Edd China has left Wheeler Dealers

[CoolHands]

Episode 7 for anyone looking: https://youtu.be/XEkMVerULRE

I tried watching it but 80% was boring crap sitting on the couch I had to forward though. I did watch the first few questions, but yeah, not enjoyable.

The actual water jet and later assembly was generally ok I thought. I

[HighwayToHull]

Cfnteabag said:

... looked to me like one of the taps was going in pissed!

Yes I noticed that but assumed it would straighten out as it went down.

[spikeyhead]

The sofa session was very dull

[N111BJG]

spikeyhead said:

The sofa session was very dull

Agreed

Its beginning to feel like watching a former stadium rockstar performing at Ipswich Regent (just an example, many other provincial performance venues are available) & deciding not to go back in after the interval

[AJB88]

Yeh that episode was rather boring.

[spikeyhead]

AJB88 said:

Yeh that episode was rather boring.

It's frustrating, the one before was so much better.

Hopefully they'll end up working out what works, but if I'd been responsible for that episode I'd have been embarrassed.

[Pistom]

Can someone let me know once the Edd China videos start to improve please. I can't bring myself to watch any of them these days. Maybe I'm spoiled by the Harry's Garage restorations.

Edd's book is a great read and should be on you brithday/Christmas list if you've not got it but Jesus - these videos are dire.

[AJB88]

I need to check out some of these Harrys Garage videos I think.

I've been watching the Drivetribe Mondeo V6 restoration lately.

[Pistom]

AJB88 said:

I need to check out some of these Harrys Garage videos I think.

I've been watching the Drivetribe Mondeo V6 restoration lately.

I'll have to take a look at that. The best bit about HG is that there is no attempt to make it entertaining - it's entertaining simply by virtue of the content. Bear in mind that H has several exotic classics, he's as enthusiastic about his poverty classics as the more expensive stuff.

What I like about the XJC restoration is that he started out several years ago with a scabby XJ12 but was enthusiastic about the good bits.

He could have had his fun and re-sold it for someone else to take on but instead improved brakes, suspension and gearing.

Fast forward to current day and he's decided to address "a bit of rust". Well, on stripping the car, it turns out to be a real dog. Crash damage, bodged repairs. The bill has gone from a lot to we haven't a clue. H doesn't appear phased by any of this.

H isn't the sharpest tool when it comes to assessment of issues - just your average petrolhead really but he shows a real appreciation of what needs to be done when it's pointed out to him. He also seems very good at finding capable repair people - all of whom seem pretty decent themselves.

[Greg_B]

Thanks for the tip on the Harry's Garage videos. I watched the 4 (so far) editions of the XJC restoration and it is all getting a bit breathtaking. I do like Harry's presentation though - he reminds me a bit of a somewhat more grounded and less artsy James May in his delivery, very easy to listen to. The top end of the V12 looked even more corroded than the body of the Jag! Scary. I hope the paint color turns out well. Greens always make me nervous.

[Zad]

Harry's Farm videos are just as entertaining as his Garage vids. You'd think a video about farming would be dull, but these just aren't.

I think Edd's problem is that he has employed a TV or commercial editor, and it just doesn't work on YouTube. The sllloooowwwwmo shots, pointless music and a general lack of focus on why he is doing whatever it is this week. e.g. "Lets see how many methods we can use to find out a rusty and muddy old fuel pipe has a hole in it". Emails / AMAs tend to work better all done in 1 episode, not a couple now and then, where they generally seem to miss the writer's point.

Hopefully chatting with the Bad Obsession Motorsport chaps will have helped.

[Johnnybee]

I enjoyed the latest episode where he replaced the water pump and alternator on the mini engine, a job I’m sure many of us have done on a selection of engines. I did FF through the ask Ed bit though.

[N111BJG]

The reason I haven’t watched the last two videos is the gurning on the thumbnails, it seems 75% of his subscribers agree, or maybe it’s another reason
Is the horrible reality that Edd really isn’t very interesting owing to charisma deficiency
Please say it’s not true, it would be very close to those heartbreaking Santa / Tooth fairy realisation moments,

[ChocolateFrog]

The latest episode was the best one yet IMO.

I tried to find the Cadillac episode of WD on youtube but could only find the first 7 or 8 minutes.

I assume there was never any intention of running the rally even though that was the premise of the episode.

PS. I can't believe there are still petrol heads around that haven't watched any of Harry's Garage.

[Evercross]

ChocolateFrog said:

The latest episode was the best one yet IMO. I tried to find the Cadillac episode of WD on youtube but could only find the first 7 or 8 minutes. I assume there was never any intention of running the rally even though that was the premise of the episode.

Agreed. He's getting into his stride now, and doing a follow-up to the Cadillac story was a smart move as it was a bizarre WD episode. Nice to see him bearing no ill-will and wearing his 'Vast and Proud' t-shirt, but I suspect he's also hinting at the US WD producers souring his relationship with the show by pulling the plug on the rally venture, especially as it appears he was funding a lot of it himself as he'd actually bought both the cars involved.

N111BJG said:

Is the horrible reality that Edd really isn’t very interesting owing to charisma deficiency?

I think it is more down to some bad (non?) scripting choices and editing but they seem to be taking on the feedback and getting better.

[Greg_B]

The segments where he was doing work on the Cadillacs seem to have been shot quite some time ago in California. I'm guessing he finally found a place to use the footage. That would explain him still wearing the "Mike and Edd" t-shirt, which by now has surely become a greenhouse gas. I understand that he bought the Cadillacs from the production company at some point with the thought of recommissioning both of them and selling on at a profit. No idea if that actually happened. Watching this week's attempts to get them back together I wonder who originally thought that doing the original project was in any way a good idea. It not only looks horribly complex but quite ridiculously risky. The recommissioning looked quite haphazard, so likely true to life and not overly polished for TV.

The ice cream van footage shot at Whitby seemed similarly aged and like the rest of the project really didn't do very much for me. The product placement scattered throughout the Ask Edd segment was more off-putting here than previously, I thought.

Will be interesting to see what footage gets scrounged together for the next episode!

[trickywoo]

Greg_B said:

Watching this week's attempts to get them back together I wonder who originally thought that doing the original project was in any way a good idea.

Probably Edd.....

[Castrol for a knave]

P5BNij said:

Several years ago I had a short ride in one of the Outspan Minis at the Stanford Hall Mini day, it was quite a bizarre experience, it felt as though I'd been transported into the world of Barbarella for a few minutes.

Good to see someone else has been in an Outspan.

Back in the early 80's my dad's mate rocked up at our house in one, and took us for a drive.

It was "interesting" to be in the back of a giant fibreglass orange as it tried to make it's way up Holroyd Hill, which for those who don't know this tiny slice of Bradford, is a 20% hill into Wibsey.....

Parking it outside the Market Tavern while the men had a pint and I had a bottle of pop was fun.

[Mezzanine]

As a child, I remember being driven through Berkhamsted and seeing a yard with several of those Outspan cars parked up.

Never did get a ride in one...

[biggbn]

N111BJG said:

The reason I haven’t watched the last two videos is the gurning on the thumbnails, it seems 75% of his subscribers agree, or maybe it’s another reason
Is the horrible reality that Edd really isn’t very interesting owing to charisma deficiency
Please say it’s not true, it would be very close to those heartbreaking Santa / Tooth fairy realisation moments,

I thought the charisma deficiency was apparent on everything he has been in. Seems like a lovely guy but i have always found him really, really dull in front of a camera.

Edited by biggbn on Saturday 5th June 07:54