0:00:20 > 0:00:24Tonight, we are going to have a race and it's a very,
0:00:24 > 0:00:27very important one because it's to see which is fastest,
0:00:27 > 0:00:31Jeremy in a car or me on a sailing boat.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33First of all, we needed a course.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37OK, now the producers suggested we go from Great Yarmouth
0:00:37 > 0:00:39up the North Sea to Edinburgh.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43Or, perhaps from Aberystwyth down through the Irish Sea to say,
0:00:43 > 0:00:49the Lizard point in Cornwall. But then, James and I had a better idea.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50Yes, we did.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58Welcome to New Zealand.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01The perfect location for our duel.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Pretty landscapes for Jeremy to drive through
0:01:03 > 0:01:08and most importantly for me, sea that's warm.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12So, our race. This is what New Zealand looks like.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15This is the bit we're interested in, blown up for you here.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18I shall be starting from this very beach which is here on the map
0:01:18 > 0:01:23and racing up here to the second most northerly point in New Zealand.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27Jeremy, meanwhile, will have to go down here, through
0:01:27 > 0:01:31the centre of Auckland and all the way up here to reach the same point.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35So I only have to cover 220 miles.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39Jeremy has to cover 410.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43To make matters even worse for Jeremy,
0:01:43 > 0:01:4735% of New Zealand's roads are unpaved.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52Which would slow him down. And this is what he'd be up against.
0:01:54 > 0:01:59It's called an AC45 and it's the fastest production sailing boat in the world.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04With a carbon fibre hull and a rigid
0:02:04 > 0:02:11sail as big as the wing on a Boeing 737, it can reach over 30 knots.
0:02:13 > 0:02:14Then there's the crew.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17All but one are winners of the America's Cup,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20the most prestigious trophy in yacht racing.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24And as for the one who isn't, well, he's Sir Ben Ainslie,
0:02:24 > 0:02:27four-times Olympic sailing gold medallist.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30Your wing!
0:02:31 > 0:02:35Put all this together, and Jeremy hasn't got a chance.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41I do realise the enormity of the challenge I face, which is
0:02:41 > 0:02:47why I have gone for the fastest car in the world. Here it is.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50- It's a Toyota Corolla.- Is that what it is? I haven't looked.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54- Yes, it is.- It's a 1.8 litre Toyota Corolla.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57Engine size is irrelevant, James,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00because do you know what makes this so fast?
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Look in the window.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06- I've rented it.- Oh, no.- Yes.
0:03:06 > 0:03:07And this is the thing, you see.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11I mean, a Bugatti Veyron, sometimes you're using 15 horsepower,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13sometimes you're using only ten.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16This, you've got 140 horsepower from the moment you start it up
0:03:16 > 0:03:20- to the moment you crash it. - Did you pick up one of those...
0:03:20 > 0:03:23What are they called? Collision damage waiver forms?
0:03:23 > 0:03:26No, I picked up six. I did!
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Her back was turned, I thought, "I'll have some of those!"
0:03:29 > 0:03:31So you're ready?
0:03:31 > 0:03:34- I'm really ready for this. - Everybody else ready?
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Right, this race will start at precisely seven o'clock
0:03:37 > 0:03:39tomorrow morning.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41- Beer?- Yes, beer.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52OK. Pre-flight check. Complete.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54There's the boat.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Soon it will be pointing in the correct direction
0:03:56 > 0:03:59and the race will begin.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Eventually the boat had done its jibing and sheeting
0:04:02 > 0:04:05and going about and all the crew were at their stations.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13And so, at precisely 7.11am, the race began.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16Three, two, one...
0:04:16 > 0:04:18HORN
0:04:18 > 0:04:19Go!
0:04:20 > 0:04:21Come on!
0:04:23 > 0:04:29OK, we're racing. We're going. Go, boys. Whenever ready.
0:04:33 > 0:04:34Power!
0:04:37 > 0:04:41This is not simply a race between a sailing boat
0:04:41 > 0:04:45and a little blue hatchback. I am on a mission from God.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50Because the world has got it into its head that wind power is
0:04:50 > 0:04:53the solution to everything and I just don't think it is.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57Wind is just annoying.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Internal combustion is good.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03And at that moment, it looked like I may have had a point.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11- The wrong sails?- Yes.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13When you say the wrong sail, where is the other sail?
0:05:13 > 0:05:17- It's right in front of us. - In that bag?
0:05:17 > 0:05:19With the sails having to be swapped over quickly,
0:05:19 > 0:05:23the crew got very shouty with me.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Whoa, James - pull on that rope!
0:05:27 > 0:05:29James, what are you doing there? Get in and help!
0:05:31 > 0:05:35The boat was stationary, just 200 metres from the start line.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37Things were looking good - for Jeremy.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Oh, wow! Big one!
0:05:43 > 0:05:45It was PJ O'Rourke, the American author,
0:05:45 > 0:05:49who first noticed that hire cars are the fastest cars in the world
0:05:49 > 0:05:52and he is, of course, completely correct.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58Because when was the last time you took your car to the red line
0:05:58 > 0:06:02or you drove it flat out? Never.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05But here, in this, now, yes!
0:06:05 > 0:06:07Because it isn't mine.
0:06:09 > 0:06:10Speed!
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Back at sea, the new sail was up.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21But we still weren't going fast enough.
0:06:22 > 0:06:2712 knots, which is about 40mph in car terms.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31That's not bad but at that rate, it would take us 15 hours.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33That's no good.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37Despite the gravel roads, I was going quite a lot faster.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44100 kilometres an hour right there, into fourth.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Maybe going a little too fast there, but it's not my car,
0:06:51 > 0:06:52so it doesn't matter.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Just feel so sorry for James.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59He's on a boat. He's not going to see anything of New Zealand,
0:06:59 > 0:07:03the prettiest country in the wor...OOOG!
0:07:07 > 0:07:09I hit something.
0:07:13 > 0:07:18After its wonky start, the boat was finally starting to stretch its legs.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21How fast are we going? 25 knots. That's tremendous.
0:07:22 > 0:07:28We're about eight miles from the shore, so we've got 200 miles to run.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31This speed, however, did have its downsides.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38What's my rank on this trip, skipper?
0:07:38 > 0:07:42Am I the coxswain or the bosun or the... Roger the cabin boy?
