Coltrane's Planes and Automobiles Episode Guide

Episode Guide

• Diesel

  Robbie Coltrane explores the history of the diesel engine, which was invented in 1893 by Rudolf Diesel

• Diesel

  Robbie Coltrane continues to plough through the history of engineering, sharing his enthusiasm for the diesel engine. He traces the rags-to-riches story of its maverick inventor Rudolf Diesel, visiting relevant locations as unlikely as a Cornish lighthouse and an Oregon apple farm

• Jet

  Robbie Coltrane takes a spin in a Gloucester Meteor as he charts the development of the jet engine from Frank Whittle's wartime jottings in his student notebook to the world-shrinking multi-million-pound industry of today. He also visits America, where manufacturers Pratt and Whitney pioneered fuel-injection engines

• Jet Engine

  Robbie Coltrane takes a spin in a Gloucester Meteor as he charts the development of the jet engine, from Frank Whittle's wartime jottings in his student notebook to the world-shrinking multi-million-pound industry of today. He also visits America, where manufacturers Pratt and Whitney pioneered fuel-injection engines

• Jet Engine

  The history of the jet engine, an invention that has made global exploration more accessible than ever

• Steam

  Robbie Coltrane journeys back in time to the age of steam, one of the most dynamic periods of engineering, and looks at some of the greatest engines ever made

• Supercharger

  The supercharger, an engine that changed the course of motoring and military history

• Supercharger

  Robbie Coltrane gets passionate about the development of the engine that revolutionised the worlds of motoring and military transport - the supercharger. Visiting important sites in its evolution, he charts the progress of the engine from the race track to its decisive role in the fighter planes of World War Two, including the Messerschmitt 109 and the Spitfire

• Two-Stroke

  Robbie Coltrane offers a personal insight into the manufacture of the two-stroke engine, which was made primarily for domestic use in mopeds, lawnmowers, chainsaws and toy aeroplanes - a development that signalled the end of quiet Sunday afternoons

• V8

  Robbie Coltrane focuses on the workings of the V8, perhaps the greatest engine ever produced by America

• V8

  The actor focuses on the workings of the V8, perhaps the greatest engine ever produced by America