• 2008
James May's Big Ideas

Summary James May travels the globe in search of implementations for concepts widely considered science fiction. View more details

  • 2008

James May's Big Ideas

Directed : Unknown

Written : Unknown

Stars : James May Hiroshi Ishiguro Christopher James Peter Frankel

All cast & crew

7.6

Details

Genres : Documentary

Release date : Sep 27, 2008

Countries of origin : United Kingdom

Language : English

Production companies : British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) The Open University

Summary James May travels the globe in search of implementations for concepts widely considered science fiction. View more details

Details

Genres : Documentary

Release date : Sep 27, 2008

Countries of origin : United Kingdom

Language : English

Production companies : British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) The Open University

Photos

James May's Big Ideas (2008) James May's Big Ideas (2008)

Episodes

View All Seasons
Episode 1 • Sep 27, 2008
Come Fly with Me
James starts his world tour in search of novel modes of (air) transport in Siberia, where a top-secret Soviet research project produced the 'ekranoplane', a hovercraft-like concept which requires vast space. In America he visits suburbs designed for airplane-owners and hybrids between those and cars.
Episode 2 • Oct 04, 2008
Man-Machine
James May sets off to discover if his childhood vision of a world populated by robots will ever become a reality. In Japan he is charmed by a woman wearing an electro-mechanical jumpsuit that can double her strength, before encountering a robot that's almost. In the US, he meets the two million dollar bionic woman, and, in the unlikeliest of laboratories, he is astonished by the most sophisticated walking robot in the world. But is James' vision of the future just a little old fashioned? To find out he takes his first nervous step into another world where he becomes a ghost within a machine.
Episode 3 • Oct 11, 2008
Power to the People
James examines some ways to tap into alternative, hopefully inexhaustible energy. Solar power can work great based on solar cells, even for a sports car, but a more ambitious solar tower in Andalusia uses reflection from 'heliostats' (mirrors always pointed to the sun by computer-control). Captation in space, well a geostationary station at 32,000 km, is seriously planned, dependent on building a solar-powered space elevator to it. The deary Britis isles are unfit for solar energy, but rich in sea movement. It's used by tidal turbines, basically reversed windmills, and devices converting wave energy. Holland is ideal for windmills, but far more efficient is astronaut Wubbo Ockels' high tech kites project to use the Jet Stream at great height. In New Mexico's desert, petrol is produced synthetically from air using the sun-like heath from a solar oven. Oxford ha a research center for nuclear fusion.
Comments
Welcome to juqing comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Login to display more comments

This week's popular movies

The J-Horror Virus

6.5
Generally favorable

First Transmission

5.5
Mixed or average

Wolfman's Got Nards

7.2
Generally favorable

Empire of Madness

3.5
Mixed or average

Wolf Creek: Locations

8.4
Generally favorable

Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street

7.2
Generally favorable

A Haunting in Georgia

6.5
Generally favorable

Something Walks in the Woods

3.8
Mixed or average

My Amityville Horror

5.4
Mixed or average

Land of Hope and Glory

9.1
Universal Acclaim

This week's popular TV shows

Islam'in Sartlari

0
No rating

Racconti neri

0
No rating

TI Series

0
No rating

Anthology

0
No rating

Angry Young Men

7.7
Generally favorable

Baletnyy sindrom

0
No rating

Stardom

7.8
Generally favorable

Akershus slott og festning gjennom 700 år

0
No rating

Producers' Workshop

0
No rating

Natural

0
No rating

Edit Focus

Islam'in Sartlari

Islam'in Sartlari

  • TV Shows
Baletnyy sindrom

Baletnyy sindrom

Documentary drama about the backstage of Russian ballet. It is no secret for the creative community that ballet dancers more often than others face harassment and blackmail from teachers and theater managers. Despite this, all active dancers claim that theaters and ballet schools are "monasteries with their own charter," which the artist is obliged to accept, and for years they have tolerated the clause about sexual obedience to masters and mentors included in this charter. For what reason are ballet dancers silent about the dark side of the profession and what is their silence really hiding?

  • TV Shows
Stardom

Stardom

Showcases the widely discussed struggles and behind-the-scenes moments of the Indian film industry.

  • TV Shows
Anthology

Anthology

  • TV Shows
Racconti neri

Racconti neri

  • TV Shows
Akershus slott og festning gjennom 700 år

Akershus slott og festning gjennom 700 år

  • TV Shows
All Filters