Ice Road Truckers

Facing perhaps the toughest season yet, the Ice Road Truckers are back on History this month to face what could be the ultimate challenge of their driving skills.

Veterans of the frozen North, drivers Rick Yemm, Alex Debogorski, Lisa Kelly and newcomer, Dave Redmon have traveled a long way from home and way out of their comfort zones to face the ultimate test.

In a change of scenery from the oil rich plains of North America and Canada, the truckers take to the treacherous mountain passes of India’s most dangerous roads in a bid to deliver their cargo.

Climbing the jagged peaks and speeding down the sheer slopes of the Himalayas, they’ll have more to worry about than on what side of the road they should be driving. Racing ahead in temperatures that can threaten to melt tires one moment and freeze the road beneath them the next, they’ll have to fight hard to stay calm and in control.

Starting on the narrow, rocky roads that wind away from Delhi before climbing to a construction site precariously perched between the mountains, Alex’s iron will is tested as he battles to hold his rig together in the harshest conditions he’s ever experienced. Meanwhile Rick, Lisa and Dave fight hard to speed on through the unfamiliar twists and turns, knowing any mistake could be fatal.

Its edge of the seat stuff again for the viewers and brown trouser stuff for the drivers, who attempt to make it through another season without really knowing what to expect in a new country where people’s lives are depending on their  vital cargo.

As well as facing some of the worst conditions known to man the truckers will also be up against a language barrier as they make their way across some of the deadliest roads in the country. Find out if their strength and determination pulls them through on HISTORY™ this December.

Ice Road Truckers: Deadliest Roads
Starts on December 16th at 10pm
Only on HISTORY™

An Idiot Abroad Karl Pilkington DVD

At the height of the success of the groundbreaking TV comedy The Office, writers Ricky Gervais and Steve Merchant had a regular radio spot on XFM every Saturday lunch time and it was there that I first came across the hapless Karl Pilkington.

Karl was the producer of their radio show and Ricky and Steve lost no time in introducing him to their act, adding a new dimension to their ‘piss taking’ style of comedy with Karl as the stooge.

Now some ten years on Ricky Gervais and Steve Merchant continue to trade on the humour of this odd friendship and this year they thought it would be a great idea to send Karl abroad to visit the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

Despite having never been abroad, unless caravan holiday’s in Wales count, somehow they got him to agree.

If he had thoughts of travelling in Michael Palin style he was in for a big surprise! This is a trip of a lifetime, but for all the wrong reasons as Gervais and Merchant are intent on arranging the worst hotels, food, entertainment and travel experiences that are known to man.

While it is easy to laugh along with his tormentors back in England handing out orders by mobile phone, it is difficult not to feel the discomfort of the ordeal for Karl as he stays in some of the worst conditions known to man and is fed, penis, testicles, toad and god knows what else on his travels.

That the Seven Wonders are a disappointment for him is no surprise at all, but the laughs and misery along the way make for some great entertainment for the viewers back at home in their comfy armchairs.

Philosopher Karl says “They say travel broadens the mind, but I don’t think it does. It buggers it up – I’m knackered!”

And what did he learn? “Babies in China, a lot of them have square heads.” Asked why, “I don’t know, perhaps it is to stop them rolling out of the cot.”

An Idiot Abroad Karl Pilkington is a two DVD boxed set contain 347 minutes of laughter, near tears, tantrums and total stupidity that really should be seen by every aspiring traveller. It is produced by SKY and extras include deleted scenes and photo gallery.

An Idiot Abroad is available in stores now.

For a chance to win one of three copies of this DVD being given away as prizes take part in the simple to enter ‘An Idiot Abroad competition‘ on British Comedy Classics.

The Big Knights

The Big Knights first appeared on BBC TV back in 1999, winning multiple animation awards for the creators who have since gone on to make the hugely popular Peppa Pig and Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom.

The Big Knights are Sir Boris, the finest swordsman in the world and Sir Morris who is not the finest swordsman in the world, but is the most enthusiastic. They are joined in their castle home by pets Sir Horace the armour clad dog and Sir Doris the armour clad hamster.

Since the series finished there have apparently been many Big Knight fans who have been petitioning for the series to be released on DVD, their wish is fulfilled on October 25th when Entertainment One release all 13 episodes on one DVD, which includes a free re mastered HD special edition on Blu-Ray.

The series will appeal to family members from six years old and upwards, adults will particularly enjoy the Pythonesque silliness and stupidity of the lead characters.

Voices are supplied by Brian Blessed and David Rintoul for Sir Morris and Sir Boris, with famous guests such as Timothy West, Prunella Scales and Brian Sewell joining the cast during the series.

This is highly recommended fun for all the family, providing almost an hour of animated silliness as the Big Knights stupidity leads them into all kinds of trouble, only overcome by their boundless enthusiasm.

The Big Knights is released on DVD on October 25th and comes with a free HD Blu-Ray special edition.

ice road truckers-series four

Ice Road Truckers returns for its fourth series on the History channel this week, promising even more tension amongst the drivers as they seek to deliver their massive payloads through the icy terrain of Alaska.

The race is on and the drivers are very aware that the bigger their load, the bigger their pay on delivery, ensuring a tense and exciting adventure across some of the most dangerous terrain imaginable.

Each trucker must make important decisions to ensure their loads get to their destinations on time and in one piece. One rookie mistake could mean an end to their trucking career and possibly their lives. They have everything to gain and everything to lose as they each tally up deliveries of much needed supplies. As they drive across some of the most remote, treacherous places known to man, the Ice Road Truckers undertake one of the deadliest jobs on earth.