0:07:42 > 0:07:46- Right now, you're the cabin boy. - Cabin boy.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48That would be all right if you had a cabin.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Oh, it's accident report form.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55"Was Avis vehicle on correct side of the road?" Yes, I was.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00"Explain how accident occurred." A maniac came the other way.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04"State who in your opinion was responsible for the accident."
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Him! Him! He was mad.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Right. Onwards!
0:08:16 > 0:08:18OK. Three, two, one, diving!
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Ow!
0:08:22 > 0:08:25Come on, James. Put some effort in!
0:08:29 > 0:08:32This is so catastrophically uncomfortable as a way to travel.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34THUNDER
0:08:38 > 0:08:45The £65-a-day hire car and the £700,000 boat hunkered down
0:08:45 > 0:08:46and pressed on.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Tarmac, white lines.
0:09:08 > 0:09:13- We've covered 36 miles. - 36?- Our course is 310.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20Imagining that I was well in the lead, I pulled over to call James.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22PHONE RINGS
0:09:22 > 0:09:26- Hello.- 'James May!.' - 'Yes. Hello?'
0:09:26 > 0:09:28'What speed are you doing?'
0:09:28 > 0:09:34We've been cracking along at 23- knots-plus at some points. It goes like stink.
0:09:34 > 0:09:3623 knots. Wow!
0:09:36 > 0:09:38'Is it in berth, James?'
0:09:38 > 0:09:41No, I want to say it's bloody uncomfortable and unpleasant
0:09:41 > 0:09:45but Sir Ben Ainslie is sitting next to me, so I can't really say that.
0:09:45 > 0:09:46Can you congratulate him
0:09:46 > 0:09:50for how good he was in both Ghandi and Sexy Beast?
0:09:51 > 0:09:54At this point, the producers showed me a tracking device that
0:09:54 > 0:09:57revealed where James actually was.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Oh, my giddy aunt!
0:09:59 > 0:10:03That can't be right. According to this, you're miles ahead of me.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Are you still talking to me? I can't hear you.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09Yes. Get off the phone. I'm busy.
0:10:10 > 0:10:11Hello?
0:10:14 > 0:10:18James was 170 miles from the finish line, whereas I,
0:10:18 > 0:10:20because of the unique way New Zealand is shaped,
0:10:20 > 0:10:25was still heading in the wrong direction with 340 miles to go.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32What if I lose this race, people?
0:10:32 > 0:10:34If you're campaigning now to stop the Government building 2,500
0:10:34 > 0:10:37windmills in your back garden to provide you
0:10:37 > 0:10:41with enough electricity for the pump in your fish tank,
0:10:41 > 0:10:44and I lose this, I can only apologise.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48I'm trying to help you out here but I'm losing.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50And I'm losing badly.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13Now, a couple of weeks ago, we drove across Spain in three budget supercars.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17Lamborghini then got in touch and said they'd built one, too.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Better still, they invited me over to Italy to drive it.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36So, here we are.
0:11:38 > 0:11:43Budget car, Lamborghini-style. The Aventador roadster.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48As you'd expect from Lamborghini,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51it's basically a ruthless wedge of ginormous numbers.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57700 horsepower.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01217 miles an hour, 6.5 litre V12.
0:12:01 > 0:12:08£289,000. The only small number - 0-60, three seconds.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10You get where I'm going!
0:12:13 > 0:12:18It also handles beautifully, easily as sharp as the hard-top Aventador.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22But I'm not going to spend my time today doing a big technical
0:12:22 > 0:12:25assessment of this car's driving dynamics and such,
0:12:25 > 0:12:29because what I'm interested in is why this car perfectly sums up
0:12:29 > 0:12:32what's so special about Lamborghini.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44You see, most sports car companies,
0:12:44 > 0:12:47a lot of their appeal comes down to their heritage.
0:12:47 > 0:12:52Cars named after famous racetracks, famous races, Mille Miglia, Le Mans,
0:12:52 > 0:12:57and the like. But Lamborghini has never bothered with any of that.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01Their mission has always been to make the best bedroom-wall poster
0:13:01 > 0:13:08subject in the world, always looking forward, never back.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11I mean, look at this thing. It's just pure theatre.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Everything is dialled up to 11.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19It brings out the nine-year-old inside every 40-year-old. 43.
0:13:19 > 0:13:2238. Middle-aged. Young. Early middle-aged man.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30What's really astonishing is that they've been pulling off this
0:13:30 > 0:13:32trick for 50 years now.
0:13:32 > 0:13:38That's five decades of unleashing unique flamboyant machines,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41each more outrageous than the last.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48The thing is, that's kind of a high-risk strategy because how do
0:13:48 > 0:13:55you keep doing extreme year after year after year for 50 years?
0:13:55 > 0:13:57What do you come up with next?
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Well, let's find out what, shall we, because in truth,
0:14:00 > 0:14:04this isn't the car Lambo rang us about.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08The car they rang us about makes this look dull.
0:14:29 > 0:14:35It's called the Sesto Elemento, Italian for sixth element.
0:14:35 > 0:14:40And in the periodic table, that sixth element is carbon, which is
0:14:40 > 0:14:44no coincidence, because this thing is made from little else.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46The prop shaft, the suspension,
0:14:46 > 0:14:50even the wheel rims are all forged from carbon.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55And the body is made from a revolutionary blend of plastic
0:14:55 > 0:14:59and carbon, jointly developed by Lamborghini and Boeing.
0:15:02 > 0:15:07Such an extreme car deserves an extreme location, which is
0:15:07 > 0:15:11why we've returned to the fearsome Imola racetrack.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21Right, last time I was here, I was in a Noble M600 which,
0:15:21 > 0:15:22as we know, is no slouch.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31Let's give it a shot. Three... Let's just do it!
0:15:31 > 0:15:32Wow!
0:15:34 > 0:15:36It's different. That's what it is!
0:15:53 > 0:15:58It's superbike fast. God, it nearly wheelies!
0:16:02 > 0:16:06The reason it's so fast is not only because it's powered
0:16:06 > 0:16:11by a 570 horsepower V10 but also because despite that massive engine
0:16:11 > 0:16:16and a full four-wheel-drive system, it weighs less than a Ford Fiesta.
0:16:18 > 0:16:23That means 0-60 in 2.5 seconds.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25The same as a Veyron.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Holy moly!
0:16:30 > 0:16:37Now, there are other supercars that are fast because they're light
0:16:37 > 0:16:42but no car is as extreme as this in the pursuit of shedding weight.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48The Sesto Elemento doesn't even have paint - instead,
0:16:48 > 0:16:52its colour comes from flecks of crystal embedded in the bodywork.
