Britain's Greatest Machines With Chris Barrie

Season 1

2009 · 4 episodes · 1h 0m in all

Episodes

1. 1

   1. 1930s: The Road to War

   4 Jun 2009

   Witness Chris driving the world’s fastest steam locomotive, the A4 Gresley, before he takes a flight in a Dragon Rapide, one of Britain’s most successful early commercial airliners. This decade also introduced us to the Morris, the mass-produced car which went on to influence the production of one of the fastest tanks of WWII – the Crusader.

2. 2

   2. 1950s: A New World Order

   11 Jun 2009

   Chris takes a ride on the iconic Routemaster bus at his local skidpan and fires up a Vulcan bomber. Then, taking the controls of a Deltic Diesel locomotive, he finds out how wartime technology and material were used to build groundbreaking new machines in an attempt to remain a world leader in engineering.

3. 3

   3. 1960s: Revolution by Design

   18 Jun 2009

   Monte Carlo is Chris’ next destination where he relives the celebrated Monte Carlo Rally at the wheel of a Mini Cooper. Chris also gets his hands on some revolutionary trucks, charts the birth of the white van man and investigates the secrets of the iconic Post Office Tower.

4. 4

   4. 1980s: The Future Has Landed

   25 Jun 2009 · 60 min

   The ‘Back to the Future’ DeLorean DMC is the starting point for Chris in the 1980s, followed by a closer look at the unsung hero of the Falklands War, the Scimitar tank. Chris also looks into machines that were ahead of their time including the unforgettable Sinclair C-5.