Shakedown cruise

Stowed away on the replica Endeavour , the subject of The Ship , a BBC2 series that began this week, was a team of academics. The volunteers - historians, a botanist, botanical artist and an astronomer - were among 41 people to join 15 working crew on the ship, which over six weeks retraced part of Captain Cook's epic voyage from Australia's east coast.

The volunteers had to get to grips with the rigours of life on an 18th-century sailing ship that included an authentic 18th-century diet, no external communications, no smoking, no alcohol, no coffee and no personal space.

The conditions had an unfortunate effect on volunteer Andrew Lambert, professor of naval history at King's College London, who had to be airlifted off to hospital with pneumonia as the ship left Australian waters.