James May's Cars of the People

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James May's Cars of the People
Jamesmaycarsofthepeople.jpg
Title card. International variations feature a second logo beneath which reads: "A BBC Top Gear special."
Also known asCars of the People
Genre Factual
Motoring
Based on Top Gear
Written byJames May
Tom Whitter
Henry Dalton
Directed byTom Whitter
Presented by James May
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producerTom Whitter
ProducersTom Whitter
Henry Dalton
EditorsHenry Dalton
Greg Coyne
Running time60 minutes
Production company BBC
Original release
Network BBC Two HD
Release10 August 2014 (2014-08-10) –
7 February 2016 (2016-02-07)

Cars of the People is a series of spin-off factual programmes of the BBC Two factual television series Top Gear , presented by James May, [1] which looks at how the motor vehicle became an everyday part of human life. [2]

Contents

Broadcast

Although billed as a stand-alone series in the United Kingdom, international broadcasts are billed as special episodes of Top Gear , designed to bridge the gap between the broadcast of each series. Each episode is filmed in the same style as Top Gear, with many of the same cast and crew, as well as featuring jokes which relate to events or sequences in the parent series. Additionally, the title cards for the series are based on those for Top Gear.

The first series of three episodes began on 10 August 2014, bridging the gap between Series 21 and 22 of Top Gear. A second series of three episodes was set to be broadcast in 2015; but was indefinitely delayed due to the scandal which saw presenter Jeremy Clarkson dropped from the parent series, which in turn led to the departures of both Richard Hammond and May. The second series was eventually broadcast in January 2016. [3] May has confirmed that no further episodes will be produced due to his commitment to Amazon Prime Video .

Episodes

Series overview

SeriesEpisodesOriginally airedAvg. viewers
(millions)
Series premiere Series finale
1 310 August 201424 August 20142.40
2 324 January 20167 February 20162.17

Series 1 (2014)

No.TitleOriginal release dateU.K. viewers (millions)
1"Dictators Moving the Masses"10 August 2014 (2014-08-10)2.43 [4]
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 kickstarted the mobilisation of the masses. James investigates the increasing popularity of the Volkswagen Beetle in 1940s' Germany; how East German dictatorships lead to the production of the Trabant and Wartburg; and reveals how the Fiat 124 and derivatives became one of the best selling cars in the world.
2"Microcars & Vans"17 August 2014 (2014-08-17)2.60 [5]
James May downsizes to explore the weird world of the microcar. He discovers how austerity and fears of congestion led to European tragicomic disasters in the shape of Britain's infamous three-wheelers, French deathtraps and German absurdities. He also takes to the battlefield to settle one of the greatest rivalries in car history between the Citroën 2CV and the Renault 4 and travels to Japan for an urban race between a Daihatsu Copen Kei car and the best-selling vehicle in history, the Honda Super Cub.
3"Climbing the Social Ladder"24 August 2014 (2014-08-24)2.16 [6]
This episode is all about power and glory as James reveals the cars that finally gave the people hope. From the Rolls-Royce that became a people's champion to the blue-collar heroes that launched a thousand burn ups, James reveals how aspiration and new wealth would drive the development of some of the greatest cars ever made. He learns how the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow turned from a car of the hierarchy to a car of the people; sets out to discover whether Ford or Vauxhall make the perfect businessman's car; takes two much loved cars from his childhood, the Lamborghini Countach and the Porsche 911 Turbo, out for a spin in Oxford; and reveals his choice for the "perfect people's car" - the Volkswagen Golf.

Series 2 (2016)

  1. 1 2 "Top Gear - James May's Cars Of The People". Jbhifi.com.au. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  2. ↑ "James May's Cars of the People", BBC Two . Retrieved on 21 August 2014.
  3. ↑ "Top Gear: James May rules out returning without Jeremy Clarkson". The Guardian . 23 April 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "Made in Chelsea NYC launches with 520,000 on E4", Digital Spy , 11 August 2014. Retrieved on 21 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "Made in Chelsea NYC climbs by 200k on Sunday", Digital Spy , 18 August 2014. Retrieved on 21 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "Made in Chelsea NYC audience drops by 350k on Bank Holiday Sunday", Digital Spy , 25 August 2014. Retrieved on 25 August 2014.
No.TitleOriginal release dateU.K. viewers (millions)
Television
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