Episode 6 Driving Academy

Four children fed up with their parents' driving.

Dad, will you please slow down? You're going too fast!

-Four parents who've slipped into bad habits.

-Bam!

In four days, they'll have to face

the ultimate driving test and our chief examiner Sandra.

Last time, there was seriously bad steering going on.

Our rookies experienced driving at speed and we saw celebrations...

-Yes!

-Yes!

-Wooo!

..and some downright disappointments.

On the right!

-I think you're too fast.

-Yeah, I know. We failed.

The question is, though,

will our teams ever be ready to face the ultimate driving test

on the final day? It's day six at the Driving Academy.

Hello. I'm Joe Swash, and this is Driving Academy

coming at you from the beautiful St Athan in Wales.

This is a show that aims to help four kids

train their parents into being better and safer road-users.

Come on, let's get cracking!

Let's go!

Coming up, bang!

SCREAMING

Our rookies take on the most extreme Superskills Challenge yet.

I want to stop!

That's nothing compared to what their parents will have to face -

the Ramp of Doom!

SCREAMING

Don't miss our nail-biting Superskills Challenge which

will test our teams' nerves, reflexes and driving

to the absolute limit.

Oh, disaster!

And this is where it all begins,

the Learner Lesson.

Each day, we're going to be teaching our rookies

a different element of road safety to pass on to their parents,

and today, it's all about driving smoothly.

Although our rookies obviously can't drive on public roads,

here at the Academy's top-secret test centre, anything is possible.

In charge of our Learner Lessons

is elite driving instructor Vicky Lovell.

She knows every angle of road safety.

Throughout the lesson, Vicky has a set of dual controls,

so our rookies are always safe.

First up, it's Rhys, and his mum can be a bit reckless.

So how does she cope with speed bumps?

When my mum goes over speed bumps, what she does is

she usually goes over them quite fast just to annoy me.

That's not a good example. Our rookies have to drive smoothly over

the speed bumps without losing control.

This will be just a small taste of what the teams will face

in our Superskills Challenge later.

We're going to go right down to the end. Off you go.

Here goes Rhys,

and it looks like he's judging his speed quite well here.

Lovely! I want you to just stop here.

Lovely job. So do you understand? When you see humps in the road,

-you've got to be thinking, it's to look after people around.

-Yeah.

We've been worried that Rhys might have picked up

some bad habits from his careless driver mum Sarah

who has crashed and bashed her way through our challenges.

So far, they've only secured two passes,

so lets hope that Rhys's new knowledge

can help Mum improve her driving.

Next up is Molly.

She gets easily rattled under pressure

so we hope she can learn a few tips and pass them on to her dad.

My dad hates speed bumps because they make him slow down.

And they break people's tyres.

The reason they break his tyres is because he doesn't slow down.

He just goes faster over them.

Slow and steady. Nice work, Molly.

She seems to be learning about smooth driving,

but what about her dad?

It's never a smooth ride being in the car with my dad.

You always want to get out and just walk the rest of the way.

It could be all down to you in the Superskills Challenge, then, Molly!

Over to Manisha.

She's the most nervous of our young rookies

and has really struggled in some of the early lessons.

-Good. We're just going to carry on.

-Does it seem bad at the moment?

Little bit bumpy over the speed bumps.

What would have made that a bit smoother?

Ooh, um...

-Little bit slower.

-OK.

So, a bit slower, Manisha. Something to pass on

to your speed-loving dad.

Next time me and my dad are in a car and I see speed bumps,

all the knowledge is in here, so I know what to do.

We never know what Manisha's dad Cliff is going to do next.

He's out of control one day...

-Oh!

-..and he's over-cautious the next.

Come on, Dad. We only have five minutes!

So which Cliff will turn up today?

OK, last up, it's super-confident Jono.

I can't see him having problems with speed humps,

but I wonder how his mum handles them.

It can get quite tough in the back and it can get quite bumpy.

Yeah. Can cause a heart attack!

Speed bumps are there for a reason and should never

be approached at speed or ignored.

Whoa!

-Oh, dear. Do you think that was a good speed?

-I'm slowing it down!

Do you see how good that is if you drive at the correct speed?

-Oh, yeah, definitely.

