premiere – 'A SHIP THROUGH TIME'

The curtain has now been lifted on One Tribe’s latest production ‘A Ship Through Time’, a crime style history documentary, unravelling the mysteries of one the greatest ever finds in marine archeology – known as 'The Newport Ship'. Made for the Welsh language channel S4C, in English for Sky History and for the BFI on cinema release. The series is being distributed international by Abacus Sphere.

On Tuesday 11th September 2025, The Riverfront Theatre in Newport hosted our exclusive cinematic premiere of the 90-minute English version of the documentary. Attended by the documentary’s presenter, Sean Fletcher and the production team at One Tribe TV, Iwan England the commissioning editor at S4C, expert contributors, Friends of the Newport Ship , members of Newport council, as well as the wider community. This screening marked the widely anticipated celebration of this incredible medieval wreck, incredibly found under The Riverfront Theatre some 20 years ago when it was being built.

The event began with a welcome from One Tribe’s co-executive producer, Tom Cunningham, in Welsh and English. He said: “It felt so special standing on the spot where the ship was discovered back in 2002. If this theatre had never been built, it’s very possible the Newport Ship may never have been found and it would be lost to history.”

The film took the audience on a trip back in time, from the acorns of the Basque forest where the timber was felled, to the historic ship building port at Pasaia, the docks in Lisbon where the Newport Ship made her many voyages to Bristol with a hull packed with over 220,000 bottles of wine. From there she docked in Bristol at the height of the War of the Roses, before an accident caused her to fall into the mud in Newport whilst undergoing repairs to her hull. The period is brought into technicolour with the help of dramatic reconstruction and experts ranging from historic ship builders, Welsh praise-poetry, maritime archaeologists and many more. Presenter, Sean Fletcher, goes on his own voyage of discovery to find out about the Newport Ship's hidden story and in doing so reveals the interconnected role Wales played in 15th century Europe. Remarkably, it would seem the Newport Ship is directly linked to the stories of the two men that conspired with the Kings of England, during this bloody civil war between competing dynasties.

After the screening we hosted a Q&A where Sean Fletcher, Catrin Evans (producer / director) and Toby Jones (curator of the Newport Ship) took to the stage to share their reflections on the project and the filming. The questions elicited a range of responses, from Sean’s visceral response to seeing the ships at the historic shipyard in Pasaia for the first time, to Toby’s personal discovery of the archers brace in the Newport mud. The warm reception from the Newport community leaves us in little doubt that this documentary will serve a vital role in Newport’s future, and is so important for Wales as a whole. In helping to raise the ships profile we edge ever closer to her eventual housing and reconstruction in a state-of-the-art, purpose-built museum. But more so, by telling her story we shine a light on Newport’s vital role in the canon of 15th century history, not to mention her place in the wider world.

Co-executive producer and One Tribe’s MD, Dale Templar said: “This has been the most amazing project – the story has so many twists and turns and it really is like watching a true crime story. Like a true detective, Sean leads us through it wonderfully in both the Welsh and English versions."

Emma Newrick - Newport Culture & Heritage Team Manager was delighted by the event: “It is truly going to help raise the profile of the Ship and spark the public's interest.”

Toby Jones - Curator of the Newport Ship added: “OneTribe have created something that is going to hugely help the ship project and be a great resource for years to come…it is so clear in structure and visually appealing.”

A Ship Through Time will be released on TV in Welsh and English in November 2025 .