Channel 5 The Motorway

The study of British and Irish roads - their construction, numbering, history, mapping, past and future official roads proposals and general roads musings.

There is a separate forum for Street Furniture (traffic lights, street lights, road signs etc).

Registered users get access to other forums including discussions about other forms of transport, driving, fantasy roads and wishlists, and roads quizzes.

Moderator: Site Management Team

Post Reply
User avatar
A303Chris
Elected Committee Member
Posts: 3587
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 14:01
Location: Reading

Channel 5 The Motorway

Post by A303Chris »

I couldn't find a post on the first series but the next series this time covering the M62 in Yorkshire and North West starts on Monday.

The National Highways PR stuff is here.

Hope it is not as frustrating as the ones on the M1 (C5) and M25 (ITV) which in my opinion both showed the running of the motorways in a poor light with the professional expertise in the control rooms severly lacking
The M25 - The road to nowhere
User avatar
Helvellyn
Member
Posts: 24664
Joined: Tue Apr 04, 2006 22:31
Location: High Peak

Re: Channel 5 The Motorway

Post by Helvellyn »

A303Chris wrote: Fri May 06, 2022 11:35 I couldn't find a post on the first series but the next series this time covering the M62 in Yorkshire and North West starts on Monday.

The National Highways PR stuff is here.

Hope it is not as frustrating as the ones on the M1 (C5) and M25 (ITV) which in my opinion both showed the running of the motorways in a poor light with the professional expertise in the control rooms severly lacking
I've not seen those but sadly TV likes to try its hardest to turn molehills in to mountains to make it sound more exciting.
DB617
Member
Posts: 1286
Joined: Mon Dec 25, 2017 00:51
Location: Bristol

Re: Channel 5 The Motorway

Post by DB617 »

A303Chris wrote: Fri May 06, 2022 11:35 Hope it is not as frustrating as the ones on the M1 (C5) and M25 (ITV) which in my opinion both showed the running of the motorways in a poor light with the professional expertise in the control rooms severly lacking
Outside experience from using the motorways suggests that either expertise is lacking, or manpower, or there is extremely poor UX in the control centre's software, or some selection of the above. M4/M5 and the whole Severn area is a particular joke.
User avatar
wrinkly
Member
Posts: 8990
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 12:17
Location: Leeds

Re: Channel 5 The Motorway

Post by wrinkly »

DB617 wrote: Fri May 06, 2022 16:44 or there is extremely poor UX in the control centre's software,
Unexploded?
DB617
Member
Posts: 1286
Joined: Mon Dec 25, 2017 00:51
Location: Bristol

Re: Channel 5 The Motorway

Post by DB617 »

wrinkly wrote: Fri May 06, 2022 19:04
DB617 wrote: Fri May 06, 2022 16:44 or there is extremely poor UX in the control centre's software,
Unexploded?
User experience. Different fields, same letters, very different outcomes.
User avatar
Conekicker
Member
Posts: 3754
Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2005 22:32
Location: South Yorks

Re: Channel 5 The Motorway

Post by Conekicker »

First episode - much as expected, with the media sexing things up to make it exciting. Good variety of incidents though. I do wonder how many Traffic Officers know they are "Motorway Patrollers". FS.

I've got to say that as much as I enjoyed working on the motorways, seeing the programme confirmed my opinion that I don't really miss it now that I'm retired. The expression "Tickle (cough cough) that for a games of soldiers" sprang very readily to mind.
Patience is not a virtue - it's a concept invented by the dozy beggars who are unable to think quickly enough.
User avatar
the cheesecake man
Member
Posts: 2462
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2019 13:21
Location: Sheffield

Re: Channel 5 The Motorway

Post by the cheesecake man »

Quite interesting, and not banal or vacuous as Channel 5 programmes often are, but still too much time wasted with tedious previews and recaps. :yawn:
User avatar
Lockwood
Member
Posts: 3185
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2009 14:44
Location: Liphook

Re: Channel 5 The Motorway

Post by Lockwood »

Coming up in this post: "I think you're right", "that does happen a lot"

I saw a sketch a while back about this epic recapping on documentaries.

Coming up after the break: "You're right"


Previously in this post: "I saw a sketch a while back". Coming up: "That does happen a lot"

You're right. It's an easy way to pad out the run time. They can't fill it with commercials.

Coming up soon: "that does happen a lot"



Previously: "it's an easy way to pad out the run time." "You're right." And coming up shortly "that does happen a lot."

People say I ran with this joke for far too long. I suppose that does happen a lot.
mikehindsonevans
Member
Posts: 1359
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 11:44
Location: Cheshire, but working week time in Cambridge

Re: Channel 5 The Motorway

Post by mikehindsonevans »

wrinkly wrote: Fri May 06, 2022 19:04
DB617 wrote: Fri May 06, 2022 16:44 or there is extremely poor UX in the control centre's software,
Unexploded?
Missing a "B"...

