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Post by dit on Mar 13, 2014 21:01:49 GMT
There doesn't seem to be much information about this new 3-part (?) series yet, and I've no idea about transmission dates, but I picked up the headline BBC2 orders M6 doc series and more James May
......Meanwhile, in James May's Cars Of The People, the presenter will tell the history of cars that have been socially significant in the 20th century. After a little search I came across these threads on a motoring website jamesmayboard.proboards.com/thread/new/29www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/yaf_postst70335_MX5--for-sale.aspxwith a very nice pic of James  |
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Post by Flying Lady on Mar 15, 2014 4:08:08 GMT
I am excitedly looking forward to this series. James gets to wax historical without Pinky & Perky shouting him down. And about small, cheap, accessible cars. As far as I can tell, this'll be exactly my sort of thing!
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Post by RedMoon11 on Mar 18, 2014 22:29:49 GMT
Meanwhile, in James May’s Cars Of The People, the presenter will tell the history of cars that have been socially significant in the 20th century. The show is expected to air later this year. The 3 x 60-minute is being produced in-house by the BBC’s entertainment division and produced by Tom Whitter and is likely to be exec produced by Top Gear supremo Andy Wilman. It was commissioned by departing BBC2 controller Janice Hadlow and entertainment commissioning controller Mark Linsey. The series is May’s latest solo hosting performance following James May’s Toy Stories and James May’s Man Lab. Wilman told Broadcast last month that the BBC is to open talks with May and his fellow Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond over a new deal. webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:LB4rD4P4EYwJ:www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/commissioning/bbc2-orders-m6-doc-series-and-more-james-may/5068572.article+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us |
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Post by Flying Lady on Mar 19, 2014 2:49:52 GMT
I feel that this is relevant at this juncture:
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Post by Captain-Interesting on Apr 4, 2014 14:58:11 GMT
Oooh, this is all very exciting!
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buzz
Mayhemer
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Post by buzz on Apr 13, 2014 15:18:50 GMT
Flying Lady Judging by your avatar, you may find the following link of interest (circa 3m 51s): www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cwYYbaFb9oYou may wonder what this has to do with Cars of the People, but I couldn't possibly comment....  |
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sookie
Mayhemer
Top Gear and OUAT fan
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Post by sookie on Jun 4, 2014 19:14:32 GMT
Cool I am looking forward to seeing this! Still catching up on Man Lab, I just ordered the Series 2 DVDs
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Post by RedMoon11 on Jun 6, 2014 13:07:48 GMT
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buzz
Mayhemer
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Post by buzz on Jun 25, 2014 20:15:34 GMT
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buzz
Mayhemer
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Post by buzz on Jul 12, 2014 19:40:59 GMT
This could be a red herring, but keep an eye on the listings for 19.30, BBC2, 1 August.
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Post by RedMoon11 on Jul 13, 2014 13:26:35 GMT
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buzz
Mayhemer
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Post by buzz on Jul 16, 2014 11:18:54 GMT
Unless schedules change, it's not looking likely for August 1. Listings have started to appear for other programmes in the 7.00 - 8.30 slots.
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Post by slfriend79 on Jul 31, 2014 20:17:35 GMT
James May's Cars Of The People: Trailer - BBC Two:
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Post by RedMoon11 on Aug 1, 2014 6:17:35 GMT
YAY!
This is the story of the how the world fell in love with motoring. James May's Cars of the People starts Sunday 10 August at 9pm on BBC Two and BBC Two HD.
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Post by RedMoon11 on Aug 2, 2014 12:59:35 GMT
James May's Cars of the People   Episode 1 of 3
Sun 10 Aug 2014 21:00BBC Two DURATION: 1 HOURIn his quest to discover how we the people got our wheels, James travels to Germany, Italy and Russia to reveal the extraordinary story of how dictators kickstarted the mobilisation of the masses. It is a tale of design brilliance, abject failure, war, fraud and double dealing featuring some of the best (and worse) cars and characters of the 20th century. James discovers how the British motor industry blew a gift-wrapped chance to rule the world and he gets his own back with a stunt that means bad news for one of the planet's most hated cars. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0467lbh
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Post by RedMoon11 on Aug 4, 2014 17:56:08 GMT
New trailer: James May’s Cars of the People! May’s new three-parter starts Sunday 10 AugustPosted by TopGear.com 6:24 pm on Friday August 1, 2014Who out there is missing the vehicular insight and wisdom of a long-haired, florally-bedecked man with a fondness for utilitarian, cheap cars (often of Romanian heritage)? If that’s you, then Good News! Here’s a sneak preview of what May has been up to in his Top Gear holidays. Captain Slow’s new three-parter follows the tale of how the world fell in love with motoring: the mass-market car from inception to London-gridlocking ubiquity. And apparently he only got lost six times. If you’re in the UK it’s on very soon: the first episode is Sunday 10 August 2014, 9pm, BBC Two and BBC Two HD. Here’s the first trailer. Look out for more on TopGear.com in the coming days… transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2014/08/01/new-trailer-james-mays-cars-of-the-people-mays-new-three-parter-starts-sunday-10-august/
 tubesign.herokuapp.com/
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Post by RedMoon11 on Aug 8, 2014 5:43:58 GMT
Good News Australia!