-That's much better.

And you'll definitely need that smooth driving later

when we put you and your parents

through the bump-laden Superskills Challenge with a difference.

And, parents beware, as you're going to face the perilous Ramp of Doom.

Oh! Disaster!

It's that part of the show where we like to look at

some of the silly things drivers do whilst behind the wheel,

like playing with their radio or setting their sat-nav.

Some people even look in the mirror

to see if they look good whilst they should be driving.

So here's a message for you guys - come on! Don't be a dummy!

Let me introduce you to the most easily distracted dummy

here at the Driving Academy.

His name is Mr Crash, and with good reason.

Whenever he's behind the wheel, he never pays attention,

and that always ends in disaster.

The question is, though, what's going to distract him today?

So he has a book on the arm rest.

Then he has his work helmet,

and finally a pie on the dashboard.

Who ate all the pies, Mr C?

Our teams get a quick look round to work out which

of today's distractions will cause Mr C to crash.

Now, remember, this isn't for points, so play along at home.

It's going to be the book.

Good spot, Rhys! You should never be tempted

to read anything whilst driving.

It's the helmet, because that would be a hazard if you brake.

Yep, that helmet is a loose object that could go

flying around the car if Mr C brakes too quickly.

And he's got some food on the front.

Of course, Cliff. Not only should there be no objects

left on the dashboard, but if Mr C tries to eat that pie,

that'll be dangerous. Anyway, I'm off to have a tea break.

Cup of tea, anyone? Slice of cake? Mr C?

Agh! Mr C!

Oh, no! That's my mum's best crockery.

Just this once, Mr C, please don't get distracted! She'll kill me!

Who am I kidding?! He's not called Mr Crash for nothing.

Those three distractions are going to be too much for him.

Remember, all three objects could be dangerous.

First up, we have a book on the arm rest,

then there is Mr C's work helmet, and finally, that greasy pie.

Last chance to guess which one. Fingers crossed, Mum.

Off he goes.

Nice and steady, Mr C, not too fast.

Mr C...

No! He's picked up the book!

Whoa, Mr C!

Whoa!

Did you guess right at home? He was reading!

Mr C, you're not in my good books.

Mr C is a fully trained stunt driver

and all crashes are performed by experts.

Don't be a dummy. Don't try this at home!

A nail-biting Superskills Challenge is coming up very soon,

but first, before you can even get near a car,

you need to learn the rules of the road.

They're called the Highway Code,

and our teams have been studying them for the Highway Quiz.

So, today's Highway Challenge is all about passengers dos and don'ts.

I'm going to ask you a series of questions on passenger safety.

I need you to answer either true or false.

If you think it's true, I need you to jump into the red car.

If it's false, jump into the black car.

You need to get three out of five right to win this,

-the Highway Quiz badge.

-Oooh!

Children, you are to go first. Here's your question.

Go! Run around!

Ow, my head!

You all thought it was true. It is true!

It's the driver's responsibility to ensure a child

under the age of 14 is wearing a seatbelt.

Out you come, guys, well done! Adults, here comes your question.

Away you go.

Whoa, Andy! A bold move there going solo.

Let's see if it was a wise choice.

Andy, you're on your own.

The rest of you are in the "false" car. The answer...

is true!

Well done, Andy!

Any child may sit in the front seat,

as long as they are in the correct chair for their weight.

Kids, your question.

Away you go.

Remember, our teams need to get

three out of five correct to win the badge.

There goes Jono down the front. Well done.

The answer is...

false! Well done.

You all got the right answer.

OK, adults.

Oh. They've all got in the "false" car.

I can tell you, the answer is false. Well done.

You must be at least 12 or over 135cm

to sit in an adult car seat and use a seatbelt.

Any smaller, and you have to get back into the kids' seat.

Go on.

Trying to milk it, see.

Trying to get as much air time as he can.

The final question is for the kids.

Away you go.

This is the last question,

and all of our four teams have secured their badges.

But let's see if Molly and Andy can get a top score of five out of five.

Jono's on his own. The rest have gone for "false".

I can tell you the answer is "false".

A seat with a belt must only be used by one passenger. Sharing

a seatbelt could mean that you'd get crushed in a crash.

