'Heroine of the seas' in TV show

MacArthur aboard her 60 foot long yacht Kingfisher

The feats of round-the-world yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur are the focus of an hour-long BBC One documentary.

Hailed as the 'heroine of the seas and as a "modern symbol of the true indomitable spirit of women", she has become a celebrity after completing the Vendee Globe yacht race in second place.

Filming began on the documentary about MacArthur, 24, before she began the race, and it was due for broadcast in the Autumn.

But in the light of massive public interest in her voyage, the BBC is bringing forward the transmission to 1 March.

MacArthur breaks down at a press conference after her 94 day epic

MacArthur, from Derbyshire in England, arrived at Les Sables d'Olonne on France's Atlantic coast on Sunday - becoming the fastest woman ever to sail single-handedly around the world.

Extreme life

A BBC film crew met Ms MacArthur's yacht at the fishing village on the French Atlantic coast when she completed the race.

She had been at sea for exactly 94 days, four hours and 25 minutes

The programme will be made up of footage from interviews before and after the race, along with material from four cameras installed on the yacht and video diary footage.

The documentary is part of the BBC Wales Extreme Lives series, which looks at the kind of individuals who love extreme sports, including a snowboarder in Alaska and MacArthur's quest to circumnavigate the world single-handedly.

The documentary was originally planned at 30 minutes, like the rest of the series, but will now be an hour long special.