James May's Cars Of The People will be premiering on BBC Knowledge,
Monday 11th August at 7.30pm and 11.30pm (AEST) BBC Knowledge AU@BBCKnowledgeAU 6 Aug 2014 How did we, the people, get our wheels? @mrjamesmay's #CarsofthePeople comes express from the UK! Monday 7.30pm AEST.  /photo/1
JAMES MAY'S CARS OF THE PEOPLE - SPECIAL SERIES ON BBC KNOWLEDGE @foxtel
Premiering on BBC Knowledge, Monday 11th August at 7.30pm
August 8, 2014 Kevin Perry James May's Cars Of The People
James May's Cars Of The People is a three-part special from the Top Gear production team that tells the history of cars that have been socially significant in the 20th century. Premiering on BBC Knowledge, Monday 11th August at 7.30pm. The program will air in Australia just hours after its seen in the UK.
The first episode focuses on the Model T, the 2CV, The Fiat Cinquecento – history says these are the iconic Peoples' Cars, but James May begs to differ, and in this three part series, he tells the story of the cars he believes are the true Cars of the People. As always, his choices will surprise and provoke car lovers everywhere. His journey takes him across mainland Europe to Russia and Japan, and in typical Top Gear style, there'll be thrilling road tests, capers and challenges galore as James explores the astonishing true stories of triumph and abject failure that lie behind some of the world’s most popular vehicles. nelbie.com/kevmarl/2014/8/7/james-mays-cars-of-the-peoplewww.bbcaustralia.com/tv-guide/?date=2014-08-11#evening
Airdate: James May’s Cars of the People
By David Knox on August 7, 2014 / Filed Under Pay TV 1 Next Monday BBC Knowledge will premiere the first in a 3-part special James May’s Cars of the People.
This will be fast-tracked less than 24 hours after it plays in the UK. The Model T, the 2CV, The Fiat Cinquecento – history says these are the iconic Peoples’ Cars, but James May begs to differ, and in this three part series, he tells the story of the cars he believes are the true Cars of the People. As always, his choices will surprise and provoke car lovers everywhere. His journey takes him across mainland Europe to Russia and Japan, and in typical Top Gear style, there’ll be thrilling road tests, capers and challenges galore as James explores the astonishing true stories of triumph and abject failure that lie behind some of the world’s most popular vehicles. Monday 11th August at 7.30pm (AEST).www.tvtonight.com.au/2014/08/airdate-james-mays-cars-of-the-people.html
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buzz
Mayhemer
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Post by buzz on Aug 9, 2014 7:29:02 GMT
Synopses for all 3 episodes:
Episode 1
In his quest to discover how we the people got our wheels, James travels to Germany, Italy and Russia to reveal the extraordinary story of how dictators kick-started the mobilisation of the masses. It's a tale of design brilliance, abject failure, war, fraud and double dealing featuring some of the best (and worst) cars and characters of the 20th century. James discovers how the British motor industry blew a gift wrapped chance to rule the world and he gets his own back with a stunt that means bad news for one of the planet's most hated cars.
Episode 2
James downsizes to explore the weird and wonderful world of the micro car. We discover how austerity and fears of congestion led to European tragicomic motoring disasters in the shape of Britain's infamous three wheelers, French death traps and German absurdities. Elsewhere James takes to the battlefield to settle one of the greatest rivalries in the history of the automotive industry.
