45 minSeason 1 • Episode 6
LatestBirmingham Botanical Gardens may seem an unlikely place to explore the wonders of the Industrial Revolution, but hidden behind its fragrant borders Guy Martin finds a hidden world of hi-tech Victorian engineering, show-off architecture, intrepid plant-hunters scouring the furthest corners of the Empire, and city fathers terrified of the 'degenerate' urban poor. As Guy helps to get the gardens back into shape, he tries to learn one of the Industrial Revolution's most skilful and dangerous jobs: blowing glass for the gardens' enormous greenhouses. He has a go at rebuilding the very first lawnmower - another great British invention. Guy also uses a little-known 19th-century technique to make his own rock to go in the garden's restored rockery and then - if all goes to plan - he'll be given the job of turning on his newly installed fountain at the grand opening ceremony.
Guy Martin celebrates the workers of the Industrial Revolution by getting stuck into six of the country's biggest restoration projects, bringing some of the 19th century's most impressive engineering achievements back to life.
Practical Effects
Actual 19th-century machinery rebuilt by someone learning on camera.
Acting
Guy Martin's chaotic enthusiasm for rivets is genuinely infectious.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Guy Martin is a professional motorcycle racer who only fell into TV presenting after a career-threatening crash made him reconsider his priorities.
The series aired during a wave of British 'maker' programming that romanticized industrial heritage while actual manufacturing continued its decline.
GB