Ugh! We don't want that to happen.

Out of the cars, everybody. Well done.

So, teams, it's time to find out the results.

You all have got a badge!

Congratulations! It gives me even greater pleasure

-to tell you that Andy and Molly again have got 100%.

-Yay!

You must have been doing your revision! Here you go, guys,

there are your badges. Look after them.

Now, remember, keep revising, because we've only got four days

before our big Highway Quiz showdown. You excited?

ALL: Yeah!

As for you, don't go anywhere, because still to come,

we've got our Superskills Challenge.

The moment has finally arrived. It's the Superskills Challenge time.

And this is our course. And we've called it A Trifle Challenging.

It's going to be...a bumpy ride.

We've got 100 cherries sitting on top of our trifle.

Our teams need to make sure that at least one remains

by the end of the course.

Sounds easy, but I think this is going to be quite sticky.

The teams have to drive the trifle around our course.

It will be the kids off first, and once they pass the roundabout and

the barrels, they all face a big problem - the serious speed bumps.

That is where the cherries could really start tumbling.

Then it's a quick stop and the parents take over.

They have to drive whatever remains of the trifle across a set

of bigger speed bumps, before arriving at their nemesis -

the Ramp of Doom!

If you approach this wrong, you could lose the whole trifle.

It's all about smooth driving. There are 100 cherries to start off with,

and you need at least one left at the end.

They are the small red balls sat right at the top.

This is Sandra, the Driving Academy's chief examiner,

who will be watching our contestants with an eagle eye.

What Sandra doesn't know about

road safety isn't worth knowing.

Plan your journey. Keep your driving smooth.

Respect the speed ramps and don't rush over them.

The teams better beware as they take on Superskills number six.

Sandra, what are you looking for from today's challenge?

Today is all about car control and smooth driving.

It will be interesting to see how the teams handle

the speed ramps. And the parents have got to take the Ramp of Doom.

-It's going to be tricky.

-It will be.

So, first up, we have Rhys and Sarah.

The rookies are off first with the trifle. Here goes Rhys.

Let's see how they get on.

First, they'll need to weave through the barrels.

Lovely smooth control.

-Good boy.

-He's good, isn't he?

He's brilliant.

Everyone's impressed! Next, they go round the roundabout.

Rhys is handling things very nicely.

No hint of Mum's recklessness and just the odd ball lost.

That's brilliant, Rhys!

-So far, I don't think he's lost any cherries.

-I'm very impressed.

Manisha's looking very nervous today.

Play it cool, Manisha.

Oh, no! That's a bit of a disaster at this early stage.

Manisha is not terribly confident, and this is not going to help her.

Come on! To the right! That's it, that's it.

Keep it going.

Cliff's trying to talk her through it.

-Turn back.

-Steer faster.

Faster, Manisha, steer!

Oh, no! She's lost even more.

But don't worry, Manisha, there's still loads of cherries left.

Jono's having no problems. With steering around the barrels,

he's already at the roundabout without dropping a single ball.

No! Two balls have gone! No!

Oh! I take that one back!

Molly's driving well, but she's looking really stressed.

That's good. That's lovely and smooth. Just keep going. Keep going.

Dad's doing his best to calm her down.

We know she's not used to smooth driving

when Andy's behind the wheel.

-Don't jerk it.

-I don't mean to jerk it.

Don't start arguing, guys!

Dad, can you please swap now?

That's it, good girl.

The rookies are heading past the final few barrels,

and that was the easy bit.

Now it's time for their big moment.

They have reached those serious speed bumps.

This is really going to put them to the test. Jono approaches.

He needs to be careful,

as in his Learner Lesson, he was a bit over-confident

and went too quickly.

-Oh! There we go, over the speed bumps.

-It's not too bad! Not too bad.

Stay with the garage, Jono. Look where the garage is.

Oh! He's spilt a lot there. Those speed bumps are terrible.

I think all the balls have gone,

Here goes Molly next. Needs to hang on to those cherries.

Just hit them. Just hit them, you're fine.

Oh! There's trifle all over the floor.

But are there any cherries left?

Third up, it's Manisha, who had a poor start.

She needs to do well here. This is tough.