Episode 3
In the final Cars of the People, James reveals the unlikely champions that finally gave the people performance, pride and a hint of luxury. We discover Rolls Royce's strange journey from the elite to the everyman and how the Mustang and the Capri pioneered excitement and performance on blue collar wages. James keeps up with the Jones' in a company car race with a difference, and gets hot under the collar with the ultimate 80's fantasy cars Porsche and Lamborghini. Roadsters and Hot hatches bring the people's car into the modern world as James prepares to unveil his own choice as the ultimate Car of the People.
In addition to Australia, BBC Knowledge is also available in:
Asia: Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thialand.
Italy
New Zealand
Nordic: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden
Poland
Romania
South Africa
Turkey
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Post by RedMoon11 on Aug 10, 2014 20:59:44 GMT
BBC Knowledge's programme line up varies by country so as always check your local listings to see when and/or if it is on in your area It will be available for viewing for the next 20 days www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0467lbp/james-mays-cars-of-the-people-episode-1
James May: No Car Could Ever Be as Exciting as My Vauxhall Cavalier
“In the 20th century, motoring, not religion, was the opium of the people” James May8:00 AM, 10 August 2014My first car was a 1978 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6L. It wasn’t actually very old, but it had belonged to a sales rep, so it had a moonshot mileage and one of the rear doors was stoved in, as if it had been kicked in the immediate aftermath of failure to close a deal. The Cavalier 1.6L was bog-ordinary even in an era when bog-ordinary was the standard for just about everything. It had only two instruments, no clock, no head-rests, wind-up windows and the usual coat hanger for an aerial. The interior was brown. These days, it’s no secret that I have a Ferrari. I love it, dearly, but neither it nor any other car I drive now could ever be as exciting as my Cavalier was. It’s not just that it was the first; it’s that I came to it from a bicycle, which I would think nothing of riding 40 miles to visit girls I imagine might be interested in me, only to discover that they weren’t, which meant I’d have to ride it 40 miles back the other way. The Cavalier instantly broadened my horizons, fuelled my ambitions and invigorated my social life. I could visit several girls in the time I would have devoted to one in the bicycle era, and exhausted my (largely blank) address book within a week, proving in the process that women don’t find you any more desirable just because you can drive. Nevertheless, I drove it with a sense of absolute astonishment. I had a car; a richness beyond the conceit of kings. Here we arrive at the most basic and obvious definition of “car of the people” – one designed to be accessible to those who never imagine they would have one. Such a car has been the holy grail of the motor industry for more than a century, and Henry Ford said of his Model T that he wanted to make “a car for the great multitude”. Apart from anything else, it’s good business sense. By the time Ford was working on his moving production line, FW Woolworth had already demonstrated that it was better to sell a lot of cheap things to a large number of people than to push a few expensive trinkets on the rich. He had his own skyscraper to prove it. More to the point, anything that appeals to the masses can soon be turned into a socio- political instrument, either to buy loyalty or to keep the people in their place. The VW Beetle, still the most interesting car ever made in my view, was an attempt at the former; East Germany’s Trabant remains the finest example of the latter. Both of these cars came good, but their beginnings are mired in controversy. In the 20th century, motoring, not religion, was the opium of the people, and with it came concerns that we imagine are current ones: pollution, congestion, parking and running costs. All of these things were troubling us in the 1950s, and sent the affordable car down some curious historical cul-de-sacs. Yes, the “Bubble Car” is recalled fondly as something the odd film star or model might have been seen exiting, through the front. It is, in fact, simply the best remembered of a lengthy microcar movement that produced absurdities such as a car that was the same at both ends and a 50cc French runabout that was intended for use – although it was never officially stated as such – by serial drunkards. Perhaps the most enduring legacy of this curious period is actually, well, a small motorcycle, the Honda C50 Super Cub. That probably tells you everything you need to know. But I’d like to redefine the car of the people as something that rescues Ford’s “great multitude” from the drudgery of... the car. From the likes of my Cavalier, to be honest. Once car ownership turns into what seems like an inalienable right, then salvation for the people has to take the form of a car that sets them apart. These are what can be called “the people’s cars of hope”. So the Fords Capri and Mustang, which offered the exotic coupé form at the price of a humdrum saloon, are in there. So is a small Japanese sports car, the Mazda MX-5, and so is a dazzling totem of the bloated plutocracy – the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow – that became a blue-collar hero. I may now drive a Ferrari, but at heart, “my other car” will always be that Vauxhall Cavalier. Which is as it should be – it’s only because of the cars of the people that we have cars at all. James May's Cars of the People, Sunday at 9:00pm BBC2www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-08-10/james-may-no-car-could-ever-be-as-exciting-as-my-vauxhall-cavalier Henry Dalton@henrydalton 5 Aug 2014 Lovely spread on Cars Of The People in the new Radio Times  (and no, I still can't drive). #COTP #TopGear   Read more: jamesmayboard.proboards.com/thread/4040/radio-times?page=1&scrollTo=296386#ixzz3A1bXDmqc |
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Post by RedMoon11 on Aug 11, 2014 1:07:34 GMT
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Post by flatin5th - Knight of the NC on Aug 11, 2014 5:23:50 GMT
I quite enjoyed that. Informative and entertaining. The only thing that let it down was the dropping of the Lada from the helicopter - out of place, and too 'Top Gear'.