Caught the programme on Monday this week. Interesting but reminds me of other "fly on the wall" documentaries going back (gosh!) 40 years to Roger Graef's original series "Police" with Thames Valley.
Mike Hindson-Evans.
Never argue with a conspiracy theorist.
They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
User avatar
Chris5156
Deputy Treasurer
Posts: 16909
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2001 21:50
Location: Hampshire
Contact:

Re: Channel 5 The Motorway

Post by Chris5156 »

Lockwood wrote: Thu May 12, 2022 22:06 Coming up in this post: "I think you're right", "that does happen a lot"

I saw a sketch a while back about this epic recapping on documentaries.

Coming up after the break: "You're right"


Previously in this post: "I saw a sketch a while back". Coming up: "That does happen a lot"

You're right. It's an easy way to pad out the run time. They can't fill it with commercials.

Coming up soon: "that does happen a lot"



Previously: "it's an easy way to pad out the run time." "You're right." And coming up shortly "that does happen a lot."

People say I ran with this joke for far too long. I suppose that does happen a lot.
:laugh:

I think you're thinking of Mitchell and Webb's "gift shop sketch", which absolutely nails this type of lazy documentary making: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bzdVi7lWD8
User avatar
Lockwood
Member
Posts: 3185
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2009 14:44
Location: Liphook

Re: Channel 5 The Motorway

Post by Lockwood »

I'm looking for a gift for my aunt...
DB617
Member
Posts: 1286
Joined: Mon Dec 25, 2017 00:51
Location: Bristol

Re: Channel 5 The Motorway

Post by DB617 »

Quite enjoying the series. My particular favourite bit so far was the two Latvian guys who, having run out of fuel a hundred yards from the Tibshelf services offslip, rolled half up the verge and left their wives sleeping in the back seats and walked to the services for fuel (and came back empty handed). Some people live on luck. :shock:

To be fair, I had a colleague do similar once. His first company van was an absolute shed, driving down the Wakefield lane drop on the M1 his coolant light came on followed by every warning light in the van. He came to a stop in the lane drop, on the smart motorway mind you, jumped the barrier and walked to the garage to get some coolant. Came back to WYP who were very cross. The cause - catastrophic water damage in the wiring. Going to need more than coolant!
Isleworth1961
Member
Posts: 771
Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2012 14:15
Location: South Gloucestershire

Re: Channel 5 The Motorway

Post by Isleworth1961 »

DB617 wrote: Sat May 14, 2022 08:34 Quite enjoying the series. My particular favourite bit so far was the two Latvian guys who, having run out of fuel a hundred yards from the Tibshelf services offslip, rolled half up the verge and left their wives sleeping in the back seats and walked to the services for fuel (and came back empty handed). Some people live on luck. :shock:

To be fair, I had a colleague do similar once. His first company van was an absolute shed, driving down the Wakefield lane drop on the M1 his coolant light came on followed by every warning light in the van. He came to a stop in the lane drop, on the smart motorway mind you, jumped the barrier and walked to the garage to get some coolant. Came back to WYP who were very cross. The cause - catastrophic water damage in the wiring. Going to need more than coolant!
Reminds me of a work colleague years ago. Having stuffed his car into a parked removal van, and it needing a front end rebuild (after having done similar with a parked skip only a couple of months earlier), he used another car while it was in for repair. One morning he was very late - car had broken down on the off slip of the M32 to the A4174, two miles from work. He said he'd go back lunchtime to have a look. When he returned (late), he said the car wasn't there. A few phone calls found the car had been removed on police instructions (he got a right ticking off for abandoning a car on the motorway without calling anyone) to the council depot at Almondsbury. As I passed the depot on the way home, I offered him a lift. He paid the £100 (or more?) recovery fee, and went to the car. Bonnet up, he tried to start it - expansion tank was gurgling away merrily and obviously wouldn't start...so head gasket gone. He reckoned the car wasn't worth the recovery fee now! He called a relative to tow him the 20+ miles to Gloucester, so I left him to it. Said relative was his brother, whose car it was! He wasn't best pleased...my colleague had to buy it off him at pre-breakdown value!
User avatar
Gareth Thomas
Member
Posts: 1719
Joined: Mon May 03, 2004 13:43
Location: Temple Ewell, Kent
Contact:

Re: Channel 5 The Motorway

Post by Gareth Thomas »

I posted this on the SABRE Facebook group, but some signs on some motorways are fully available to see and others have randomly been blurred out. The M1 was happy to be seen, but the M6 felt shy near the M58 junction. :-D

Still enjoy these types of programmes though.
My journey with testicular cancer!
https://garethishalfnuts.wordpress.com/

"Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads..."
-Dr Emmett Brown
DB617
Member
Posts: 1286
Joined: Mon Dec 25, 2017 00:51
Location: Bristol

Re: Channel 5 The Motorway

Post by DB617 »

Gareth Thomas wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 20:06 I posted this on the SABRE Facebook group, but some signs on some motorways are fully available to see and others have randomly been blurred out. The M1 was happy to be seen, but the M6 felt shy near the M58 junction. :-D

Still enjoy these types of programmes though.
I figured at some point the crash was the subject of a Police investigation and, for whatever reason, they didn't want to show the exact location. That or - if I am remembering the part with the censoring correctly - it may be to protect the farmer who didn't help HE to get the car off his land.
Post Reply