The film was directed by Charles Frend from screenplay by Ivor Montagu and Walter Meade with "additional dialogue" by the novelist Mary Hayley Bell (Mills' wife).

The supporting cast included James Robertson Justice, Derek Bond, Kenneth More, John Gregson, Barry Letts and Christopher Lee.

Scott goes on a fundraising campaign, with mixed results, finding scepticism among Liverpool businessmen who are interested primarily in economic opportunities, but also enthusiasm among schoolchildren who help fund the sledge dogs.

At the three-quarter mark, Scott selects the five-man team to make the push to the pole, hoping to return by the end of March 1912.

They reach the pole only to find the Norwegian flag already planted there and a letter from Roald Amundsen asking Scott to deliver it to the King of Norway.

When reaching the mountains bordering the polar plateau, Wilson shows the men some sea plant and tree fossils he has found, also a piece of coal, proving that the Antarctic must have been a warm place once.

Scott is increasingly concerned about the health of two men: Evans, who has a serious cut on his hand, and Oates, whose foot is badly frostbitten.

Realising that his condition is slowing the team down, Oates says "I hope I don't wake tomorrow" but when he does, he sacrifices himself by crawling out of the tent, saying "I'm just going outside; I may be away some time.

After a shot of Scott's diary being recovered, the film ends with the sight of a wooden cross with the five names of the dead inscribed on it as well as the quote: "To strive to seek to find and not to yield."

To them and to those many other persons and organisations too numerous to mention individually who gave such able assistance and encouragement, the producers express their deepest gratitude.

"I was only about four when the tragedy happened, but Scott has always been one of my heroes and it's jolly satisfying to feel that the job of helping to bring the great story of British enterprise and grit to the screen has fallen to me.

[10][11] It was an early role for Kenneth More whose audition was arranged by Stewart Granger, whose wife Elspeth March had appeared in a play with More.

[22][23] According to Kinematograph Weekly the 'biggest winner' at the box office in 1949 Britain was The Third Man with "runners up" being Johnny Belinda, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Paleface, Scott of the Antarctic, The Blue Lagoon, Maytime in Mayfair, Easter Parade, Red River and You Can't Sleep Here.

In fact, Scott was not at his base camp during this unscheduled return of his ship but was busy laying depots in the interior of the Antarctic.

[27] In the film, just before reaching the South Pole, Scott's team sight a distant flag, and realise the race is lost.

The film gives the impression that Scott starts to doubt at the South Pole whether he would manage to return to base camp safely, quoting "Now for the run home and a desperate struggle.