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Post by RedMoon11 on Aug 12, 2014 2:06:00 GMT
Yay! just saw an ad on TV that Cars Of The People premieres on BBC America Monday, August 25 9/8 PM  www.bbcamerica.com/top-gear/videos/cars-of-the-people/Unfortunately, at this time, it is scheduled for just an hour so it looks like the US is getting an edited for time version of the program yet again  |
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Post by RedMoon11 on Aug 12, 2014 16:54:07 GMT
A review of the show Sam Wollaston The Guardian, Sunday 10 August 2014 What with all the recent Top Gear shenanigans, it's hard to watch anything involving any of them without keeping a lookout for sly -isms, with the phone number for Ofcom to hand. But I'm sorry to report that I couldn't find anything wrong with James May's Cars Of The People (BBC2). A bit of gentle national stereotyping maybe – the plaited blond Teutonic family in the back of the Beetle – but that's what they were supposed to be, Hitler's people, in Hitler's people's car. There were other kinds of Top Gear-isms, certainly. There's a particular way they all speak, have you noticed? And go round corners – laughing maniacally while sliding sideways, which May does here in a beach buggy. Plus there's the inevitable stunt; he drops a Lada from a helicopter, because you can't make television without smashing something up. You can take the man out of TG, etc. But this was also an interesting, thoughtful programme, an examination of totalitarian transport, how the motor was brought to the masses by Fiat, Trabant, Lada, Volkswagen of course, and by the regimes behind them. To be honest, I've always found it hard to dislike May. And maybe he's pre-empting flak from the liberal left when he says, of the high-ranking Nazi whose car he is driving: "I'd just like to make it very clear, I'm very interested in his car but I don't share any political views with Dr Robert Ley." Actually there was probably more of Jeremy Clarkson in The Village. I'm thinking of Lord Kilmartin, his philandering and use of the N-word, and the red Rolls Royce speeding rudely through the village, scattering the masses. That's where Clarkson belongs, back in the 1920s, not the present day. May can stay. www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/aug/11/the-village-bbc-review-james-may-cars-people |
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buzz
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Post by buzz on Aug 12, 2014 18:31:00 GMT
UK viewing figures for episode 1
Whilst BBC1 drama 'The Village' achieved a 20.7% share of the audience with 4.6 million viewers for the 9pm time slot on Sunday, the first episode of 'Cars of the People' came in second, with 2.4 million viewers (10.9%), compared with ITV's 1.9 million (8.4%) for 'The Great War: The People's Story'.
Viewing figures from The Guardian online.
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Post by Vivienne on Aug 12, 2014 20:11:23 GMT
I watched the show about 5 hours after it aired in the UK. I thought it was great. James in his element without interruption or opinion from anyone else. I don't want to give away any spoilers but I believe this was almost an hour and 20 minutes or so long, so yes they are going to chop it as they do so many shows on BBCA.
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Post by RedMoon11 on Aug 14, 2014 6:28:10 GMT
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Post by dit on Aug 18, 2014 17:53:38 GMT
I really felt as if I was on home territory with episode 2. Not only is my partner a Bike Bloke who frequently explains bikes in terms of whether they're a 'James May bike' or not, but he is also in love with the whole micro-car thing. Plus, my late husband was into little bikes and micro cars in his youth, and yet again when he treated himself to an Isetta bubblecar as part of his mid-life crisis. He ended up with a Daihatsu Copen, which we both thought was a brilliant little car (in British Racing Green though, rather than the red one in the programme!) Ah, happy memories!
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Post by Vivienne on Aug 18, 2014 20:26:34 GMT
I loved this episode I wasn't familiar most of the bubble and small cars except of course the Robin. James and guns. He was a pretty good shot. I liked the history and the surprising appearance of a familiar face albeit many years ago. Japan's resilience is admirable.
