Season 1

2026 · 41 episodes · 12h 27m in all

1. I Helped Break a 142-Year-Old Bell, and That’s Okay
23 Mar 2026 · 31 min
In Leicestershire, at the John Taylor Bell Foundry, there's fire, sledgehammer swinging, and metal hotter than a volcano. Also, several questions about cheese.
2. They Can Fly 200 Miles With No Fuel. Here’s How.
30 Mar 2026 · 26 min
In Rutland, I try to fit an entire county in one camera shot, learn to spot chimneys in the sky, and make a very strange noise. Let's learn about paragliding.
3. I Missed the Evidence. Can You Spot It?
6 Apr 2026 · 28 min
At the University of Lincoln's Crime Scene House, where they teach forensic science students in simulated crime scenes, I have a challenge for you.
4. These People Walk Towards Mining Disasters
13 Apr 2026 · 20 min
In Nottinghamshire, I join the team at MRS Training and Rescue -- the former Mines Rescue Service -- for an exercise that could have been so much worse.
5. These Mannequins Can Bleed
20 Apr 2026 · 28 min
At Sheffield Hallam University in Yorkshire, I meet the Clinical Simulation team and deal with some animated patients. (Note: includes simulated blood and gore.)
6. I Finally Got to Drive Yorkshire’s Tiny Boats
27 Apr 2026 · 23 min
At Peasholm Park in Scarborough, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, I visit the Naval Warfare, ride with the world's smallest crewed navy, and scare at least two seagulls.
7. If You Found Candy With My Name in It, Here’s Why
4 May 2026 · 16 min
At the John Bull Rock Factory outside Bridlington, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, I watch as boiling sugar becomes an enormous amount of rock. Also, there's 1990s Dutch happy hardcore.
8. Oh No, I Sympathized With a Victorian Arms Dealer
11 May 2026 · 24 min
In Northumberland, at the National Trust's Cragside mansion, I visit the former home of the Magician of the North.
9. The Mist That Keeps the Tyne Tunnels Safe
18 May 2026 · 21 min
At the Tyne Road Tunnels, just over the border into Durham, I get very wet and cold underneath a river... but not in the way you might expect.
10. This Man Stops People Drowning in Quicksand
25 May 2026 · 26 min
In Westmorland, at Morecambe Bay, I meet the King's Guide to the Sands, walk across a very dangerous stretch of sand, and learn about a centuries-old tradition that's been brought into the 21st century.
11. Pulling the Lever Is the Easy Part
1 Jun 2026 · 26 min
In Lancashire, at National Rail's Manchester signalling classroom, I learn why it's very, very rare for trains to collide... and then go to an actual, live signal box to see it for real.
12. Can a 70-Year-Old Telescope Still Be Useful?
8 Jun 2026 · 22 min
At Jodrell Bank in Cheshire, I get to fulfill a childhood dream: but more importantly, I ask whether a telescope built in the 1950s can still do useful science.
13. We Can’t Invent a Robot Better Than These Ferrets
15 Jun 2026 · 22 min
In Derbyshire, at the National Ferret School, I say "hello" to some smelly thieves, and go on a surprisingly Biblical tangent.
14. I Got Hit in the Teeth With 900-Year-Old Antlers
22 Jun 2026 · 14 min
In the village of Abbots Bromley in Staffordshire, I join the oldest village tradition in Britain: the Horn Dance. It ends up being slightly more painful than I expected.
15. I Launched the Mighty Trebuchet
29 Jun 2026 · 22 min
At Warwick Castle, there's a 22-tonne medieval siege engine. I got to see how it works, meet the person in charge, and -- technically -- help fire it. Technically.
16. If I Get this Wrong, 50,000 People Will Hear It.
6 Jul 2026 · 22 min
At Worcester Cathedral, I finally take on a challenge that hundreds of people have suggested: bell ringing. It's difficult, a little dangerous, and also lets me talk about a lot of weird English words.
17. I Have a Weird Conspiracy Theory About This Bridge
13 Jul 2026 · 12 min
In Shropshire, I visit the Iron Bridge in the village of Ironbridge. And then I have a corkboard, pins, string, and a frankly-unhinged conspiracy theory about what an architect was actually planning.
18. I Get Excited About an Ampersand
20 Jul 2026 · 22 min
At Hereford Cathedral, I visit a library where the books are chained to the shelves -- and see two of those books, to help understand just how quickly one technology can change the world.