Oh, no! It sounds awful, it looks awful,

but you have to hope there are a few cherries left.

Last, it's Rhys, and he isn't known for his gentle approach.

Good luck, buddy!

I'm seeing a pattern here, and Rhys isn't feeling too hopeful.

Oh, yeah, we've lost.

There are a few cherries in there so far,

but the biggest challenge is still to come with this ramp.

That's going to send them cherries flying.

OK, it's swap time. The parents in the front, please!

Remember, the teams need at least one red cherry left.

They're the red balls that started at the top of the ping-pong trifle.

-Come on, Mum, we can do this.

-I can't let my boy down again.

Sarah's feeling the pressure as she reaches

the second set of speed bumps.

She can't be in her usual hurry for this one.

She's very smooth coming through these bumps.

This is the reformed Sarah driving smoothly.

Rhys is keeping a close eye on that trifle.

They were only white that fell.

That was brilliant!

Michelle's next. She needs to keep a check on her nerves.

Caught the edge of that first one, you've got to take it easy.

She's handling the speed ramps very nicely indeed, Joe.

They look very smooth.

Not bad at all!

Michelle's looking relaxed for the first time at the Academy.

Andy's up next.

-Hold on tight.

-Yeah, we'll have to.

-This is going to be a bumpy ride.

And he's relaxed enough to joke about this one.

I hope he's not being over-confident.

Ooh! That cherry just went.

Oh, no!

Still a few cherries left, I think.

Remember, this is not a race, Andy. Cliff's up next.

Despite being a speeder, he's learned

to take these challenges calmly.

Perhaps he can make up for Manisha's nervous performance earlier.

Slow and steady.

Ooh, just a few!

There goes a cherry.

But Cliff's keeping his cool. Well, that's the easy bit over with.

Now it's the big one. The Ramp of Doom.

Success or failure hangs on this one final humongous obstacle.

And it's Sarah up first. She looks nervous.

-Rhys, hold tight.

-I am.

-Hold tight, hold tight, hold tight.

Whoa!

Oh, disaster!

Sarah's not looking happy and I'm not sure there are

any cherries left in that bowl now!

Sorry, Rhys, I panicked.

Will Michelle do any better?

Here we go.

That Ramp of Doom looks scary.

This will be a big test for our nervous driver Michelle.

Can we see any cherries?

Oh, that wasn't too bad, actually.

How brave you are!

My face must have been a picture!

Michelle, you're right, your face was a picture! Andy's turn.

This is so hard.

-I think we're doing that forfeit.

-Don't give up yet, Molly.

-Keep moving. Keep moving.

-Oh, I'm going to be sick!

SHE SCREAMS

Let's see that again on Molly Cam.

That was typical Andy! Far too fast!

I don't think we've got anything left.

Secure the car.

We've got nothing left after that!

You might be right, Andy. That was the worst yet!

OK, last to the Ramp of Doom is Cliff.

Wooh! Smashes down.

I wonder what's left.

-Well, quite nicely done.

-I mean, it was better than Andy's attempt.

I'm trying to see any cherries. I can't see from here.

-Shall we jump down and have a look?

-Let's have a look.

-Come on, then.

They started with 100 cherries and they need just one left to pass,

but will anyone make it?

My dummies are doing a quick count-up. So, what's the result?

Sarah, in real life, how would you approach a speed bump?

I think in the past, not like that, but in the future, just like that.

Sandra, how do you think they got on?

Well, this is the serene super Green Team now, isn't it?

Sarah, I've seen a complete turnaround.

Your attitude, responsibility, control.

So much improved. I'm so proud of you.

It's the moment of truth. Dummy, can we have the bucket, please?

Thank you. Let's find out how many cherries were left in your trifle.

None in there.

But hold up a minute!

What's that?!

Look at that! One, two, three!

Well done! Congratulations.

There were three cherries left on your trifle.

You only need to have one, so you've outdone yourselves.

Rhys, congratulations. Sarah, well done. Good job.

-Super driving.

-Brilliant stuff from the Greens.

A pass and a real turning-point for Sarah.

I think we're making quite a good team now.

We're back on track. We're halfway in the challenges.

We've done six challenges so far and we've got three out of six.