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Post by RedMoon11 on Aug 25, 2014 5:47:18 GMT
  The second episode as full of info about micro cars, transit vans and a motorbike and laughs. I liked the digs thrown in at Jeremy and Richard too. I love it when he shoots guns at a French 2CV and a Renault 4, needed a cool drink after that. Maybe sometime James will get a chance to do a whole hour or even multi part series about one of his other passions, motorcycles. I had to have a bowl of noodles after watching James race through Tokyo on a Honda to deliver a bowl. 
James May's Cars of the PeopleReview by:
David Butcher
SERIES 1 - EPISODE 1Never mind your supercars. Forget the Veyrons and LaFerraris that roar off the pages of car mags, and pass by your common-or-garden Porsches and Jags. James May wants to focus our sights on the sharp end of the car market. He wants to celebrate the transport of the masses, the everyday cars created to free populations and get whole nations on the move. So our Top Gear man applies his schoolboy enthusiasm and dry wit to a tale of dictators, fraud and rust that includes some of the best and worst vehicles of the 20th century. Beetles, Trabants and Fiats are the stars of the opener, which also includes a clip of Brezhnev drunk, some hilarious old ads and advice on the use of mustard powder in radiators. ABOUT THIS PROGRAMME1/3. New series. The Top Gear presenter examines the social significance of cars in the 20th century. He begins by travelling to Germany, Italy and Russia to examine how dictators kick-started the mobilization of the masses, finding tales of design brilliance, abject failure, war, fraud and double dealing. James also learns about how the British motor industry blew a gift-wrapped chance to rule the world and he gets his own back with a stunt that means bad news for one of the planet's most hated cars. www.radiotimes.com/episode/cz4nnz/james-mays-cars-of-the-people--series-1---episode-1
SERIES 1 - EPISODE 2“If you’re a regular viewer of Top Gear, you might be a bit disappointed that this programme is full of stupid, small cars,” admits James May. “But I have to say, I’m enjoying myself immensely.” And so he is, piloting a range of more or less daft microcars like the Peel Trident and the Messerschmitt Tiger – cars created essentially to let people without a licence drive a (sort of) car – and look, as May says, like berks. He spends a bit too long on this design cul-de-sac, but things get more interesting when he moves on to the classically French 2CV and Renault 4. Which sold more, do you think? And for that matter, what would be the biggest selling vehicle of all time? Answer: a Honda moped. ABOUT THIS PROGRAMME2/3. The Top Gear presenter continues his examination of how the car became an everyday part of people's lives, exploring the weird world of small vehicles. He discovers how austerity and fears of congestion led to European disasters in the shape of Britain's infamous three-wheelers, French death traps and German absurdities, and also takes to the battlefield to settle one of the greatest rivalries in car history. www.radiotimes.com/episode/c2fhf7/james-mays-cars-of-the-people--series-1---episode-2 Series 1 - Episode 3There’s a lovely diversion in this epidose where May gets sidetracked into pondering the badge hierarchies of 1970s car ranges – you know, all that L, GL, GLS, SLX, CDi, XRi business that defined not just whether you had velour seats and a wood trim fascia, but on which rung of the male status ladder you stood. Social mobility is the theme – not just the populist cars, but also those we aspired to owning or had as posters on our walls. To that end, May concludes the Lamborghini Countach was a brilliant poster but a terrible car, and decides that the Reliant Bond Bug “looks like Marge Simpson’s tried to iron her own head”. About this programme3/3. James concludes his examination of the social significance of cars by exploring how aspiration and new wealth were behind the development of some of the greatest models ever made. He tries to make sense of the baffling world of company car hierarchy by holding a travelling salesman race-off and indulges his 1980s urges with the twin delights of a Lamborghini and a Porsche. He also unveils his choice of the ultimate people's car - a vehicle that can lay claim to being the greatest in history. Last in the series. www.radiotimes.com/episode/c2pr89/james-mays-cars-of-the-people--series-1---episode-3CAST AND CREW
Presenter: James May Director:Tom Whitter Series Producer:Tom Whitter
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Post by Vivienne on Aug 25, 2014 16:30:47 GMT
We're getting it starting tonight in the States. I've already seen it so it will be interesting to see if they cut any or add 15 minutes of commercials.
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- Programme Information, Week 30: Saturday 26 July - Friday 1 August 
(and no, I still can't drive). #COTP #TopGear 
