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Season 3, Episode 1
Richard Ayoade takes on the worst of the British climate, braving a hurricane in a wind tunnel with the help of Tim Vine to assess the best in gust-busting gadgetry. He's also joined by Marcus Brigstocke at the Hemel Hempstead Snow Centre to pressure-test cold-weather technology - with unexpected results. Finally, he reveals his bespoke survival raft built to withstand the meteorological apocalypse he's convinced is just around the corner
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16x9
Education/Science/Factual Topics
Technology
Cast & Crew
Richard Ayoade
(Presenter)
Tim Vine
(Guest)
Marcus Brigstocke
(Guest)
Colin Byrne
(Producer)
Dionne South
(Producer)
Dom Bowles
(Series producer)
Leo McCrea
(Series director)
More Information
Did You Know..
Richard Ayoade
(Presenter)
Best Known For:
The IT Crowd.
Early-life:
Born Richard Ellef Ayoade on June 12, 1977, in London. His mother is Norwegian, his father Nigerian, and Richard is their only child. The family left the capital when he was young and settled in Ipswich. He was interested in film from an early age, and wrote plays and sketches while still at school before landing a place at Cambridge to study law, where he met David Mitchell and joined the famous Footlights group. On leaving university he spent two years writing for TV sketch shows and attempting to become a stand-up comedian.
Career:
Ayoade's breakthrough came when he and Matthew Holness created fictional horror author Garth Merenghi; a stage show featuring the character won the Perrier Award, which was followed by the Channel 4 series Garth Merenghi's Darkplace. Ayoade went on to appear in The Mighty Boosh, Nathan Barley, Bunny and the Bull, and The IT Crowd. He made his big-screen directorial debut with the acclaimed Submarine (which he also wrote, adapting it from the novel by Joe Dunthorne), and has since directed The Double as well as numerous music videos for acts such as the Arctic Monkeys, Super Furry Animals, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Kasabian. He's was a team captain on Channel 4 panel show Was It Something I Said? and took over as host of Gadget Man from Stephen Fry.
Quote:
"I find performing very difficult. It's difficult to be a good actor. I get very nervous, even though it sounds disingenuous, because you could legitimately go, 'Well, why do it?'"
Trivia:
Here's Ayoade's tips for aspiring directors: "Try not to get depressed. You need to be healthy so don't get a cold. Get comfortable shoes because you don't sit down for two months."
Tim Vine
(Guest)
Born:
March 04, 1967
in
Cheam, London
Best Known For:
His superb one-liners.
Early-life:
Born Timothy Mark Vine in London, on March 4, 1967. The son of a structural engineering lecturer and a part-time medical worker, Tim demonstrated a love of performing from an early age. His elder brother is broadcaster Jeremy Vine and his younger sister, Sonya, is a painter. Tim first got into comedy when he used to take part in a weekly competition night at the Comedy Cafe in central London. As his reputation and confidence grew, so did his fan base and he soon branched out on his own.
Career:
Vine burst onto the stand-up circuit by winning the Perrier Best Newcomer Award for The Tim Vine Fiasco at the Edinburgh Festival in 1995. Tim's solo shows in Edinburgh include Tim Vine Flat Out, I'm Vine Thanks, Tim Vine and the Minotaur, Punslinger and Joke-amotive. He was in both series of ITV's The Sketch Show and appeared alongside his friend Lee Mack in five series of BBC One sitcom No Going Out. They also took part in Let's Play Darts for Comic Relief, with Vine finishing runner-up to competition winner Mack. He's acted in Blandings and is a resident comedian on Celebrity Squares alongside Joe Wilkinson.
Quote:
'Velcro - what a rip off.'
Trivia:
In 2004, Vine broke the record for telling the most jokes in an hour - 499. He held the record until November 2014, when Australian comedian Taylor Goodwin told 550 jokes in an hour.
Marcus Brigstocke
(Guest)
Born:
May 08, 1973
in
Guildford
Best Known For:
Being a comedian and a regular on a number of Radio 4 shows.
Early-life:
Marcus Alexander Brigstocke was born in Guildford on May 8, 1973. He attended a boarding school in Devon and studied drama at Bristol University. He has admitted in interviews to dabbling in alcohol and drugs from the age of seven to his late teens.
Career:
During his time as a student, Brigstocke performed in the comedy trio Club Seals. Since then, he has toured as a stand-up and worked extensively on Radio 4 in The Now Show, Giles Wemmbley Hogg Goes Off, Just a Minute, The Museum of Everything and The Unbelievable Truth. On TV, he has starred in The Savages, We Are History and Sorry I've Got No Head. He was also a team captain on comedy panel show Argumental. In 2010, he made his musical theatre debut as King Arthur in a touring version of Spamalot. In early 2014, he was a celebrity contestant on Channel 4 reality series The Jump.
Quote:
'All my shows are therapy, trying to navigate interesting subjects so I can work them out.'
Trivia:
Brigstocke enjoys snowboarding.
Colin Byrne
(Producer)
Dionne South
(Producer)
Dom Bowles
(Series producer)
Leo McCrea
(Series director)