0:16:53 > 0:16:54And there's more.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59These seats, they're not actually seats, they've just made these
0:16:59 > 0:17:03pads in a seat shape and stuck them directly onto the chassis.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06And the dashboard - well, there isn't one.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Instead, you just get all this exposed carbon-plastic composite.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14But what I love is the way they've done all this brutal simplicity
0:17:14 > 0:17:18and weight-saving in an Italian way. It's beautiful.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22This central spar looks like it belongs in a modern art gallery.
0:17:29 > 0:17:34Yet despite its many unique qualities, the Sesto Elemento
0:17:34 > 0:17:37does share one thing with other high-end sports cars -
0:17:37 > 0:17:39its ability to empty your bank account.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44I think Lamborghini has learned from Porsche the art of charging
0:17:44 > 0:17:47more for less.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51So this thing, with its missing dashboard and seats,
0:17:51 > 0:17:52is - wait for it...
0:17:52 > 0:17:55£1.95 million!
0:17:58 > 0:18:02However, there's no time to be shocked by that because right now,
0:18:02 > 0:18:08I'm in a £2 million hypercar and I've got Imola all to myself.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Waa-ha! Woooow!
0:18:14 > 0:18:18Lambo, when it turns in, it changes direction, it turns like a swallow.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23Because it's light, you can brake so late and because it's light,
0:18:23 > 0:18:27it can turn so hard without trying to tear its own tyres off.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31And because it's light, when you get out of a turn...
0:18:31 > 0:18:35570 brake power V10 just catapults it.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49People talk about being at one with the car.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52I've grown a car out of my hands and feet.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Operating the steering is just a joyous experience.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07It's the most alive thing I've ever driven. It's beautiful.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Absolutely dazzling.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20And when you've finished, you can get out and remind yourself that
0:19:20 > 0:19:24you've been driving something that looks like this.
0:19:26 > 0:19:32I've said for some time that Pagani have been stealing Lamborghini's crown
0:19:32 > 0:19:37when it comes to making the best bedroom-wall poster car but...
0:19:37 > 0:19:40I think the new boys have just been slapped down.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57It's amazing.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01You know, when you say it's light, you can see the windscreen. Look.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05- It is.- That is how light this thing is. That's not even glass.- It is.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08It was electrifying to drive because if you think, most
0:20:08 > 0:20:11supercars are broadly the same. This, though, just felt different.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13It feels like the future.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17D'you know, I took it for a spin this morning, as you know, and what I loved about it,
0:20:17 > 0:20:21- because it's just a Gallardo underneath, it's not intimidating. - No.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23It's just fantastically fast without being terrifying.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26- It's nimble and sharp. It's absolutely beautiful.- I loved it.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30Anyway, we must now find out how fast it goes around our track
0:20:30 > 0:20:34and that, of course, means handing it over to our tame racing driver.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38Some say he's married to one of Princess Anne's hats.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42And that he's spent all week standing outside
0:20:42 > 0:20:45a hospital in London pretending to be Nicholas Witchell.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50All we know is he's called the Stig.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56And away he goes. No weight, so it takes off like a housefly.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00Coming up to the first corner, he's shunting power backwards here
0:21:00 > 0:21:04to drive it through, maintaining grip.
0:21:04 > 0:21:05That is controlled.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09No stereo, so no TV theme tunes, mercifully.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15Going to wiggle through Chicago. Listen to that noise.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20It is spectacular. Now, will it understeer or oversteer?
0:21:20 > 0:21:23No, it won't do either of them. Oh, a bit of a bounce!
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Stig is really on it today.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34Right, follow-through. All 570 horsepower unleashed here.
0:21:34 > 0:21:39A bit of a drift. Steady on, Stig. Oh, wait. And he's gone.
0:21:39 > 0:21:45He's gone, he's lost it and he's on the grass. Oh, my giddy aunt!
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Ooh, now that is a surprise.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52I think that's only the second time he's ever spun off here
0:21:52 > 0:21:55but he did eventually complete a lap and I have the time here.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59Now this is where the normal Gallardo got, OK?
0:21:59 > 0:22:02But because this is a little bit lighter...
0:22:02 > 0:22:05It was quick.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07- That's a Zonda F. - Faster than that. Fast...
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Is it faster than a Bugatti Veyron?
0:22:10 > 0:22:11AUDIENCE GROANS
0:22:11 > 0:22:12Yes, it is!
0:22:12 > 0:22:14No way! You're not...
0:22:14 > 0:22:16AUDIENCE: Oooh!
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Wow! That's amazing!
0:22:21 > 0:22:231.14.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27That is what happens when you lose weight! So that...
0:22:31 > 0:22:36That is where it goes on our board and now it goes on the floor.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Yeah. No, it must, sorry, because you can't drive that on the road.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42The board is for road cars only. Those are the rules.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50Now, though, it is time to put a star in our reasonably priced car.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Now, my guest tonight is enormously famous these days
0:22:53 > 0:22:55because of his massive sideburns
0:22:55 > 0:22:58and because you wouldn't want to shake hands with him.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00And don't worry, it's not John McCririck.
0:23:02 > 0:23:03It is in fact Wolverine.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Hugh Jackman!
0:23:17 > 0:23:20- Have a seat.- Thank you. - Hands are fine!
0:23:25 > 0:23:29- That's a lot of smiling faces today. - Smiley, sweaty faces. I love it.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31I feel like I'm in Australia.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34But you know the good thing about this being such a hot summer.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38I've been coming here for many years. My parents are English and for...
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Since I was 12, when I first came here,
0:23:40 > 0:23:43everyone talked about the summer of '76.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47And I'm like... What kind of country do you live in when everybody
0:23:47 > 0:23:51reminisces about the summer of '76? Finally, that's over.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54- Trust me, did you miss the first half of this summer?- Right.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56- That was- BLEEP.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01Hey, listen. We're going to get onto Wolverine in a minute, obviously.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04And the new movie. But when you were growing up, from what
0:24:04 > 0:24:06I can understand, you actually wanted to be in musicals.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10I mean, your recent appearance in Les Miserables was more where
0:24:10 > 0:24:14- you wanted to go. Am I right in saying that?- Yeah, it's weird.
0:24:14 > 0:24:15I always did...
0:24:15 > 0:24:18The musical side of things was actually more of a surprise for me.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20I did a couple of eminent musicals, and I was really bad.
