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James May: The Reassembler - Episode Guide

Season 1

Lawnmower

Episode: 1x01 | Airdate: Apr 4, 2016

Lawnmower

James is faced with the 331 pieces that make up a 1959 petrol lawnmower. The Suffolk Colt helped make mowing accessible to the masses by producing a smaller and affordable machine to keep our nation's lawns at regulation height. As this is a petrol lawnmower, James's first task is to put the engine back together before he gets to grips with the gearing, the clutch and the blades themselves. Armed only with his toolbox and an endless supply of tea, James experiences the highs and lows only possible when attempting to put history back together again, piece by piece.

Telephone

Episode: 1x02 | Airdate: Apr 5, 2016

Telephone

James tackles a 1957 Bakelite dial telephone - 211 pieces, most of them very small indeed, must be reassembled in the correct order if this telephone is ever to ring again. From the receiver with its carbon filings that enable speech to be amplified, to the electrical pulses created by the dial itself that connect the phone to the outside world, James soon discovers that every single piece of the telephone played a crucial role in revolutionising communication around the world.

Electric Guitar

Episode: 1x03 | Airdate: Apr 6, 2016

Electric Guitar

James concludes his quest to truly understand everyday objects by putting them back together piece by piece with an electric guitar.

147 pieces must be reassembled carefully and in the correct order, which will entail soldering, extensive use of James's precision Japanese screwdrivers and some fiddly electronics.

The electric guitar transformed the music industry and society itself and, channelling his namesake Brian, James will plug in his reassembled guitar and hope he put all the bits together correctly as he gets ready to perform one of most unexpected guitar solos of all time.

Season 2

The Christmas Reassembler - Toy Train Set

Episode: 2x01 | Airdate: Dec 28, 2016

The Christmas Reassembler - Toy Train Set

In episode one, James reassembles and reminisces about the gift that all boys dream of finding under the Christmas tree: the Hornby toy train and track.

In his workshop, James will face the object as it is laid out in all

its individual parts, and has to work out how exactly how the thing is

pieced back together. And if that wasn't challenging enough, James then

faces the nervous climax where he discovers if it actually works.

Food Mixer

Episode: 2x02 | Airdate: Jan 4, 2017

Food Mixer

When it comes to cooking James May is not the first name that comes to mind, but when it comes to reassembling cooking appliances, James is your man.

In this episode James reassembles the 135 parts that make up a 1960s Kenwood Chef a701a Food Mixer. This literal food revolution is responsible for mixing more cake batter than Mary Berry has mixed in her entire lifetime.

On James' journey to reassembling the food mixer he comes face to face with some mind-boggling components that will all come together to work in unison in the hope of making a chocolate cake mix. From reassembling the planetary gear system and the AC electric motor James muses on the imperial measurement system and shows of his trendy new magnification head gear as he attempts some dreaded soldering.

Mini Motorcycle

Episode: 2x03 | Airdate: Jan 11, 2017

Mini Motorcycle

Series in which James May explores the intricacies and engineering marvels of various objects by putting them back together again from a pile of hundreds of their component parts. James is faced with reassembling a 1970s Honda Z50A Mini Trail Motorcycle from all its 303 parts. This exciting and portable mini motorcycle was fun for all the family and got a whole generation of kids hooked on motorcycles for the rest of their lives. This is an object James can't wait to reassemble, but along the way he faces a very real and very hostile battle with some springs, ponders over correct workshop etiquette and contemplates the lifelong debate - what's the difference between a bolt and a screw?

Portable Record Player

Episode: 2x04 | Airdate: Jan 18, 2017

Portable Record Player

Back in the 1950s listening to music meant sitting around with your Mum and Dad and having to listen to whatever drivel they wanted. Thankfully, along came the portable record player - which helped gave birth to the teenager and a magical music revolution.

James May Reassembles the past to hear what it sounded like as he pieces together the 195 parts of the game changing 1963 Dansette Bermuda portable record player.

James reminisces about his teenage years and what it was like growing up in the 1970s as he takes us on a journey through sound and mechanical wonderment. James falls in love with the beautiful mechanisms that lie in the belly of the beast, finds the perfect solution to his soldering dilemma and has a rather exciting new screwdriver to show us.

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