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James May's Big Ideas

2008

Seasons & Episodes

  • 1

EP1 Come Fly with Me Sep 28, 2008

In the first of a new series James May travels the globe in search of his ultimate flying machine. He begins by heading into the frozen wastes of Russia to pilot one of the best kept secrets of the Cold War. He then heads to the US to fly the world's only surviving flying car. In Japan he watches a man struggle with his tiny chopper, before returning to the suburban gardens of Sussex where James turns himself into a human rocket - all in pursuit of finding a better way to get from A to B. Finally, in California, James encounters his ultimate dream - a flying car capable of vertical take off, and one so simple that anyone can pilot it, but is the world ready for a flying car?

EP2 Man Machine Oct 05, 2008

As a child, James May dreamed of a world populated by humanoid robots. Robots which would tidy his room and do the washing up. In the second programme of his Big Ideas series, he sets off to discover how close his vision of a robot-world is to becoming a reality and in doing so enters an intriguing, mysterious and often rather strange world. In Japan, James meets the closest thing to Robocop. It’s a woman who can double her strength thanks to an extraordinary electro-mechanical jumpsuit, but what will this bizarre mix of human intelligence and machine brawn be used for? He also has a close encounter of the weird kind with the most disturbing robot he has ever seen – a robot designed to look and behave exactly like its creator. Continuing his travels James heads to the US, to explore the possibilities of bionic implants and talks to the doctor who is making them a reality, and in doing so has created a real 2 million dollar bionic woman. And finally, in the unlikeliest of laboratories he encounters the world’s most advanced walking robot: Asimo – it can tackle stairs and has even mastered running, however when faced with a closed door, the robot proves he isn’t all that smart. Cue Asimo’s twin brother, who has learnt to recognise everyday objects. But will he amaze James when asked to identify a Mini car? And is this all enough to restore James’s vision of a robot filled future world?

EP3 Power to the People Oct 12, 2008

In the last of his Big Ideas journeys, James May sets off to find smarter, brighter and bolder ways of powering the planet for future generations. James begins his journey by looking at the energy produced by the sun. In a unique experiment, he tries a solar-powered car. It might have raced thousands of miles across the Australian desert - but just how far will a solar car travel in Guildford at night? In Seville, James visits the world’s first solar power station. This extraordinary cathedral of lights towers over the Spanish countryside, but for all its high tech glory, James discovers a curiously low tech Achilles’ heel. Continuing his journey to the US, James encounters a group of dedicated aerospace engineers who are planning to make a lift that will reach 20,000 miles into the skies. Their idea is to build a power station in space. James watches enthralled as they take their first tentative steps towards their goal - and a crack at a $2million [£1million] prize. While in Holland, James meets the first Dutchman who once travelled into space. This man has now put away his rockets and spacesuit, swapping them instead for kites in an attempt to harvest the powerful winds of a high-altitude jetstream. And finally, James heads off into the deserts of New Mexico to seek out some modern-day alchemists. This group of scientists are hoping to conjure petrol out of thin air, with the help of only a few mirrors.
7.6| 0h30m| en
Synopsis

James May's Big Ideas is a three-part British television miniseries in which James May, a journalist and self-acknowledged geek travels the globe in search of implementations for concepts widely considered science fiction, or his big ideas. The series is produced by the BBC and the Open University and began airing at 8pm on Sundays on 28 September 2008. The first episode documents his search for the ultimate form of personal transport, ranging from jetpacks to flying cars. In the second episode, May looks at bionics and robotics and if robots can exceed the boundaries of their programming. The third episode focuses on energy.

Cast

James May

Director

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Reviews

TeenzTen An action-packed slog
Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.
Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
robotbling (www.plasticpals.com) In 2008 the BBC aired a three-part miniseries hosted by the affable Captain Slow (or James May, as he's known outside of his duties on Top Gear). Each episode is a guided tour of new technologies; the first deals with flying vehicles, the second on robots, and the third on alternative energy.Over the course of an hour, he visits labs (half of which are Japanese) to interact with a cog of robots to establish the state of the art and its limitations. May provides some food for thought with his own take on things and where he believes it's all headed. He spares us the oft repeated doomsday scenarios we've heard in similar shows, presenting the topic more from the standpoint of genuine curiosity.Most of the robots that are featured will be familiar to you. At the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute, there's a cursory interview with Prof. Ishiguro (and his Geminoid), and a demonstration of the SARCOS CBI batting a ball. A run of the mill demonstration of Honda's ASIMO at Disney Land ends dramatically when it accidentally collides with a closed door. ASIMO makes up for this embarrassing performance at an unspecified university in Frankfurt, Germany, where it performs some object learning and recognition tasks.Sadly that's where the real robots end, but the related stuff is still pretty entertaining. There's a retinal implant, a power assist exoskeleton developed at the Kanagawa Institute of Technology, and May drives a mind-controlled wheelchair (badly). There's a discussion on the limits of artificial intelligence and whether computers will ever match human creativity. The episode ends with a look at life logging with a "sense cam" and virtual reality.Unlike the previous shows we've covered which recycle the same footage in some parts, this is entirely new stuff. The interaction with ASIMO is particularly enjoyable, and if you're a fan of Top Gear (protip: you should be) it's fun to take the trip with James May.
Jackson Booth-Millard I liked the Top Gear presenter in the small documentary series 20th Century, so I decided to see what this small series was about. James May basically travels the world to find the newest forms of transport, robot technology and energy sources. The forms of travel episode sees hovering crafts, jet packs, a near flying saucer and a mini helicopter. The robots episode (the best one) sees a Disneyland walking robot (with slanted legs to stop it falling), a robot looking like the man who created "him", a robot who can identify objects with its own memory system, and a 3D imaging system where a replica James is made. And the energy episode sees solar panels on a car and outside, wind turbines, and a high heat machine making temperature like the sun, from pure air, easily burning a hot dog and melting steel. An interesting small series with a likable presenter and some good looking future technology. Good!