UPDATE: If you missed James’s show on BBC Two last night, then catch it here on the BBC iPlayer.
If your Top Gear withdrawal symptoms have hit the shaky-hands phase, don’t worry: it’s Really Not Very Long until Series 14 hits your screens. Even though, thanks to the vagaries of BBC scheduling, we’re not allowed to tell you exactly when. Let’s say, er, mid-November. Yeah, that’ll do.
But if you need a fix of middle-aged men arsing around in a childish fashion, we have good news: the first episode of James May’s Toy Stories screens tonight at 8pm on BBC2.
If you keep a close eye on TopGear.com you’ll know what to expect over the six episodes of JMTS: James and a team of helpful volunteers creating the world’s biggest Scalextrix track, Lego house, model railway, Plasticine garden and Meccano bridge.
The first episode, though, sees James attempting to create a lifesize Spitfire plane… using Airfix modelling kits.
“The premise of the whole series is that when you’re a kid, you have boundless imagination and massive ambition for your toys, but you have very limited resources” says James. “When you’re an adult, you can potentially have as much as you want, but by then you’ve lost the vision. We’ve tried to combine the mind of the child with the resources of the adult world.”
So that’s James May’s Toy Stories, starting tonight at 8pm on BBC2. Make sure you tune in, or else you’ll have to, er, watch it tomorrow on the iPlayer…
i will be watching it tonight cant waut and its true i do have tg withdrawral symptoms lol
Can’t wait.
Haha , this is gunna be funny!
gonna be best tv show other than tg
tg is great !
Well what about us in the USA? What are we supposed to do to get our fix? Reruns only keep the shakes at bay for so long.
Well, this is a BRITISH show, so tough luck.
WOot. Bring it on
looks good , im watching it tonight!!!
James cocking about playing with toys. Sounds like fun to me.
Should have a toy comp with Hamster and Jezza though, see who can come up with the best toys…bet Jezzas would make a lot of bangs smoke and noise, he would win ‘cos he would cheat the scoring somehow!!
Eeep, sounds so much fun!
Hopefully I’ll be able to watch it tonight xD
i saw pics of it but can that plane fly i’d luv to watch ,thanks
yay can’t wait!
Cant waitttttttt…this show is gonna be awesome
Hooray!!!! Can’t wait!!!!!!
Can’t wait !
I’m looking forward to this. Working on the lego house was a lot more fun than my five years in the toy industry. I finally gave up when my prototype Sindy mobile phone was rejected. They said she should ‘talk about TV and boys and stuff’ so I had her say things like ‘Do you want to come to my place tonight to watch the science channel?’ or ‘That cute new boy’s asked me to help with his math homework!’
They rejected my idea for making an engineer Sindy to go with the Action Man toys that had vehicles as well…
Thats the way to go James….FULFILL all the dreams!!!
My Friend Pippa SSaw Jeremy Buying Tonnes Of Clothes! They Must Be For The New Series!
Swwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwweeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eett, can’t wait for it:)
So who at BBC do we need to plead with to have this show on BBC America (which by the way, rocks)? Think of it as a diplomatic mission. Or of keeping a positive presence in the colonies. Heck i don’t care what you call it, just bring it on….
’round Christmas would be nice. Everyone is thinking of toys over here anyway…..
im gona be wathing defo
What about Canada?
If we share the same Queen, we should be able to share this…
We get the shakes worse than the States when it comes to a lack of TG as our winters are longer due to our geographical location…
Can’t Wait. I love the huge lego house but the lego slippers must me a bit uncomfortable.
TG starts on 15th i think
Im going to watch it defiently.
I’ll be there
cant wait for the lego house and the model railway ones been waiting ages for it to come on tv since i heard bout it on the hornby website
dusnt he make a lego house or somenthinh
I am really looking forward for the show but i’m not in the UK. I live in Singapore and i have no access to view the show till it could be aired on BBC Knowledge hopefully.
I remember one of jeremy’s first articles in performance car magazine whereby he showed us how he cannot possibly make an airfix model car(feb 1986)
when does he build the lego house?
ill watch it. all i do is watch dave. im not complaining because its good tele just ive seen every top gear episode twice over lol. Cant wait for season 14. i heard about italian job remake in the new series …
looking forward to it captain. your solo stuff is as good as top gear but without the cocking about. loved the last one when you went into space (well,the edge anyway) ps when are you going to get THE TRANSPORTER (jason statham) on top gear?.keep up the good work ..hercule
Keri Gull
would like to thank Richard Hammond and Jeremy clarkson for appearing in my vivid dream … but quite how i got from coffee with Richard signing everything i own to kissing Jeremy whilst searching the car parks of Birmingham city centre looking for …my car i don’t know …. but that is the beauty of dreaming ha ha this dream has been censored for the BBC hee hee
I will deferently be watching Jame’s Toy Stories on telly tonight.