0:24:20 > 0:24:26I remember actually doing West Side Story for the Eastern Suburbs Musical Society.
0:24:26 > 0:24:27I couldn't sing
0:24:27 > 0:24:30any of the top three notes, right, and I was playing Tony
0:24:30 > 0:24:32and... # Maria, Maria... #
0:24:32 > 0:24:35and it goes really high and every night,
0:24:35 > 0:24:37I can't believe I did this, on stage I was...
0:24:37 > 0:24:39# Maria, Maria Ma... #
0:24:39 > 0:24:41HE MOUTHS
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Looking into the wings.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45HE MOUTHS
0:24:45 > 0:24:46# Ma-ri-a! #
0:24:48 > 0:24:50- In a clever way! - Literally, and all my mates came.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54"Oh, that sound department sucked, man. You were awesome and right at the key moment,
0:24:54 > 0:24:56"the big notes just cut out."
0:24:56 > 0:25:00So obviously, you'd made a name for yourself before Wolverine
0:25:00 > 0:25:03came along, but what was it that caused you to say
0:25:03 > 0:25:07"Yeah, I want to move into..." effectively you know, the sort of comic book franchise of X-Men?
0:25:07 > 0:25:08Yeah, it's interesting.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12Like when I got the part of Wolverine, first of all,
0:25:12 > 0:25:14I would have taken it no matter what it was.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17I had no other job at the time but I didn't realise how good a part it was.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21In fact, my wife said, "You can't do this. This is ridiculous."
0:25:21 > 0:25:24I mean, I was auditioning, she read the scene with me and said,
0:25:24 > 0:25:29"Wolverine senses danger and claws come out of his hands - snikt!"
0:25:29 > 0:25:33She goes, "This is ridiculous. You're at the Royal National Theatre
0:25:33 > 0:25:35"and now you're going to have claws coming out of your hands,"
0:25:35 > 0:25:37and chucked it down. She says, "You're on your own."
0:25:37 > 0:25:40The only time she's ever been wrong in 18 years.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44And she doesn't watch this show, so I'm all good in saying that.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47- So, obviously, new movie out. - Yeah.- Tell us about it.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49So the movie takes place, for X-Men fans,
0:25:49 > 0:25:51it's straight after X-Men 3.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Wolverine is literally at the bottom of his life.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57He's almost made a vow not to be Wolverine,
0:25:57 > 0:26:00because everywhere he goes, the people he loves die.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04It's filled with pain and regret, destruction,
0:26:04 > 0:26:06so everything that makes him great also brings his sadness
0:26:06 > 0:26:09and loss, so that's where you find him.
0:26:09 > 0:26:10He then gets brought to Japan
0:26:10 > 0:26:13and this is based on one of the great comic books ever written,
0:26:13 > 0:26:17this Japanese saga, or the Samurai story and in he goes,
0:26:17 > 0:26:22and of course, has to look inside himself to find the inner
0:26:22 > 0:26:25- person and choose what he wants to be.- Needless to say, we have a clip.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28- We'd like to show that now if we may.- Fantastic.- Here it is.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31My employer wants to thank you for saving his life.
0:26:31 > 0:26:37I wanted to repay you, Logan. I can hand you eternity. Make you mortal.
0:26:44 > 0:26:45I'm not healing like before.
0:26:49 > 0:26:50Is that all the men you brought?
0:26:52 > 0:26:56Your grandfather called me a Ronin, a Samurai without a master...
0:26:57 > 0:26:59..who has no reason to live.
0:27:05 > 0:27:06Was he right?
0:27:14 > 0:27:16- Saw it the other night.- Thank you.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21One of the things I noticed in the new film is the hair is a
0:27:21 > 0:27:23- lot less extravagant than it has been in the past.- Yes.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Environmental groups really had a go at us
0:27:25 > 0:27:29at the amount of hair spray we were using.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32- It must have been the ozone layer, right there.- Completely.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35So we've quit that, we've moved on.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37- So, you were filming a lot of that in Japan?- Yeah.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40- Isn't that a great country? - I love Japan.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43I've been there maybe 11 times and I love the customs,
0:27:43 > 0:27:47I love the way... Their attention to detail, the food, I mean, the cab drivers wear gloves.
0:27:47 > 0:27:52Everything is polite and everything is... But I did make a few faux pas.
0:27:52 > 0:27:53- In Japan?- Yeah.
0:27:53 > 0:27:58The worst one was the onsen. Did you go to the onsen?
0:27:58 > 0:28:01- You know, the bathhouses that they...- I know exactly what you mean. Yeah.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03No, my penis is too small.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12- Right.- You know what I mean.- No.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23- Yeah, there we go.- No, so...
0:28:26 > 0:28:30So we went into these... For those who haven't been, they're natural springs and they're hot.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33They're incredible. It's part of the culture and it's a whole rigmarole.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36You have to go and you have to put everything in the locker.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39You have to put on a robe, you put on slippers, and then when you go - nothing.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42They give you a little towel, almost like a flannel, sort of thing.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44And that's it, you walk in. Hot. Hot as hell.
0:28:44 > 0:28:46Everyone's walking around. I'm walking around naked.
0:28:46 > 0:28:51You're there for about an hour and they have one little cold pool
0:28:51 > 0:28:55to cool yourself down because everything is super hot. So I'm dipping it in the cold pool.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58And I'm putting it on my head, you know, like to cool myself down.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02And I'm sitting there like this and I'm getting the weirdest looks from all the guys.
0:29:02 > 0:29:03I thought, this is really weird.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05I don't know what's going on and then finally,
0:29:05 > 0:29:08one guy who was sitting in the tub like this, goes...
0:29:08 > 0:29:10"Heh-heh-heh... heh-heh-heh!"
0:29:13 > 0:29:15I was like, "No, mate. Not my thing."
0:29:15 > 0:29:17"Heh-heh-heh... heh-heh-heh!"
0:29:17 > 0:29:19And I really... Oh, right!
0:29:19 > 0:29:21The flannel was for that.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27I'd just been waltzing around... Whooo! "How you doing?"
0:29:27 > 0:29:29"How you doing, man?"
0:29:29 > 0:29:34I was actually avoiding getting onto cars because I'd looked into your history and it's not particularly...
