James May: The Reassembler

"The Reassembler" is the perfect illustration of just how little you need to make a solid television programme.

"Heavily produced","loud","fully scripted", "infantilised" are just some of the descriptors that apply to today's television offerings that fall under the educational category. Well, James May's The Reassembler bucks all of those with a mouthful of lightness, information, simplicity and mature comedy that are sure to leave most adult viewers with a sweet aftertaste.

All you need to produce a decent grown-up nonfiction television programme is a balanced dose of writing talent and candid yet charismatic presentation abilities. James May has both of those as well as knowledge in droves. Through his Top Gear persona, he has gained a reputation for and been teased about his technical pedantry and OCD-like attention to detail. Here, he unabashedly and rather brilliantly capitalises on all of those traits to produce a show that patiently celebrates the mechanical beauty of some of Man's technological creations.

I absolutely adore it; the perfect thing to watch after a stressful day at work, right before going to bed.

If only there were more programmes like it.