I am a very big fan of Top Gear so I am automatically interested in it.
please could you do the kia ceed
I’ll b glued to Captain’s prog tonight as getting withdrawn symptoms from the lack of tg apart from repeats and I am big kid when it comes to toys anyway.
the pictures are funny
just two little boys
Watching it now, just flying the Spit, jammy thing! I’d have loved to have done what those kids did and laughed at that lad who didn’t want to drive the tank, fool!
How great did that plane look!? Awesome! Good job Mr. May
Just finished watching the Airfix Spitfire.
James May – You diamond diamond man. Thank you.
just watched that, i thought it was amazing. All of a sudden i find my self wanting to buy an airfix kit
I must say Mr May’s programme was jolly good. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
well done to James for the idea of the series and well done to the kids from Thomas Telford School. Role on next week. But must admit the other two I really want to see are the Scalextric’s and the Lego House episodes.
It was sooooooooooo good why couldn’t he have asked my school to do it we would all have been willing
but anyway really good show I WILL be watching it next week definatly!!! MAde me feel happy seeing him on tv again. When does the new series of Top Gear start? I really can’t wait!!!
Was it my imagination or did I see more girlies than boys playing airfix?
IT WAS BRILLIANT!
no, kias aren’t cool, u r not mistaken, there was more girlies laying with airfix.
Just watched James Mays toy stories, and found out he had visited Telford where I live, and the local Thomas Telford school!!! OMG! Never though James May would visit Telford in my wildest dreams! Wish I’d have known as I drive past the school to get to town to do my shopping,and I could have met the one and only James May! Wow! Brilaint program by the way loved it, can’t wait to see next week’s.
How brilliant was that programme!! Love James anyway,he was funny,informative and the show was just fabulous! James is a fabulous presenter whatever he turns his hand to.I noticed he wrote it as wel,good on you Captain!!
The son wants to go and buy Airfix models so I guess that’s a result then.
Well good show. Can’t wait for next week.
for those of you not in the UK, check one of the torrent websites about 24-48 hours after the screening and you should be able to download it…
James, I almost cried at the spitfire – what a beautiful thing and what lucky kids.
Quality tv. Congrats, i’m sure ure proud of the airfix world record james. roll on next week and the new topgear series on 15th november. cant wait…..
Mid Nov???? That’s way too long to wait!!!!!!!!
If they had made more episodes per season, we won’t need 3 seasons a year!!!!!! I want Top Gear NOW!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, did I mention I’m having TG withdrawal symptoms?
I’ll just go find a Prius to kick in the meantime.
yay!
You want to know what is sad?
Some people have never seen a Spitfire in the flesh.
I live in a place near where the Battle of Britain memorial flight is kept, and watching a Spitfire fly is one of the most breathtaking things a person could see, and hear.
If you havent seen one, flying or still it is quite the most beautiful machine ever built, do yourself a favour and get to see one.
You would not regret it.
If you have only seen one on TV or film, it is 100 times better than you can imagine.
It just suprises me that no one has started building replicas.
ayane awaits his ninja
Excellent start to the series from Mr May , and the plane itself was much better than I thought it would be when finished.
- …. . … – .. said…
It just suprises me that no one has started building replicas.
————————————–
There is a place making Replica spitfires, functional flying ones rather than the mock ups shown by james, however, that company is in Australia.
It’s programs like this that make the TV License “yuck” worth it. Excellent start to what promises to be an fantastic series.
c’mon BBC show the world what you are capable of. More stuff like top gear and Toy stories please. Less cooking and diy cheapo shows.
TOP RETURNS ON NOV 15th….. Maybe
*GEAR. LOL
Wooop! Its My Schooool
TTS
it was actually really good.
james was hilaripus when he came in. and really grey hahahaha.
Hope top gears gonna be back. I Love the Programme.
But the last episode with all them adverts (they were so funny) made me think it might not be back lol
X
And I live quite near cosford so we go allllllll the time
so iv seen spitfires.
its not that big a deal lmao.
i got his autograph too
woooooooooop!!!!
X
It was soooo good, I really enjoyed it a lot. Go James!!!!
it was great!
well done james!
Thank you for all your comments – it was great making the plane – like a dream come true.
wow… is that really you?
Yes, of course it is you great daft cock!
Haaaaaa…..Haaaaaa…..Haaaa aaaa
You’re killing me! Haaaaaaaa….Haaaaaaaa
I really must say this show is very nearly almost classic TV gold! The episode started off like the best ever – James was relaxed, charismatic (!), interesting and delivered everying with just a hint of the May drawl sense of humor. For a while I really thought James had fully realised himself and matured as a presenter at last. Then the appearance of set peices towards the end slightly spoiled the ‘live – raw’ feel a bit.
But never mind that; Toy Stories has been a quiet BBC megalith in the making. They spent a whole year making this show, and it’s on an hour – a blummin’ hour! The first thing to strike me was Why The Heck is this on on a Tuesday? Did the BBC not think this is classic Sunday night material? If I had my way, I’da put it on on Saturday nights at 8′o clock and then repeated again on Sunday after Top Gear. Yes, people would watch it twice (you can quote me on that), and would have boosted the BBC2 weekend ratings two nights running.
