Cunard celebrates 175th birthday

Exactly 175 years ago a Canadian arrived in Britain with what at the time seemed a novel idea....a regular ship to carry mail and passengers to America. It ended up as the most successful shipping company ever.

Samuel Cunard came to Britain in the summer of 1838 to set up a regular service across the Atlantic. A year later he won the first Government contract - worth £55,000 a year - to deliver the mail to Halifax in Canada and Boston in the USA.

And it was in July 1840 that a wooden paddle steamer called Britannia made the historic first crossing. All this week we will be looking back at the history of the Southampton-based company.

Our Transport Correspondent Mike Pearse talked to Bernard Webb, Queen Mary bell boy and John Langley, Cunard historian.