The Rowing Eight

Mary-Ann Ochota discovers how the rowing eight - the fastest rowing boat in the world - developed from working boats on the Thames, when river-taxi men would race their boats for a bit of fun and a spot of gambling.Through the centuries racing has become more formal, from the Doggett's Coat And Badge race - still going strong on the Thames after nearly 300 years and open only to apprentices working on the river - to the Oxford Cambridge Boat Race and the Henley Royal Regatta, where elite crews compete from all over the world.