0:29:34 > 0:29:38But not as a child, anyway, because you seem to have spent most of your childhood being driven around
0:29:38 > 0:29:41- Australia in the back of a Volvo. - Yeah, I remember my dad getting a Volvo.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44Literally, because he's an accountant and he heard it's the safest car
0:29:44 > 0:29:49but they had those little dicky seats in the back that would fold up backwards and I basically
0:29:49 > 0:29:53spent my entire childhood giving the finger to cars behind me, you know.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57And almost throwing up because it was the week-old cooler,
0:29:57 > 0:30:01you know, filled with the food, because my dad was really tight so he would pack food for a week
0:30:01 > 0:30:04and we'd have it in the back of the car in temperatures like this
0:30:04 > 0:30:07and I'd have my feet on it, so I'm smelling like, bad liverwurst,
0:30:07 > 0:30:08and things like that.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11- Have your kids ever gone through the car sickness phase?- A little bit.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14- My daughter gets it a little bit, yes.- Cos I'm just thinking,
0:30:14 > 0:30:17you know when the car manufacturer quotes the ability of a car to stop
0:30:17 > 0:30:20from 100 miles an hour, 100 kilometres an hour, down to zero?
0:30:20 > 0:30:24You can always beat it when the child goes, "I'm feeling a bit sick."
0:30:25 > 0:30:29Because when a child IS sick in a car, the car has to be written off.
0:30:29 > 0:30:34- Yes, immediately. - There is no chance...! They are.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36So obviously, you came here today.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39- The temperature is very similar to Australia.- Right.- Properly hot.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42And there is a bit of a problem with our new reasonably priced car,
0:30:42 > 0:30:46- because it is much faster with the air conditioning off.- Yeah.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48- Apparently, you did turn it off.- Yeah.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52- Because I was hoping for any edge, my driving ability is so bad.- Is it?
0:30:52 > 0:30:56My assistant is here, who I've known for 20 years
0:30:56 > 0:30:59and he's a mad fan of this show. He's really pissed off with me that I'm here.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02He said, "You don't deserve it. I put in the effort.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04"I watch every episode. I love this show, and look at you.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07"You do a couple of movies, you pretend to be someone else
0:31:07 > 0:31:08"and you're driving the car with Stig!"
0:31:08 > 0:31:12- Anyway, you went out there, air conditioning off.- Yep.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14- For your hot lap.- Yep. - Anyone want to see it?
0:31:14 > 0:31:15AUDIENCE: Yeah!
0:31:15 > 0:31:17Let's play the tape.
0:31:22 > 0:31:27I feel the need for speed! 60, here we go.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29This is looking actually like you're on it.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32Like you really care about whether you're going to...
0:31:32 > 0:31:36- Oh, I say. That's good grip through there. Aggressive turning! - I literally look...
0:31:37 > 0:31:40- Very low in the car. - It's a low seat.- Yes!
0:31:40 > 0:31:42I didn't think I was going to feel competitive.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46My God, am I feeling competitive!
0:31:46 > 0:31:48You can see... I can see the way you're driving it,
0:31:48 > 0:31:52- this is a man who wants that thing to get... Oh, hoo hoo!- Yeah.
0:31:52 > 0:31:56Come on, Jackman! 6,000. That's good.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00All right, this is my Achilles heel, this corner.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02It's everybody's Achilles heel.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05They mostly go off at the second to last corner. Hey, Hugh.
0:32:05 > 0:32:10- This is not bad at all.- Isn't it? - No. I'm actually deeply impressed.
0:32:10 > 0:32:14There, you see. You're using more of the track then Benedict did last week.
0:32:14 > 0:32:19OK. Don't be a pussy. Stay in there. Just stay.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22Ah! Can't believe I'm staying on that full accelerator.
0:32:22 > 0:32:24Yes, Stig, you'll be proud of me!
0:32:25 > 0:32:29It does take guts to do that, keep your foot hard in it
0:32:29 > 0:32:30and close to the tyres!
0:32:30 > 0:32:33Whoa, close to those tyres!
0:32:33 > 0:32:38- Smell the rubber!- Right, now let's see if you clip this nicely.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40Yes, that is very good.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43Oh! Nearly off there but held it nicely, Gambon.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46That's nicely done as well and across the line. Oh!
0:32:52 > 0:32:56So.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01- I have your time here.- Oh, OK. - Where d'you think you came?
0:33:01 > 0:33:05I'm thinking, oh, Charles Dance.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08- Either just above or just below Charles.- Just above or just below.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11- But you're in the 1.48s, you think.- Yeah.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14Okie-doke. Well, well, you did it in one...
0:33:14 > 0:33:15forty...
0:33:18 > 0:33:20- ..six...- Oooh!
0:33:20 > 0:33:23- One. So you're now our third fastest.- Wow!
0:33:32 > 0:33:35APPLAUSE DROWNS SPEECH
0:33:35 > 0:33:39Where's Irving? Irving, where are you, Irving? Irving, come out.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43- He's going to hate this. He said, "You were crap."- Your friend said you were crap?
0:33:43 > 0:33:47"You're going to embarrass me." Irving, where are you? Come on, mate.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49- I'm impressed.- Yah!
0:33:50 > 0:33:52Thank you!
0:33:52 > 0:33:55- We're all impressed. - That's on tape. It's on tape!
0:33:57 > 0:33:59Ladies and gentlemen, Hugh Jackman!
0:34:08 > 0:34:13Tonight, we are having a race up the side of New Zealand from here
0:34:13 > 0:34:14to here.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17Yep, it's James in the £700,000 boat versus me
0:34:17 > 0:34:22in the fastest car in the world - a £65-a-day rented hatchback.
0:34:22 > 0:34:27When we left the action, I was here and Jeremy was here.
0:34:27 > 0:34:32So I was winning. But I was very miserable.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50More power, hire car!
0:34:50 > 0:34:51Come on!
0:34:54 > 0:34:55Splash the caravan.
0:34:59 > 0:35:03On board HMS Misery, life wasn't getting any better.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07This is all I get to eat on the boat.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11A melted bar of chocolate
0:35:11 > 0:35:14- and a bag of- BLEEP- nuts and you'll have to beep that word.
0:35:16 > 0:35:21Life in the car, now I was on tarmac roads, was much more comfortable.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24Radio.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26MUSIC:"Weather With You" by Crowded House
0:35:27 > 0:35:30Crowded House. Nice. Local band.
