James May's Toy Stories

Format

The focus of the documentary was on six notable toys during the original series of episodes, including their history, each of which were chosen to see if they could be possibly capable of achieving a remarkable goal in real-life on a grand scale. For each toy, the nature of its purpose fundamentally underlined the project's core task, whether it was to recreate something using similar methods with the toy, or attempting push the toy with a challenge not attempted before with it. May, who had presented documentaries on toys with James May's Top Toys and James May: My Sisters' Top Toys, chose the toys to be used on the programme, and fundamentally involved people in his new programme with whom he had worked with on other projects, including Tiff Needell and Oz Clarke. The basic premise of the programme, as May put forward was:

The scale of the projects meant that the production team had to recruit specialists to provide technical assistance, including architects, designers and engineers, while in others, large teams of volunteers were required to handle construction work - an example of this was the involvement of a project involving model trains, which required volunteers to help set up a vast line of track along with connecting power supplies to it, and then dismantle it afterwards - and so appeals were made in local papers for assistance by programme researchers. Some of the projects were so elaborate, that carefully planning had to be made to ensure that each ran smoothly and did not cause disruptions within the main area it was being conducted within.

Future of construction projects

Several of the projects that required considerable construction on the programme, were later held on by various groups:

• A life-sized model of an Airfix Spitfire showcased at Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, as part of its project, was kept by the museum and put on to display until November 2009, before being mothballed until October 2010, when it was returned to Cosford's Hangar 1.
• A life-sized Plasticine garden was moved to Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire in July 2009, following its project, placed on display in the upper mall of the Octagon Shopping Centre in Burton upon Trent in February 2010, and then moved to a new home in Wolverhampton in March 2013.
• Two bridge sections made of Meccano were kept by the University of Liverpool, whose pupils had built both for its project, with one section put on public display within the university's engineering department. A motorcycle, also made of Meccano, was given to the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu following the completion of its project.

However, a project that involved constructing a house from Lego could not be preserved. An attempt to sell it to the Legoland theme park in Windsor fell apart, after the cost of dismantling and reassembling was judged too expensive, The house could not remain at its site at a vineyard because the space was needed for vines and there was no planning permission. Further attempts were unable to prevent it from being dismantled on 22 September 2009; the bricks used in it were donated to charity.

Episodes

Series 1 (2009)

Note: The finished project was later given 'The People's Choice' award, after filming was completed.

Note: The completed project later earned a place in the Guinness World Records for that year, for the longest slot car track ever built at 2.95 mi.

Note: It was later revealed after filming of the episode had been completed, that the project was hampered by the theft of track and material that had been set aside along the line's route, the day before the challenge was to take place.

Specials (2011–2014)

Reception

Awards and nominations

The series was nominated in the Features category of the 2010 British Academy Television Awards, but lost out to the eventual winner, Masterchef: The Professionals.

Other media

James May released a book in conjunction with the series, through Conway Publishing (2009).

References

Notes

General references

References

1. "BBC – Press Office - BBC Two presents James May's Toy Stories". bbc.co.uk.
2. "BBC2 lands first fruit of James May's Plum deal". Broadcast.
3. "Plum Pictures". Plum Picture.
4. "BBC in need of structural engineers". Institution of Structural Engineers.
5. "Last Chance To View James May's Spitfire". Royal Air Force Museum.
6. "James May's Airfix Spitfire: Back by popular demand!". Royal Air Force Museum.
7. (11 July 2009). "Hall host to Plasticine vision of TV star James". Derby Telegraph.
8. (6 February 2010). "James May's Plasticine Garden arrives at The Octagon Shopping Centre!". Octagon Shopping Centre.
9. (March 2013}}{{Dead link). "Last chance to see James May's Plasticine Garden at The Octagon Shopping Centre". East Staffordshire Borough Council.
10. (21 September 2009). "May's Lego house faces demolition". BBC News.
11. (23 September 2009). "James May's Lego house knocked down". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
12. (23 September 2009). "James May's Lego house demolished". BBC News.
13. "BARB Four Screen Dashboard". [[Broadcasters' Audience Research Board.
14. "BBC – BBC Two Programmes – James May's Toy Stories, Airfix". bbc.co.uk.
15. Gray, Louise. (7 August 2009). "James May's Plasticine garden wins special award at Chelsea Flower Show". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
16. Kennett, Stephen. (10 August 2009). "James May walks across Atkins' Meccano bridge in Liverpool". Building.
17. (10 August 2009). "James May builds Liverpool bridge out of Meccano". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
18. (5 August 2009). "Meccano bridge built for James May's TV series". [[University of Liverpool]].
19. "Longest Slot Car Track". [[Guinness World Records]].
20. "Top Gear's May in Scalextric Record Bid". [[Sky News]].
21. (17 August 2009). "James May attempts world record for Scalextric". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
22. (7 August 2009). "May to attempt Scalextric record". [[BBC News]].
23. (7 July 2009). "Brooklands and James May Toy Stories". [[Scalextric]].
24. (2013). "James May's Toy Stories on BBC 2 London at 6:45pm December 20th, 2009". digiguide.tv.
25. DVD Sleeve.
26. (2013). "BBC Two - James May's Toy Stories, Series 1". bbc.co.uk.
27. (25 August 2009). "Vandals disrupt Top Gear presenter James May's model train record bid". The Telegraph.
28. "The Great Train Race". BBC.
29. "BBC Two - James May's Toy Stories, The Motorcycle Diary". BBC.
30. Ruchi Srivastava. (5 December 2013). "The story behind James May's Meccano Isle of Man motorbike". Motorbike Times.
31. (30 August 2013). "Top Gear's James May laps TT course on Meccano bike". [[BBC News]].