Anyroad. As I only watch non patronising shows (which means I’m limited to watching perhaps a half dozen shows a week), I’m gonna be looking forward to this! In fact, I already am.
Regards
Dan.
THE MANS A LEGEND
MOST UNDER-RATED AND FUNNIEST PRESENTER OUT OF THE LOT
Well done James! show was great!
Wish I could watch it…yes, James is a funny bloke….will it come on BBCAmerica in the next 50 years do you think? I’ll be about 90 (still kicking)by then……hopefully!
it was idiotic and boring as hell…
I work for Hornby in Fenwick Newcastle and I’d just like to say that thanks to the show I tripled Airfix sales the day after the show! I’m also on commission; so I thank you James for making me more rich. If you’re ever in Newcastle pop into Fenwick and you can have an Airfix kit…half price.
Last night’s show was great James and I really look forward to the rest of the series. I love the way you think of these ideas and make what is seemingly impossible become possible. It was also refreshing to see you showing the techie generation a thing or two about real toys. I’m pleased I was born in the mid 70’s so I could appreciate the education that our toys gave us. Toys were more hands on and challenging in those days. I remember playing with stuff like Lego and loved anything I could create or construct -and despite being a female, it was far more interesting than just playing with my dolls. I even had to have a go at making the Top Gear Amphibious Car kit last year. But give me 10 minutes on Facebook and it bores my arse off.
jolly good show.. what retrospect but essentially about James slagging off the contemporary, bullying kids into playing with glue,the usual bit of flying and crying and immortalising..
..and yes he’s got some points and he is entertaining but while most his age try harder than ever to reminisce glory days long gone by most kids are busy creating a virtual universe, inventing language and grammar to suite their needs to bridge the globe. they’re state of the art, intertwined and twisted connected more than bits of plastics bound by glue… but hey modell building IS a way of having fun if one’s into that kind of thing and James is…
It was a good show.
Note to James: I think a few big corporate HR people sat up and took notice of this show. Airfix modelling is one of the best team building exercises around. I have to take steps to prevent some of my staff from staying after hours! Each model is raffled at the end, and the proceeds go towards a new kit. They are quite taken with it.
It was very, very interesting James. Thank You!
Yeah was good excellent spitfire, but had the Lego cat made a return?
wow, Tigger… is that really you?
brilliant made me go and buy the normal sized airfix modal of the SPITFIRE
One comment of James’ excellent first episode jumped out at me:
‘Anyone can blow something up, it takes skill to make something’.
…or words to that effect.
Thank you James!! Now if only you can influence those who are sending TopGear into the gutter to your way of thinking.
Great show, can’t wait for the next one, TopGear; please listen to James!
come on, it weren’t that good.
i cant wait anylonger for top gear! i need it now!
anyway the series will probably be over by christmas which will mean it’ll be another really short series if it starts in mid-november.
your not our fan
do i care
to james may ,
i have a hornby ste at home in my shed all ste up and running, i think it is good that you are getting young kids to do airfix , meccano and lego. My hornby set is very big but my mum will not let me finish it of.
Yours sincerley
Tom j, from belvedere kent
im 13
I now want airfix models for christmas or asap and I am 14 so James, you have won me over
o look at me
Does anyone know when series 13 comes to America? I’m going crazy from Top Gear withdrawals!
Pitty I live outside the UK…
Great show, James definitely has the edge on the other two on non-TG TV.
Why so coy on the start date of Series 14? The lady from the Beeb who announced it would be in HD said it would start on the 15th, and Applause Store says you’re filming on the 11th (and for the following 5 weeks, so 6 shows this series??).
Could I just ask, if any of you looked at May’s advert on his new brain training dvd. Is he meant to be that orange? I thought it might be a joke, but it wasn’t orange enough for that, have a look for yourself. Also, as May is my favourite Top Gear Presenter, I watch all of his shows on the BBC, and this one was excellent, hope the rest of the series keeps up the standard, can’t wait for the lego one.
I can’t wait for season 14, I feel like a kid that’s waiting for christmas!!!
its rubbish
are you insane i am going to tell my cousin the stig you said that
when is top gear back on ? please some one say !! cant find it anywhere
I watched it on tv tonight i thought it was amazing
oohhhhhhhhhhh noooooooooooooooo not may again! but still im watchin!!!! wait ive wached it!! Who liked it?
James your garden of plasticine was fanbloodytastic – glad you won peoples choice award, well done
Great tv I thorougly enjoyrd the first two programmes.Modern kids just dont know about these toys because the marketers dont want them to!.
Really enjoyed it thanks James
the most enjoyable program i’ve seen in years well done james
i couldnt belive he was at hornby’s, 2 minute walk from my house!
I didnt see the not allowed nome im the garden