0:35:31 > 0:35:36Now, let's just try and other radio station.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39SAME SONG PLAYS
0:35:40 > 0:35:42Radio three.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54After 60 miles of Crowded House, I was finally heading in the right
0:35:54 > 0:35:59direction. But I was approaching the often crowded city of Auckland.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06According to the tracking device, James is now 100 miles ahead of me.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10Dear God, let Auckland be clear.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18Mercifully, it was.
0:36:20 > 0:36:24I'm doing 120 kilometres an hour on a very smooth road.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28I'm coming to get you, James.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36Out at sea, conditions were getting even worse.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42Hold on, big fellow. You all right?
0:36:43 > 0:36:45With a rough sea slowing us down,
0:36:45 > 0:36:48I decided to use my sat phone to see where Jeremy was.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51PHONE RINGS
0:36:53 > 0:36:54Wow!
0:36:54 > 0:36:56- Well, that's the end of that. - What's wrong?
0:36:56 > 0:36:59That tore it clean out of my hand. I just couldn't keep hold of it.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07Please!
0:37:08 > 0:37:11I'm on a mission from God!
0:37:11 > 0:37:14Go, go, go.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18Right, last chance for the radio.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20'Auckland on 90.2.'
0:37:20 > 0:37:24MUSIC: "Weather With You" by Crowded House
0:37:28 > 0:37:29Despite the conditions,
0:37:29 > 0:37:32the sailors were pushing the boat to the ragged age.
0:37:35 > 0:37:36BLEEP BLEEP.
0:37:38 > 0:37:39Whoa. That's a biggy.
0:37:40 > 0:37:41Whoa.
0:37:43 > 0:37:45BOAT GROANS
0:37:47 > 0:37:50Matty, this is bloody madness, mate.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53Yeah, it's not too good.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58We've never sailed these things in these conditions before, and...
0:37:58 > 0:38:00Now you tell me!
0:38:00 > 0:38:0320 knots, if we do go in,
0:38:03 > 0:38:06you have to hang on because you're going to be breaking bones...
0:38:06 > 0:38:10- Tremendous.- ..you have to hang on.
0:38:10 > 0:38:11Thank you.
0:38:13 > 0:38:14'In the little blue hatchback,
0:38:14 > 0:38:18'the news from the GPS tracking device was encouraging.'
0:38:20 > 0:38:25James May is now only 67 miles ahead.
0:38:27 > 0:38:28I'm catching him.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33But am I catching him fast enough? That's the big question.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37'I decided to take a short cut.
0:38:37 > 0:38:39'Even though it would mean leaving the tarmac
0:38:39 > 0:38:42'and using gravel roads instead.'
0:38:47 > 0:38:49This is going to save me 20 miles.
0:38:54 > 0:38:55Yes!
0:38:58 > 0:39:02'My plan was working well but then the gravel ran out.'
0:39:02 > 0:39:04There's no track!
0:39:04 > 0:39:06Oh...!
0:39:06 > 0:39:07Oh.
0:39:11 > 0:39:12BLEEP!
0:39:14 > 0:39:18Yeah, I wouldn't do this in my Mercedes, pretty certain of that.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21CAR RATTLES
0:39:21 > 0:39:25Oh, dear, I've run into the White Cliffs of Dover, literally.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28'Still, could be worse.'
0:39:33 > 0:39:36WIND HOWLS
0:39:36 > 0:39:37JAMES GROANS
0:39:37 > 0:39:41- Sir Ben Ainslie, Sir?- Yes?
0:39:41 > 0:39:44Please don't take this personally but this is bloody purgatory.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48Can you imagine... Ow!
0:39:50 > 0:39:53'Meanwhile, I'd found a track.'
0:39:54 > 0:39:59This must take me back to the road.
0:39:59 > 0:40:00Oh, my God.
0:40:00 > 0:40:01Tractor.
0:40:03 > 0:40:04Agh!
0:40:09 > 0:40:10- Sir Ben Ainslie, Sir?- Yes?
0:40:10 > 0:40:14What happens if you need a slash on this boat?
0:40:14 > 0:40:16I think there's a bucket somewhere.
0:40:16 > 0:40:17Right.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20I might just piss myself.
0:40:21 > 0:40:22JAMES GROANS
0:40:22 > 0:40:24What is the point of sailing?
0:40:26 > 0:40:29'The track had indeed taken me back to the road
0:40:29 > 0:40:31'but the accident with the tractor meant
0:40:31 > 0:40:34'I was no longer driving the fastest car in the world.'
0:40:34 > 0:40:38UNUSUAL CAR ENGINE SOUND
0:40:41 > 0:40:43That noise is not good.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46It's not going to make it.
0:40:46 > 0:40:48It just is not going to make it.
0:40:48 > 0:40:52'So there was only one thing for it.'
0:40:53 > 0:40:58- Hi.- Good afternoon.- I've got a small problem with my car.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00There was a maniacal tractor driving, he was doing,
0:41:00 > 0:41:02like, 70 kilometres an hour...
0:41:03 > 0:41:07'In a jiffy, the helpful hire car lady had me back in the race.'
0:41:09 > 0:41:11Now, in one important respect,
0:41:11 > 0:41:15this car is not the same as the one I started out with.
0:41:18 > 0:41:23But, at the finish line, I suspect James will be so exhausted,
0:41:23 > 0:41:24he won't notice...
0:41:25 > 0:41:29..that I set off with a blue car and ended up with a red one.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35'And, anyway, right now, I had bigger issues.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37'Because I was 100 miles from the finish line
0:41:37 > 0:41:40'and James was only 50 miles away.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44'To win, then, I'd have to go twice as fast.'
0:41:46 > 0:41:50All right, can't get worse, sonny boy.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54Stay vigilant, boys. Stay on it.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56Anything from Jeremy? Where is he?
0:41:56 > 0:41:57No idea.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59No comms.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05Come on. You've got the fastest car in the world, now use it.
0:42:12 > 0:42:1423 knots.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18OK, three, two, one, diving.
0:42:23 > 0:42:24James, give him a hand.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26Come on, man. This ain't the bloody Love Boat!
0:42:31 > 0:42:33Come on, Jeremy. Concentrate, concentrate.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37Take every corner as crisp as you can, come on!
0:42:46 > 0:42:47Just ticked over nine hours.
0:42:50 > 0:42:51So sick of this.
0:42:53 > 0:42:57'What I really needed was a road with no corners.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01'And, thanks to this wonderful country,
0:43:01 > 0:43:04'that's exactly what I found.'
0:43:07 > 0:43:09Woo-ha!
