James May’s Twentieth Century (6 Parts)

Alternative title

James May’s 20th Century

Synopsis

Documentary series about 20th century innovations. Separate programmes cover worldwide travel and communications, space exploration, how warfare drives ingenuity, emergence of the teenager, and urbanisation.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of release

2007

Year of production

2007

Notes

Broadcast in 6 weekly parts on BBC2 beginning 10/7/2007

Subjects

History; Technology

Keywords

history of medicine; history of technology; military weaponry; social history; space exploration; teenagers; telecommunications; transport; urban development

Online availability

URI

http://www.ouwcb.co.uk/viewerdefault.asp?CompID=12336&Baudrate=0

Price

£34.99

Delivery

Download

Credits

Contributor

James May

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 2 PAL

Price

£39.99

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

180 minutes

Year

2007

Sections

Title

Honey I shrunk the World

Synopsis

This episode starts at the beginning of the 20th Century when long distance travel was for the military-minded, the uprooted and the plain rich, but the pioneers of flight were to change all that. Presenter James May gets his hands on a Vickers Vimy aircraft that in 1919 carried two intrepid Brits, Alcock and Brown, across the Atlantic for the first time. But it wasn’t just flying that changed our perception of the world. The motor car offered us a new sense of freedom, but when James tries out a 1908 Model T Ford, he discovers driving was once a very tricky business indeed. Shrinking the world wasn’t just about travel becoming easier and more affordable. For the first time in history we could bring the world to us via the cinema. James shoots his own black and white newsreel at Walthamstow Dog Track and looks back at the early days of television when two different formats fought for supremacy. Finally, James faces a dilemma: in 1969, two technologies emerged that promised to change our world forever. The first was the supersonic aircraft, Concorde. The second was computer messages, one day millions of emails would travel the world thanks to optic fibre cables. But in the late sixties which one would he have backed?

Duration

30 mins

Title

Blast Off

Synopsis

Like many small boys James May dreamt of becoming an astronaut. Even though he may not have realised his dream he sets off to find out what space exploration has done for him, and the rest of us. His first stop is Staveley Road, Chiswick, West London. It was here that Britain felt the first impact of the space race in 1944, when the street was struck by a Nazi V2 , the rocket powered terror weapon, and the distant ancestor of the Saturn V that put a man on the Moon in 1969. He then links up with a team of amateur rocketeers to understand the pyrotechnic principles of rocket science first hand, before heading to Cape Canaveral in Florida, to see the real deal for himself. Then it’s off to Mission Control, Guildford, where James borrows a satellite orbiting 700km overhead to take a photograph of Earth and finally James talks to astronaut John Blaha, who has spent nearly six months in orbit, in order to understand how going into space changes the way you see the world.

Duration

30 mins

Title

Body Fantastic

Synopsis

In this episode James sets out to discover how far he can push his body and finds out about some of the most remarkable medical advances over the last hundred years. He begins by testing himself in a centrifuge, a machine that can make fighter pilots and astronauts break out in a cold sweat. He wants to find out what would happen to his body when it is subjected to high forces. James then goes to New York where he meets a group of athletes that have pushed their bodies to the limit to get extraordinary results. These elite sportsmen and women have each lost a leg, but are able to run long distances at high speed thanks to hi-tech prosthetic replacements. Back in the UK James is invited to watch open heart surgery - and sees a man’s heart come to a complete stop during the operation. But James’ biggest surprise came when he looked at one of the 20th century’s greatest medical breakthroughs, the discovery of DNA.

Duration

30 mins

Title

Take Cover

Synopsis

This episode looks at how warfare drives ingenuity. It begins by looking at the early days of air war at the start of the 20th Century. James flies in a biplane to get to grips with how difficult it was for the early aviators to hit any targets. He then moves on to look at "the biggest art show of the century", one of the most curious innovations to come from the military world. It’s called dazzle camouflage, and it involved painting warships in a confusing series of lines and stripes. Thousands of ships were painted like this to confuse German U boats during the First World War. Finally James meets up with Squadron Leader Paul Godfrey, who invites him to fly in the Typhoon, the RAF’s latest jet fighter, an experience that he describes as "the most amazing thing I have ever done".

Duration

30 mins

Title

Inventing the Teenager

Synopsis

In the 20th Century the teenager emerged as a separate species. But how? Was it the promise of sex? The power of pop? Or the pull of a 50cc Japanese two-stroke? James May is on a journey to find out. First up is fashion. The 20th century introduced fantastic new fabrics in fantastic new colours thanks to synthetic materials like Nylon. James tries his hand at making some for himself with some success. He then moves on to a subject close to his heart, teenage transport, offering liberation from parents and the home. When he was a teenager he always dreamed of owning a very special motorbike, the Yamaha FS1E. The Fizzy. Finally he checks out the origins of the electric guitar, that potent symbol of teenage rock music, with the oldest teenagers in town Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt of Status Quo.

Big City, Bright Lights
Each day, 180,000 people move into a city somewhere on the planet. In this episode, James sets out to discover how we’ve created this high-rise, 24/7 experiment in urban living. He begins by heading for New York, to the top floors of the Woolworth building, once the tallest building in the world. It’s being renovated, but how strong is it? To find out he decides to drop a 1982 Mini 1000 onto a plate of skyscraper glass. Next he discovers that at the start of the 20th Century there was no national grid, no agreed system of voltage and that in 1922 there were 22 different plugs used across the country. Until a Geordie electricial engineer, Charles Merz, came up with a master plan: The Merz mantra. Finally there’s one light bulb James wants to find out about. He meets master neon-bender Steve, as he attempts to make a neon sign for his favourite restaurant, his local kebab shop.

Duration

30 mins

Title

Big City, Bright Lights

Synopsis

Each day, 180,000 people move into a city somewhere on the planet. In this episode, James sets out to discover how we’ve created this high-rise, 24/7 experiment in urban living. He begins by heading for New York, to the top floors of the Woolworth building, once the tallest building in the world. It’s being renovated, but how strong is it? To find out he decides to drop a 1982 Mini 1000 onto a plate of skyscraper glass. Next he discovers that at the start of the 20th Century there was no national grid, no agreed system of voltage and that in 1922 there were 22 different plugs used across the country. Until a Geordie electricial engineer, Charles Merz, came up with a master plan: The Merz mantra. Finally there’s one light bulb James wants to find out about. He meets master neon-bender Steve, as he attempts to make a neon sign for his favourite restaurant, his local kebab shop.

Duration

30 mins

Production Company

Name

Open University Production Centre

Distributor

Name

Open University Bespoke DVD - Clips & Bits

Web

http://www.ouwcb.co.uk/index.html External site opens in new window

Name

Open University Worldwide

Web

http://www.ouw.co.uk External site opens in new window

Phone

+44 (0) 1908 274066

Address

Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA

Notes

NB. As of May 2016 Open University Worldwide are no longer distributing DVDs. They have posted this message on their website: ‘Unfortunately Open University Worldwide Limited has decided that product sales are no longer viable given the reduced funding to Higher Education institutions and diminishing demand for the products we have traditionally stocked. At present the Open University Students Association (OUSA) will continue to sell the "Good Study Guide", and we are in discussion with other possible distributors to continue to make The Open University’s products available for purchase. As soon as we have any information on other channels of distribution we will update this notice’. Some products are still available via second hand dealers on Amazon.co.uk