As they battle through Phase 3 snow storms and total white out blizzards, each trucker must use their skills, knowledge and courage to deliver the goods on time. A lot rests on this season of trucking, as each driver must prove their worth as they navigate some of the most dangerous roads on earth. Trucks must be skilfully driven across treacherous frozen lakes; no roads and impossible conditions means that this incredible journey has sadly become responsible for the deaths of dozens of men.

Trucker favourites Hugh ‘Polar Bear’ Rowland and Alex Debogorski continue their rivalry, as Alex is on his final warning before losing his trucker license, tensions are running high. Jack Jessee and Lisa Kelly make a welcome return and are joined by new drivers Greg Boadwine and Ray Vellieux.

In this male dominated profession, Lisa Kelly must fight to prove she’s just as good and as the only female trucker, she must work twice as hard. However, will she earn the long time respect and the loads that come with it? The race is on, but this year things are heating up as they race North in the dash for the cash.

History have teamed up with the brand new social media TV app Miso for this latest series of Ice Road Truckers, the app will enable viewers to ‘check in’ during transmission of the show, share information with their friends and have the chance of winning some great prizes including signed truckers hats and DVDs.

Simply visit the Miso website to sign up and unlock exclusive badges and Ice Road Trucker prizes.

Series four of Ice Road Truckers is exclusive to History, episode one is broadcast on September 9th at 9pm.

The AX MEN

The AX MEN are set to return to our screens for a second series on the History channel on September 23rd at 9pm, featuring 12 one hour programmes scheduled for a regular Wednesday night slot.

The second series of this first ever non fictional account of the treacherous life of Pacific Northwest timber cutters, goes deeper into the forest, higher in the sky and even down into the sea as it follows two of the leading teams from last season along with three new companies, racing to fall the most timber during logging’s most dangerous season.

For more than a hundred years, larger than life characters, many of whom are members of logging families who go back to the time when the West was being settled – have spent their days among towering trees and powerful machines and their nights in outposts far from the comforts of civilization. AX MEN tells the remarkable story, detailing the history of the logging industry and how technology has transformed life for today’s logger, while the struggle of man versus nature stays the same.

The second series follows two of Oregon’s top logging companies from last year, J.M. Browning Logging of Astoria and Vernonia’s Pihl Logging. They will be joined by three newcomers who each bring something different to the table.

It’s a highly dangerous job and the brave men put everything on the line every day to retrieve the timber. Snapped cables, runaway logs and razor-sharp chainsaws are just some of the dangers that threaten their lives daily. Even with new technology that should make the job easier, it all boils down to the toughness and perseverance of the logging crews. Anything and everything can and does go wrong.

It all makes for a real edge of the seat viewing experience and a welcome return of the AX MEN to our tv screens.

Ice Road Truckers

Ice Road Truckers follows a group of elite truckers who head to Alaska, 250 miles of the Arctic Circle, who will face 100 foot cliffs, hairpin bends, avalanches and minus 70 degree temperatures.

With less than three months to shuttle critical supplies to the oil camps of Alaska’s North Slope, drivers are pushed to their limits. These are ice roads of a different breed: The truckers will face 400-plus-mile journeys fraught with harrowing danger–steep mountain ice, frozen tundra and the treacherous ice roads of the Arctic Ocean. It is man and his machine vs. nature and the wildest, roller coaster of an ice road in the world. Only the strong and lucky will survive. Hundreds of talented truckers have lost their lives trying to navigate this route, where one literally never knows what lies around the bend–from unexpected weather to dangerous whiteouts to treacherous terrain.

This series however, there is a new driver who is more than a match for any of the men, the gorgeous Lisa Kelly.  Lisa has been driving big rigs for about six-years and admits that she gets a kick out-of seeing people to a double take when she slides out of her huge Kenworth W900 tractor-trailer.

Forming part of History’s ‘Live on the Edge’ season, the 13 part series starts on September 10th at 9pm on HISTORY and HISTORY HD and continues every Thursday.

Yeah we all know this is just another opportunity for Charley to satiate his boysish enthusiasm for motorbikes and travelling the world.  The novelty of this series is that he and producer/fellow traveller, Russ Malkin get the opportunity to ‘have a go’ on steam trains, boats and big red London bus and numerous other means of transport that little boys fantasise about!

I like Charley Boorman, despite the fact his participation in these great adventures is all funded by our tax-payers money, because he comes across as a really nice, if slightly bumbling, bloke with a lovely family and no lovey airs and graces.

Although I loved the Long Way Down/Round series and enjoyed the camaraderie and jokes shared by Charlie and Ewan MacGregor, I’m glad Charlie has taken the spotlight in Ireland to Sydney…

We had a brief glimpse of Ewan in the first episode when he rode up to wish Charlie good luck before he set off, but there was no explanation as to why Ewan wasn’t joining Charlie on this latest adventure.  I would like to think it’s because everyone was so outraged by the way he flexed his  ‘I’m the superstar’ muscle and allowed his wife (who couldn’t even ride a bike) to nudge Charley off of the screen when she joined them on The Long Way Down, that the team decided to plan this trip behind his back and only tell him when it was too late for him to join them….!

Despite that little moan by me, I really do hope Charley and Ewan are reunited for a third Long Way show….just barr the spouse!