0:43:12 > 0:43:17This is called Ninety Mile Beach because it is exactly
0:43:17 > 0:43:1955 miles long.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22I don't understand that either.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25What I do know, and I do understand,
0:43:25 > 0:43:29is that it is genuinely a public highway.
0:43:29 > 0:43:30It's a road.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37No traffic, no corners.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40James May, you have had it.
0:43:53 > 0:43:57'In the boat, we were about to go round the very top of New Zealand.'
0:44:01 > 0:44:03That is the Cape there.
0:44:03 > 0:44:04Once we've rounded that,
0:44:04 > 0:44:08we think we'll have weaned in a bit of time with us,
0:44:08 > 0:44:10the water will be flat,
0:44:10 > 0:44:13then we've got about ten miles of pleasant sailing,
0:44:13 > 0:44:14like in Howard's Way.
0:44:16 > 0:44:18It can't come soon enough.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21JAMES GROANS
0:44:21 > 0:44:23Jesus.
0:44:28 > 0:44:29Bit wobbly there.
0:44:32 > 0:44:38Boys, stay vigilant for this last six or seven miles. Not far to go.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48'I was now off Ninety Mile Beach.'
0:44:49 > 0:44:52Back on gravel. I wasn't expecting that.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00Come on, small, red hatchback.
0:45:00 > 0:45:01Whatever you are.
0:45:03 > 0:45:08I'm doing this now to uphold the honour of coal, gas and oil.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12The cornerstones of civilisation.
0:45:16 > 0:45:18- Is that our beach there?- Yup.
0:45:19 > 0:45:23'The finish line was a chequered flag at the water's edge
0:45:23 > 0:45:25'but to make my day even more miserable,
0:45:25 > 0:45:29'Sir Ben announced that the boat couldn't actually get there.'
0:45:29 > 0:45:34- You're going to have to jump off and swim ashore.- What? You're joking.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40There's now only five miles to go.
0:45:44 > 0:45:45OK, James.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51Don't lose it now. Do not lose it now!
0:45:52 > 0:45:53Go for it, James.
0:45:55 > 0:45:56Swim!
0:46:03 > 0:46:04Come on!
0:46:17 > 0:46:19No, no!
0:46:21 > 0:46:24Come on, please!
0:46:30 > 0:46:31Have I won?
0:46:31 > 0:46:34Have I won? Have I won?
0:46:35 > 0:46:37Oh, man in heaven!
0:46:37 > 0:46:39Oh, God!
0:46:39 > 0:46:41THEY CHEER
0:46:43 > 0:46:45Holy cow. Have you seen your face?
0:46:46 > 0:46:48I was just about to conclude
0:46:48 > 0:46:54and say we must now close down all coal and gas powered power stations
0:46:54 > 0:46:57and switch immediately to wind power because obviously it's better.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59But look what it does to you!
0:46:59 > 0:47:04It's brought me out in boils and sores, and blindness.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07Did you have to use any of your insurance waiver forms?
0:47:07 > 0:47:10No, none at all. No, the car got here without a single scratch.
0:47:13 > 0:47:15It was blue when you set off.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17- It wasn't.- Wasn't it? It was blue!
0:47:17 > 0:47:20- It wasn't.- I'd have sworn it was blue, wasn't it?
0:47:25 > 0:47:28We're always being told that Britain's manufacturing industry
0:47:28 > 0:47:30is dead, that we don't make stuff any more
0:47:30 > 0:47:33and we certainly don't make vehicles.
0:47:33 > 0:47:34But do we?
0:47:35 > 0:47:37Well, we do, obviously.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40We made this pioneering hybrid electric car,
0:47:40 > 0:47:44using technology that is now copied globally.
0:47:44 > 0:47:47And we made the magnificent Hovervan,
0:47:47 > 0:47:50a machine of unparalleled capabilities,
0:47:50 > 0:47:53many of which were not faked in any way at all.
0:47:53 > 0:47:54LAUGHTER
0:47:54 > 0:47:59- And then there was the superb P45. - Which was terrible.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02- Well, it had one or two issues. - Yeah, it was lethal.
0:48:02 > 0:48:06Yeah, being lethal was one of the issues, but it was British built.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09And we were wondering what else is.
0:48:09 > 0:48:14And, so, for the finale of the last programme of the series,
0:48:14 > 0:48:16we thought we should find out.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24'This is most people's idea of a British car factory.
0:48:25 > 0:48:31'A ruin that closed down after some long forgotten strike in the 1970s.
0:48:33 > 0:48:36'But it turns out that actually there's rather more
0:48:36 > 0:48:38'going on than you might think.
0:48:43 > 0:48:45'Today, a new car rolls off a production line
0:48:45 > 0:48:48'somewhere in Britain every 20 seconds.
0:48:50 > 0:48:55'Honda has a factory in Swindon, where 2,700 people are employed
0:48:55 > 0:48:59'to make the Civic, the Jazz, and the CRV.
0:49:01 > 0:49:02'Toyota makes cars in Derbyshire,
0:49:02 > 0:49:06'cars which are then exported to Japan.
0:49:07 > 0:49:10'And then there's the Nissan plant in the north-east.
0:49:10 > 0:49:14'Last year, this one factory made more cars
0:49:14 > 0:49:17'than the whole of the Italian motor industry put together.'
0:49:21 > 0:49:25And it's not just whole cars we make, either.
0:49:25 > 0:49:29Last year, one in three Fords sold globally
0:49:29 > 0:49:33had an engine made either in Wales or here in Essex.
0:49:38 > 0:49:40And there's more.
0:49:53 > 0:49:57'And then we arrive at the Rolls-Royce plant in Sussex,
0:49:57 > 0:50:02'where, yes, many of the components are shipped over from Germany.'
0:50:03 > 0:50:06But the job of putting them all together is done here.
0:50:10 > 0:50:14Because Britain is the only country that appreciates
0:50:14 > 0:50:17it's better to trim the seats with hide from bulls
0:50:17 > 0:50:20because cows get stretchmarks when they're pregnant.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25'Then you have the people doing the wood.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28'Grandmasters, they're called.
0:50:28 > 0:50:33'And the paint shop, where 45 kilos of paint is applied
0:50:33 > 0:50:35'to each car.'
0:50:37 > 0:50:39And then there's this chap.
0:50:39 > 0:50:42It's his job to apply the coach lines
0:50:42 > 0:50:44and embellishments to the finished product.