19. I’m So Glad This Hidden Monorail Broke Down
27 Jul 2026 · 26 min
At the English end of the Prince of Wales Bridge, in Gloucestershire, I get to visit the Rapid Access Train, the RAT, a hidden suspended monorail. Except... that's only half the story.
20. Two Nerds Try to Build a Wall
3 Aug 2026 · 24 min
In Oxfordshire, at the Dry Stone Academy, I'm joined by Dr Becky. We have until our camera batteries run out to try one of the oldest surviving crafts in Britain: dry stone walling.
21. This 100-Year-Old Ride Must Never Change Again
10 Aug 2026 · 16 min
At Wicksteed Park in Northamptonshire, there's a 100-year-old water chute, and I took a ride. Also, I find the first ever playground swing, and make a fool of myself on a slide.
22. How Do You Keep 8,995 Codebreakers Secret?
17 Aug 2026 · 25 min
At Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, I don't want to know how a few boffins broke the Enigma code, because it wasn't a few boffins. I want to know: how on earth did they keep the "intelligence factory" secret when there were thousands and thousands of people involved?
23. I Didn’t Need to Drive This Mars Rover, but I Did
24 Aug 2026 · 22 min
In Stevenage, Hertfordshire, there's a simulation of Mars: at Airbus' facilities, I got to meet some Mars rovers, take a test drive, and discover the most incredible wheel I've ever seen.
24. Flying a Plane Badly, On Purpose
31 Aug 2026 · 17 min
At Cranfield University in Bedfordshire, I'm going aboard the National Flying Laboratory, and trying to keep my sense of direction, and my stomach, as the plane goes through some very non-standard manoeuvres.
25. Thomas, a Tank Engine, is not Thomas the Tank Engine.
7 Sept 2026 · 17 min
At the Nene Valley Railway in Huntingdonshire, I meet a tank engine called Thomas that is, for legal reasons, not Thomas the Tank Engine... and, to my surprise, I find out why, in the early days of steam, Victorians might have found trains terrifying.
26. I’m the 97th Best Tiddlywinks Player in the World
14 Sept 2026 · 25 min
At the University of Cambridge, I try to recover some childhood muscle memory, and see if I can get good enough at a Victorian parlour game to break the world top 100 in just one day.
27. When I Blow This Whistle, a Swimming Pool Appears
21 Sept 2026 · 25 min
At the Hippodrome Circus in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, I climb a ladder, blow a whistle, witness the Globe of Death, and see the Water Spectacular. Not all at the same time.
28. This Arcade Game Makes You Climb a Ladder
28 Sept 2026 · 10 min
At Southwold Pier in Suffolk, I visit Tim Hunkin's End of the Pier Show, a collection of weird automata and arcade games that offer something a bit more interesting than tickets and prizes.
29. Why Robots Can’t Pick Strawberries Yet
5 Oct 2026 · 30 min
In Tiptree in Essex, at the headquarters of famous jam and preserve manufacturer Wilkin & Sons, this city boy gets impressed by agricultural infrastructure, and meets some robots that work better than others.
30. Tom Gets Excited About a Pendulum
12 Oct 2026 · 21 min
At the Cumbria Clock Company, I close up a hole in my map, meet the team that manage and restore more than a thousand public clocks across the UK and wider afield, and discover that I knew far less about pendulum clocks than I thought.
31. This Machine Breaks Things
19 Oct 2026 · 22 min
At Kirkaldy's Testing Works, in the historic county of Surrey, there's a sign above the door that says "Facts Not Opinions". And inside, there's a gigantic machine that breaks things.
32. This Room Keeps Great Britain’s Lights On
26 Oct 2026 · 16 min
In Berkshire sits the control room for Britain's National Energy System Operator, NESO. The team in there keep the lights on across the country -- which is a job that's quite different to just a few years ago.
33. Why You Can’t Touch Stonehenge
2 Nov 2026 · 25 min
The short answer is: letting 1.4 million visitors a year touch the stones would destroy them. But the long answer is still fascinating. With Stonehenge's curator, I get to go inside the circle.
34. It’s Really Hard to Balance This Giant
9 Nov 2026 · 21 min
In Somerset, I meet Nathandriel, learn about English processional giants, and find out that carrying him is more difficult -- and more painful -- than I thought.
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35. Episode 35
Airs 16 Nov 2026
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36. Episode 36
Airs 23 Nov 2026
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37. Episode 37
Airs 30 Nov 2026
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38. Episode 38
Airs 7 Dec 2026
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39. Episode 39
Airs 14 Dec 2026
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40. Episode 40
Airs 21 Dec 2026
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41. Episode 41
Airs 28 Dec 2026