I didn't want to let Rhys down, so with the total concentration,

we got through it and we had three balls.

Michelle, start with you. You came into the Academy

-as a hesitant driver, quite nervous.

-Definitely.

And you got over this Ramp of Doom so well.

It looked like there was no fear at all.

We've watched you grow. How did you feel about it?

I was absolutely petrified before I actually reached the ramp,

but I thought I've got to settle down and just go for it.

Yeah, I'm so proud of you. What did you think, Sandra?

Oh, the cool Blues. Jono, have you seen any improvement in her driving?

Yeah. Definitely.

We certainly have here,

so I'm going to ask Joe to give us the result.

OK, so hopefully, this is a bowl full of cherries.

You needed to get one to pass. Here we go. You got...

Hey!

Congratulations, guys! I can tell you, you got 13 cherries.

It's unlucky for some, but very lucky for you.

It was unlucky for me. Well done, Jono. Well done, Michelle.

Jono and Michelle cruise into their fifth pass.

And Michelle's looking very confident.

I really surprised myself and I handled it really well.

We passed. It was a lovely feeling.

I fell really happy for her. She's got a lot more potential

and if she built up her confidence a lot more, she can do more things.

So that was quite eventful. Sandra, what did you make of it?

I'm going to talk to Andy most severely.

Andy, Andy, Andy, that's back to your old ways.

What were you doing up this ramp?

Well, I was trying to keep the same pace over the top of it.

Keep the same pace?! You flew at that! You got into second gear!

Andy, really, a bit more respect. We're a bit annoyed with you.

You could have damaged the car, and in real life,

if you took a ramp like that,

you could easily damage your own car. Cost you a lot of money.

Crash test dummy, come in with the result, please.

OK, so how do you think you've done?

-None.

-I can tell you, you've got...

one cherry! Congratulations.

That's enough to earn you a pass. Well done.

-Ta.

-Andy, well done.

-Cheers. Thank you.

The Oranges pass by the skin of their teeth,

but, Andy, you are not in Sandra's good books.

I shouldn't have gone over it as fast as what I did.

I did it purely to stop losing the balls out of the top,

but I never thought of the damage that could be caused to the car.

So, team, how do you think you got on? Manisha?

Well, it's hard to say, really.

The only one at the moment who knows the result is Joe.

Crash test dummy, bring over the bucket.

OK, so...

I can tell you with great pleasure...

You looked in my bucket without me...

Who needs a bucket?! Well done! Well done!

Congratulations! Congratulations!

Congratulations! Well done.

You had five cherries left, which is a massive pass.

The Purples win their third pass in a row.

What a turnaround for Cliff and Manisha.

I think we've really improved in our driving.

We have done ever so well and we have been trying our best,

and I think that has really helped.

We were ever so down. We were three down. But we clawed it back.

We are now three wins in a row. We will keep the momentum going.

Today's challenge was fun,

especially with the cherries falling off the trifle, it was great.

But in real life, those skills are needed.

So, at the end of day six, the Purples and Greens have passed

three Superskills each. The Orange Team are ahead of them on four,

but out in front, with a fantastic five out of six, are the Blue Team.

Well, we made it through another day of intense training,

and I wouldn't have wanted to face the old Ramp of Doom.

-So shall we get down to business?

-Yes.

-Let's do that.

Here are your passes.

And I can tell you that for the first time this series,

every single one of you have passed! Congratulations!

Cliff and Manisha, if you'd like to pass them down to Jono and Michelle.

Molly, would you pass them down to Sarah and Rhys?

You all deserve a round of applause. Pat yourselves on the back!

'So, no mucky cars, no nasty forfeits

'for the first time in the series. These parents must be learning!'

Check out what we've got for you next time on Driving Academy.

Vicky takes our rookies down Hazard Alley

to test their reactions to the limit.

It's crash-bang-wallop, as Mr C gets distracted at the wheel.

Will he ever learn? And we've got our craziest Superskills to date.

It's going to be one hazardous day for our teams, that's for sure.

Don't you dare miss it!

It's getting closer. There are only

four days left before out teams face the ultimate driving test.

Join us next time on Driving Academy.

Until then, stay safe.

Oh, I'm going to be sick! SHE SCREAMS