ALL THE world’s greatest discoveries started with a simple question: “What’s going on here, then?”
From calculating the shape of the Earth to mapping our DNA, none of the advances that science has made would have happened if someone with a curious mind hadn’t paused and scratched their head.
That hunger for knowledge is inside all of us, and the Yesterday channel has scores of programmes to feed that desire to learn, all presented by people whose passion for their subject is infectious.
Watching these shows is like a meeting of curious minds.
Take Secrets of the London Underground. Presenters Siddy Holloway and Tim Dunn are as likely to squeal with delight on discovering a 1930s wall tile as they are over a tunnel dug deep below the capital.
But then, who among us hasn’t wanted to explore a deserted Tube station?
All the above programmes are free to watch on UKTV Play, Freeview 27, Sky 155 or Virgin Media 129
“Watching machines turn a roll
of aluminium into panels for
a Jaguar F-Type is hypnotic”
YESTERDAY IS
How these lively factual shows shed new light on the world
New show Retro Electro Workshop is powered by the same enthusiasm.
Fronted by super-fixer Rob Howard, one of the UK’s last remaining full-time repairmen of retro electricals, the series follows the attempts of a group of collectors to turn a profit, with Rob’s help, from the vintage electricals they’ve bought.
The glint in Rob’s eye when he’s called out to repair the former pirate radio ship Radio Caroline is rather special.
Yesterday’s programmes have a few stars at the wrier end of the scale too.
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“Straight-talking” he may be, but Derek Mathewson of
Bangers & Cash, a show about his family-run car auction business, was such a big hit with viewers that the series spawned a spin-off, Bangers & Cash: Restoring Classics.
And then there’s Classic Car Garage, a brand new show about Colin Denton, a specialist mechanic who opens his garage at weekends for classic car owners to get the help they need to keep their ailing motors on the road.
If your curiosity doesn’t extend to getting your own hands dirty, you could try How To Build A Motor Car, a guided tour around some of the world’s most advanced car production lines (and a few very traditional ones) right here in the UK.
Watching the machines that turn a two-tonne roll of aluminium into sleek body panels for a Jaguar F-Type is as hypnotic as it is jaw-dropping.
Perhaps part of the appeal of these shows is that they feature gangs of like-minded people who are not only passionate about their craft, but are always willing to muck in and help each other out to get a job done.
That’s certainly true on Yorkshire Steam Railways, where the group who maintain the engines have worked together for so long that their love of trains has turned into a real bond.
It makes for great TV, but will we ever find out why the engine shed manager is called Piglet?
It’s a similar tale on Hornby: A Model World, where teamwork and mutual understanding go into every single model train the company makes.
If you’ve ever wanted an ant’s eye view of a piece of machinery, this is the show for you.
Abandoned Engineering is more about a bird’s perspective. Over 11 series it has travelled the world in search of megastructures – from hidden air bases to Soviet ghost towns – that have outlived their usefulness or never got off the ground.
The atmospheric shots of these crumbling towers, bridges and edifices, coupled with expert commentary, leave viewers mesmerised and inspired to find out more about the world we live in.
The Yesterday channel can help with that too – new to it this year is a selection of the classic TV travelogues presented by Joanna Lumley and Simon Reeve.
So settle down, pull up a screen and let your curiosity be sparked. Who knows where your wandering – and wondering – mind might take you?
Whet your appetite for info with this banquet of beauties
RETRO ELECTRO WORKSHOP
The Sinclair C5, a one-person electric tricycle, was a complete flop when it was launched by the British inventor Clive Sinclair in the 1980s. Now it’s seen as way ahead of its time, and those in good condition can sell for more than £1,000. (Tuesdays, 9pm)
SECRETS OF THE LONDON UNDERGROUND
The Jubilee Line’s Swiss Cottage station was originally part of the Metropolitan Line. The remnants of the old platform are still visible and are now maintained as emergency exits in case there’s ever the need for evacuation. (Tuesdays, 8pm)
BANGERS & CASH
Launched in 1972, the Ford Granada Mk 1 was the motoring giant’s first pan-European executive car, though it narrowly escaped an enforced name change when TV rental business Granada objected. (Thursdays, 8pm)
HORNBY: A MODEL WORLD
In the 1970s, it could take 12 months to turn a model for Hornby from an idea into a finished product, with blueprints and multiple tests. These days it can be done in a matter of weeks, thanks to digital scanning, photography and 3D printing. (Stream free on UKTV Play)
ABANDONED ENGINEERING
Beatles producer George Martin opened AIR Studios in central London in 1970. In 1979, he built AIR Montserrat on the tropical island he loved, but it was wiped out by hurricane Hugo ten years later. The last album produced there was Steel Wheels
by the Rolling Stones. (Weekdays, 11pm)
JOANNA LUMLEY’S TRANS-SIBERIAN ADVENTURE
Lumley lived in Hong Kong as a child, and the family kept guinea pigs as pets. These can be taught to whistle, though whether it’s a good idea to do so in a crowded port full of sailors on leave is a moot point. (Stream free on UKTV Play)
CLASSIC CAR GARAGE
Mechanic Colin Denton (above) is a mine of information. For instance, Jensen’s Interceptor sports car was built in West Bromwich, and the Mark III model, produced from 1971, had a 7.2-litre engine. The oil crisis of the mid-1970s hit Jensen hard and it made its last cars in 1976. (Stream free on UKTV Play)
“Atmospheric shots of these crumbling towers, bridges and edifices leave viewers mesmerised”
Tricks of the fix: Matt Marchant and Rob Howard of Retro Electro Workshop
Feast of Facts
Tunnel vision: Siddy Holloway and Tim Dunn explore the London Underground
THE FUTURE
HOW TO BUILD A MOTOR CAR
The Caterham 7 lightweight sports car is based on the Series 3 Lotus Seven. The Caterham marque is named after the location of the company’s first showroom, so customers always knew where to find them. (Stream free on UKTV Play)
TV for curious minds