0:50:45 > 0:50:46By hand.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53You won't find his equivalent in a Hyundai factory.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57'He learned his trade as a pub sign writer.'
0:50:58 > 0:51:02It's said he has the steadiest hand in the world.
0:51:07 > 0:51:09'Then there's motor racing.'
0:51:10 > 0:51:14In the whole world, there are 11 Formula One teams.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16Eight are based in Britain
0:51:16 > 0:51:21and seven can be seen from the top of this one hill in Oxfordshire.
0:51:22 > 0:51:24Over there, you have Williams.
0:51:24 > 0:51:28Up there in the Cotswolds, there's Lotus and Caterham.
0:51:28 > 0:51:29Then, moving further along,
0:51:29 > 0:51:34we have Force India, Marussia, Red Bull, and Mercedes.
0:51:36 > 0:51:40'Britain's contribution to motorsport is extraordinary.
0:51:43 > 0:51:45'All IndyCar races,
0:51:45 > 0:51:49'every Dakar winner since 2009,
0:51:49 > 0:51:52'35 of the 56 starters at this year's Le Mans,
0:51:52 > 0:51:54'including the car that won it,
0:51:54 > 0:51:57'the Marussia Formula One car,
0:51:57 > 0:51:59'and the Pagani Huayra.'
0:52:00 > 0:52:04All of them have gearboxes made in that factory
0:52:04 > 0:52:07on this little industrial estate in Berkshire.
0:52:09 > 0:52:12'A whopping 75% of all research and development
0:52:12 > 0:52:16'done in global motorsport is British.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22'British clutch.
0:52:23 > 0:52:25'British hybrid system.
0:52:26 > 0:52:28'British ECUs.'
0:52:32 > 0:52:35And it's not just us saying, "Oh, look, aren't we clever?"
0:52:35 > 0:52:38The rest of the world likes what we're doing these days.
0:52:38 > 0:52:41For five out of the last seven years,
0:52:41 > 0:52:45Aston Martin has been voted coolest brand in the world.
0:52:45 > 0:52:49And then there's the list of global celebrities who drive a Range Rover.
0:52:58 > 0:53:02Time now to move away from the cars and into the heavy engineering.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07'On this map of the world,
0:53:07 > 0:53:11'all the countries shaded in red use military vehicles made in Britain.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16'All the countries shaded green use British-made lorries
0:53:16 > 0:53:17'to move stuff around.
0:53:18 > 0:53:21'In all the countries shaded yellow,
0:53:21 > 0:53:24'there's at least one JCB helping to build something.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29'And, while it's not exactly heavy engineering,
0:53:29 > 0:53:31'all the countries shaded brown
0:53:31 > 0:53:33'watch British made motoring shows.'
0:53:37 > 0:53:40Having established we do make quite a lot of stuff in Britain,
0:53:40 > 0:53:43we decided to find out just how much.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46So, we hatched an ambitious plan.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49We called all the companies that make motorised vehicles
0:53:49 > 0:53:51and said to them, "Could you bring
0:53:51 > 0:53:55"whatever it is you make to a gathering in London?
0:53:55 > 0:53:58Hit a bit of a problem with Morgan, who didn't know what London was.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02But, eventually, everybody responded magnificently.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14ENGINE REVS
0:54:29 > 0:54:31HIGH REVVING ENGINE
0:54:34 > 0:54:37Jeremy, Richard and I are taking three different
0:54:37 > 0:54:41versions of the new F-type to London. I, for example, have the V6.
0:54:41 > 0:54:44Whoa. That's the Triumph bikes.
0:54:45 > 0:54:47Tremendous.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04'Meanwhile, deep in the countryside...'
0:55:07 > 0:55:10Oh, look at that.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13And now look what's coming.
0:55:13 > 0:55:14It's the Morgans.
0:55:14 > 0:55:15Carry on, chaps.
0:55:30 > 0:55:32'Much later than everyone else,
0:55:32 > 0:55:35'the Formula One cars began to leave for London.'
0:55:35 > 0:55:37ENGINE REVS LOUDLY
0:55:42 > 0:55:45'Which, in Milton Keynes, was quite a sight.
0:55:48 > 0:55:50'And quite a sound.'
0:55:50 > 0:55:52ENGINE REVS LOUDLY
0:56:23 > 0:56:27'Eventually, the fleet of vehicles that had been made in Britain
0:56:27 > 0:56:30'began to arrive on the streets of the capital.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40'And, after the slowest had turned up...
0:56:42 > 0:56:44'..we climbed into our jags
0:56:44 > 0:56:49'and headed for the meeting point to see how much stuff was there.'
0:56:52 > 0:56:55This feels a bit special, this does.
0:56:57 > 0:57:02'And it became even more special as we swung past Buckingham Palace.
0:57:02 > 0:57:04'And on to the Mall.'
0:57:05 > 0:57:07HE GASPS
0:57:08 > 0:57:10There's more than I thought.
0:57:10 > 0:57:18MUSIC: "Variations On An Original Theme, op. 36: X 'Nimrod'" by Edward Elgar
0:57:25 > 0:57:30'The Mall has hosted many uplifting scenes over the years.
0:57:30 > 0:57:34'But it has never hosted anything quite like this before.
0:57:35 > 0:57:39'It wasn't just the sheer volume that took our breath away.
0:57:39 > 0:57:42'It was the diversity, the breadth.
0:57:45 > 0:57:51'Cars, lorries, diggers, racers, ice cream vans, hearses.
0:57:51 > 0:57:53'It was magnificent.
0:57:53 > 0:57:55'It was huge!'
0:58:01 > 0:58:05I didn't know we made those massive tipper trucks. Look at that thing.
0:58:06 > 0:58:09Tractor. Didn't think of that.
0:58:12 > 0:58:14Land speed record cars!
0:58:16 > 0:58:18There's my bus!
0:58:18 > 0:58:20All right, mate?
0:58:25 > 0:58:27Ooh! The Eagle!
0:58:40 > 0:58:42DOORS SHUT
0:58:43 > 0:58:46A lot of people say that today,
0:58:46 > 0:58:50Britain is nothing more than a bank or a boutique or a busted flush.
0:58:50 > 0:58:55But looking at that staggering collection back there...
0:58:56 > 0:58:58..I'm not sure they're right.
0:58:59 > 0:59:01'Good night.'
0:59:01 > 0:59:07MUSIC: "Pomp And Circumstance, March No. 4" by Edward Elgar