Chris Barrie Gets Greased Up Again

Crass headline heralds return of Britain's Greatest Machines.

5 February, 2010

Put aside all those mental images of Mr. B's oiled torso in Terrorform - ah, too late - we're talking engine oil here.

Chris Barrie has returned for a second series of Britain's Greatest Machines, broadcasting on the National Geographic channel - and simulcast in glorious HD - on Mondays at 9pm (and handily repeated many, many times). After last series' dalliance with Back to the Future's DeLorean, it's only appropriate that the new adventures will see Chris travelling even further back in time...

Guiding viewers through three new decades - 1910s, 1920s, 1940s the series ends with an episode dedicated to trains. Prepare for a petrol head's dream with Chris' unique access to some amazing boys toys - the priceless original prototype of the Bentley 3 Litre, the Vickers Vimy WW1 bomber, a beautifully restored 1920's Charanbanc and the first British jet fighter - the Gloster Meteor.

I know, I know - you'll be able to see the huge smile on the man's face from space.

Here's the - slightly belated - episode guide:

1910s
The 1910s was the decade that industrialised the war. Chris looks at pre-war inventions, from a three-wheeled Morgan runabout to massive moving bridges, before charting the new weapons, trucks, planes and ships of World War I. Chris explains how technology changed warfare forever, before he climbs into the cockpit for an exhilarating flight on the first aircraft to fly across the Atlantic.

1920s
After the horrors of World War I, the 1920s boom-and-bust years were about speed, glamour, and power. But the modern world didn't just exist, it had to be invented. Chris explores the motorbikes, articulated lorries, petrol pumps and planes that came off the drawing board to redefine an exciting new world. Chris recreates the decade's new obsession with motor racing, and explores the massive building where Britain produced the biggest flying machine the world had ever seen - the R101 airship.

1940s
Chris finds out there's nothing like a war to create technological change. He mans a fire pump to tackle a Blitz-style blaze and steps into an RAF control centre to discover how radar helped win the Battle of Britain. From spy planes to powerboats, jet engines to shrapnel-proof fire engines, Chris shows how new innovations helped defeat Hitler. But then we needed brand new tractor and car designs to help build the peace that followed.

Trains
The 1820s were one of the most revolutionary decades in history. In just ten years transportation evolved from foot and horse to the first passenger railway, forever changing British society. Chris follows this breakthrough, heading down a mine to witness rail's earliest roots and taking a spin on the Trevithick Puffing Devil - the world's first high-pressure steam engine. Finally, our intrepid presenter climbs on to the footplate of some of the earliest and most famous trains in the world.

You can learn loads more from National Geographic's Britain's Greatest Machines website.