Coltrane's Planes and Automobiles

In the first programme, Robbie Coltrane turns his attention to James Watt’s invention, the steam engine, tracing its development in a journey that takes him from Loch Lomond in Scotland to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe.

Robbie Coltrane turns his attention to the diesel engine, known as the workhorse of the world. He charts the story of the maverick inventor, Rudolf Diesel, who was driven to commit suicide by his creation and, through visits to a Cornish lighthouse, an apple farm in Oregon and a disco in Zimbabwe, he examines the rise of this economical hard-working engine.

Robbie Coltrane continues his journey through 20th Century engineering by examining the engine that changed the course of motoring and military history: the supercharger. Travelling from the wilds of Scotland to the famous N?rburgring race track in Germany, Coltrane charts the development of the supercharger from its motor-racing origins to the vital role it played in the battle for air supermeacy in World War II and beyond.